Bragging rights on the line; Bob Jones vs James Clemens
James Clemens quarterback Heath Burchfield takes a snap against Johnson
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
MADISON- The stakes could not get any higher for Madison’s two high school football teams when they meet Friday night at Madison City Schools Stadium. Bob Jones and James Clemens both enter the game unbeaten. It is also the first region game so it has playoff implications.
“You will see a ton of excitement from our guys,” Bob Jones head coach Kevin Rose said. “We have always played extremely well in front of a full house. Our kids feed off that energy from the student body. You will see our kids play lights out.”
Lights out is exactly how Bob Jones played last year as they won 72-0.
“Last year was a mismatch as far as a group of ninth and tenth graders playing 6A football,” Rose said. “We played everybody we took.”
He gave one example. The last score of the game was a punt return for a touchdown by Will Ragland. It was the first time he had fielded a punt in a game.
Rose doesn’t really know what to expect but “we will get their most motivated effort of the season. We’re the red letter team on their schedule and they’ve been waiting for this all year.”
James Clemens defeated Johnson the opening game of the season last week 14-6. The Jets offense started slowly. Trailing 6-0 the Jets defense dug in and began to jell as a unit. The defense bent, but rebounded again and again, making the big plays when they were called upon.
Seemingly inspired by the tenacity of the Jets defensive unit, the offense came to life in the second quarter. The Jets capped off a drive with a pin-point pass from Heath Burchfield to tight end Trevor Makarov for a 20-yard score. Logan Mueller added the extra point for a James Clemens 7-6 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Burchfield hit Makarov again with a perfectly placed spiral for a 58-yard gain inside the Jaguars 5 yard line setting up the Jets second touchdown, a three yard run by Maceo Booker.
“They are a much better team than they were last year,” Rose said of James Clemens.
“Their coaching staff under (new coach) Wade Waldrop has done an excellent job.”
“Burchfield is a very good quarterback especially for a 10th grader and Deondre Douglas is as talented as anybody in the region.”
Douglas, a junior, played at Bob Jones as a freshman. Linebacker Jayce Hampton played for Bob Jones varsity as a sophomore. He is one of eight seniors on James Clemens team.
In Bob Jones’ win over Northridge the Patriots offense was effective with the short passing game and didn’t take a shot down the field. They rolled up 452 total yards: 228 through the air and 224 on the ground.
“You are going to see us take some shots down the field,” Rose said. “It’s the biggest game of the year up to this point. We are going over there to win.”
Bob Jones had over 400 yards of offense against Northridge
Unlike last season, there has not been a lot of talking publicly about the rivalry by players on either side. Rose thinks it is due to Jets head coach Waldrop.
“He’s gone in there and gone to work and done his job. His kids have done their job. Friday night we’re going to play 48 minutes of competitive football and shake hands at the end and move forward.”
Bob Jones is the home team and school officials expect 7,000 fans to be at the game. End zone seating is being moved into place this week. To avoid long ticket lines, fans should buy their tickets in advance at their school. Fans should also arrive early.
