Coming off of their homecoming week the previous week, the Varsity Jackrabbits took the long road trip to Texarkana last week, October 9, to face off against the #9 state ranked Texarkana Texas High Tigers. The Jackrabbits battled hard, but unfortunately for the Rabbits the state ranked Tigers played a nearly flawless game. The Tigers’ homecoming crowd was loud and raucous, and the Forney fans who made the trip were great. The noise and excitement were good preparation for the upcoming district play and a future playoff atmosphere. The Jackrabbit players and coaches are always thankful for all of those fans who come out to cheer on the team, especially when that involves making the trip from Forney all the way to historic Tiger Stadium. Undoubtedly, last Friday night’s fans were happy they came, as they were lucky enough to see a great team and a team chasing greatness.
Forney scored early, earning ten points in the first quarter, but this was all the Jackrabbits could manage to get on the board for the rest of the game. Texas High scored 21 points in the first quarter, with another 14 before the half. Then the Tigers scored yet another 14 in the third, bringing the final score to 49-10 in favor of the Texas High Tigers.
Defensively the Jackrabbits battled fiercely all night, but it was hard to overcome a quarterback who ended up 27-29 on the night. The Tigers’ QB displayed pinpoint passing, which kept the ball moving for the Tigers and also regrettably kept the Jackrabbit offense off the field for most of the night. Forney’s defense put up a good fight though. Senior Cade Crawford continued his development as a defensive tackle by recording 4 tackles and 2 for a loss. Defensive end Chase Berg logged 3 tackles, and Junior defensive tackle Jack Mayhall added 3 more. Caden Cross recorded 7 tackles, and Josh Stephens led the attack with 10 solo tackles and a pass break up for the night.
When the Forney offense was able to get on the field, they fought to start strong. But the Jackrabbits were plagued by some early game penalties that put them in difficult situations. The Rabbits offense did show signs of life with a nice long drive in the first quarter, highlighted with a pass from Rabbits’ quarterback, Junior Jake White, to Braden Benjamin for a 40-yard gain. That great drive led to a 22-yard field goal by Senior Cameron Newell. Running back Jon’Richard Washington led the rushing attack with 42 yards on 10 carries for the night. Offensive linemen Garrett Andaverde, Reese Mercer and Alex Bowen all did an especially good job battling the Tigers’ very athletic and highly touted defensive line.
Forney Jackrabbits Head Coach Aaron Woods always makes it a point to remind his players to “be special on special teams.” One of the few brighter spots last Friday night was the Rabbits’ special team play. Brayden Kirkland and the kickoff return team sparked the Jackrabbits with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. After another big return, they started to “pooch kick” (short, high, and to the sideline) the ball to Senior wide receiver Gage Simmons, who did a nice job fielding those kicks to give the Rabbits a decent field position. In addition to his field goal in the first quarter, Cameron Newell had two touchback kicks (non-returnable into the end zone) on kickoffs. Junior Braden Merchant had an outstanding night, punting with a 47.5-yard average and a long of 61 yards. These punts put Texas High inside the 10-yard line three times and forced them to drive the field.
Now the fun really starts. With the beginning of district play this week, every team in 8-5A Division II is now 0-0. All the rivalry games of old, and a few new ones, are getting started. The Jackrabbits open at home Friday October 16, 2020 against the North Forney Falcons. The Unity Bowl is always a high-spirited game with lots of action, hard hitting and bragging rights.
Come on out, and be loud and proud as you root for your Forney Jackrabbits! If you can’t make it to City Bank Stadium this week, tune into Sportsgram.net for live audio and video coverage of Forney’s Unity Bowl. Kickoff Friday night is at 7:30 p.m.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.