To say that this was one of the most anticipated games of the Jackrabbit football season would be an understatement.
With a rivalry dating back to the ‘80s, the Forney v. Crandall saga was a staple of high school Texas football until Forney’s steady growth resulted in the two schools being classified into different UIL divisions. However, the district rivalry was reignited when they were both classified in District 8-5A Division I for football (along with North Forney) in 2020. With their first district game in over a decade, Crandall took the win in overtime with a final score of 57-54. The following year, Forney would come back with an overtime win of 32-30. However, Crandall would eventually reclaim their crown with a non-district 58-55 win in 2022. Despite no longer being classified in the same district division, the Forney and Crandall coaching staffs made sure to keep the rivalry alive by scheduling a season opener against each other on August 27th. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the final score would read 64-10 in favor of Forney, beginning Forney’s season on a great note while possibly being an unlucky indication of what’s to come for Crandall.
The game began with Forney on offense. Crandall Junior Kicker Ismael Lizardi would open the game with a kick caught by Jackrabbit Senior Wide Receiver Kofi Eduful at the 30-yard line, where the Jackrabbits would start their year. Senior Quarterback Kyle Crawford to Senior Wide Receiver Ben Perin for a 10-yard completion, putting the Jackrabbits at 20 yards until an illegal snap would put them back at the 35-yard line and a second snap would take them from the 42-yard line to the 37-yard line. However, they would refuse to let this deter them, as Sophomore Wide Receiver Imari Jeheel would immediately put them back at the 42-yard line. Unfortunately, an incomplete pass to Eduful and an out of bounds Eduful punt would put the ball in Pirate hands. Sophomore Running Back Javion Osborne would run the ball towards the end zone but step out of bounds at the 2-yard line, preceding a touchback and impractical stop call for Crandall, giving the Pirates the ball again. Junior Quarterback Gauge Wickersham would start Crandall’s offensive play with an incomplete pass to Junior Running Back Kayson Rhea. While Crandall’s offense seemed to suffer miscommunications throughout the rest of their possession, Forney’s defense would rise to the occasion as Junior Linebacker Kelvion Riggins and Senior Defensive Back Joshua Gatlin would take down Senior Running Back Andrew Anderson for a 1-yard loss. A near interception for Sophomore Defensive Back Josiah Turner would be followed by Senior Defensive Back Seth Hyder taking a bad punt from Lizardi to the 10-yard line. With the ball back in Jackrabbit hands, a Crawford-Eduful connection would get the Jackrabbits at the 3-yard line for Eduful’s glorious Jackrabbit touchdown. Senior Kicker Braden Newell would put the seventh point on the Jackrabbit scoreboard with 5:39 left in the first quarter. Senior Linebacker Dryden Byrd would stop Crandall’s Rhea before he could hit the 25-yard line, and a series of incompletions would get the Jackrabbits the ball again. Osborne would help the Jackrabbits acquire another touchdown with a 5-yard drive, and a Newell kick would put the Jackrabbits at 14-0 with 1:24 left. Crandall would struggle to get positive yardage, starting their second quarter with 0 points.
Crandall would continue to play in that vein, with their only points of the second quarter coming from a field goal. Meanwhile, Forney would end the second quarter with another fourteen points, with another Eduful touchdown from the 6-yard line, followed by another Osborne touchdown for 50 yards with 1:09 left. With a 25-point lead, the Jackrabbit defense wouldn’t slow down with Gatlin stopping one of Crandall’s only second quarter completions by Senior Wide Receiver Joshua Smith at the 26-yard line and Senior Defensive Back Aaron Flowers forcing an incomplete pass and Smith out of bounds at the 21-yard line.
The Jackrabbit defense would only continue to improve as Flowers would start the third quarter strong with an interception at the 24-yard line within the first minute. However, the Jackrabbits would also show what they’re made of with three more touchdowns in the third quarter. The endzone would become familiar with Senior Running Back Kevin Espinal and Senior Wide Receiver Ben Perin, putting Forney at 49-3.
With 8:56 left in the fourth, Senior Defensive Back Cameron Carter would drive another Jackrabbit touchdown from the 5-yard line for 55 points. Junior Wide Receiver would execute a standout play by turning a bad snap into an endzone dive for a 2-point conversion for 57 points. Carter would repeat his 5-yard line touchdown scheme for a scoreboard read of 63-3 and a Wall kick putting the score at 64-3. With 3:44 left, the Pirates would finally get their first and only touchdown of the night on account of Rhea catching a red zone pass from Wickersham. However, even after finally getting to double digits, the final score would involve a 54-point Jackrabbit lead.
While the Forney v. Crandall games have been close for the past few years, it appears that the loss of Crandall’s 2023 class (which included top-200 national recruit and Oklahoma Linebacker, Samuel Omosigho) has taken a significant hit to their chances at a state championship. Meanwhile, Forney continues to grow stronger, with a new addition of ESPN 4-Star Junior Linebacker Kelvion Riggins who left the state champions South Oak Cliff to play under Coach Jeff Fleener. Riggins will fit right in with Forney’s defense, which includes Flowers, 4-Star Senior Oregon commit, and Osborne, a sophomore with 8 Division 1 offers. On Forney’s offensive side, things are looking good with both seniors Eduful and Espinal putting up 2 touchdowns and Crawford passing for 229 yards with 16 completions for a 55% completion rate. Potentially putting an end to a longtime rivalry and showing significant strength on both sides of the ball, this batch of Jackrabbits are officially saying, “We’re here to stay.”
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.