As this year’s chapter begins to come to a close, a new one has opened: the chapter of unpredictable (and typically, unfavorable) Texas weather. Forney’s game against McKinney North was expected to be one for the books for multiple reasons. Our senior Jackrabbits involved with Friday Night Lights – which includes football players, cheerleaders,Highsteppers, band members, and more – were going to be honored for their contributions over the past four years as they were walked down the field by their loved ones, followed by the Jackrabbits taking on a team that beat out and fell to many of the same schools as them for a predicted one-score game. However, the weather had other plans, and after multiple lightning delay resets, the game was rescheduled for last Saturday with a noon kickoff and canceled Senior Night festivities. Despite having to readjust and still play in unsavory conditions, as the temperature at kickoff was predicted to be 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the Jackrabbits knew that they were going to have to give it their all if they wanted to play on their own turf for their first-round playoff game and continue to solidify their program as a Dallas powerhouse. Head Coach Jeff Fleener reminded his players that playoff games and collegiate games are played on Saturdays and the Jackrabbits should aim to prove that they can do that as well. And prove they did, with a 40-7 (so, definitely not one-score) victory against the McKinney Bulldogs for their third consecutive win and their eighth overall win this season. Although the Bulldogs were the only ones to put up points within the first quarter, the Jackrabbit defense put a swift end to that, and the Forney players were the only ones scoring touchdowns for the rest of the game.
In under two minutes, the Bulldogs managed to secure a touchdown thanks to senior running back and wide receiver Jayden Walker’s six-yard run. The Jackrabbits tried to even the score but struggled and began the second quarter with three points off of senior kicker Asher Wall’s
field goal and 11:50 left. However, sophomore running back Javian Osborne’s rushing for 38 yards over two downs and senior quarterback Kyle Crawford’s 10-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Imari Jehiel put the Rabbits ahead of the Bulldogs for a 10-7 score. Incomplete and fumbled passes from both teams kept the score the same for the rest of the quarter... before the Rabbits (especially Crawford) turned things around.
Within the first four minutes of the third quarter, Crawford and Jehiel connected again for 42 yards, allowing the Jackrabbits some wiggle room at 16-7 with 8:52 left in the quarter. Senior defensive back Joshua Gatlin made a big play for the Rabbits when he returned a Bulldog fumble 69 yards for a touchdown. Jehiel’s two-point conversion two minutes later had the Jackrabbits leading by 17 points. However, one of the most memorable moments of the game had to be Crawford throwing to senior wide receiver Alijah Merkson for 69 yards for a 31-7 score (after Wall’s kick went through).
Starting off the fourth and final quarter with a safety, the Jackrabbits were in a good spot with a 33-7 advantage. The collective efforts of Merkson, Crawford, senior wide receiver Kofi Eduful, and Osborne put Osborne in the perfect position for a 10-yard run to the end zone to finish the game at 40-7.
Although there were many standout plays and routes run throughout this game from both teams, unfinished plays seemed to be an obstacle across the field as well. Crawford, who took note of this and claimed it was talked about in the film room all week, attributed this to the team’s desire to turn things around in the second half. Crawford ended up throwing for 295 yards with 14 out of 21 passes being complete and three being touchdowns.
The Jackrabbits play Tyler this week for another expected win and to end their regular season on a high note before making another swing at a state championship title. After not making the playoffs for five years in a row before Coach Fleener arrived and being eliminated in the first round last year, the Rabbits have a lot to prove. But if there’s one thing that we’ve learned about the Jackrabbits this year, it’s that they are no strangers to beating the odds.
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