Frye leads comeback, Bob Jones stays unbeaten
Jeremy Frye runs for Bob Jones against Huntsville.
(CONTRIBUTED/CINDY HESS)
HUNTSVILLE- Bob Jones junior Jeremy Frye will always remember his first game as a starter at quarterback. So will several thousand fans who watched the game at Louis Crews Stadium at Alabama A&M as Bob Jones defeated Huntsville 43-42 in overtime.
The Class 6A sixth-ranked Patriots twice erased touchdown deficits in the final six minutes in the fourth quarter and won in overtime as Huntsville kicker Nick Carden’s extra point hit the upright and bounced away.
The Patriots also won despite allowing 290 rushing yards on 24 carries to Huntsville’s Deonta Moore who had scoring runs of 70, 20, and 82 yards.
Trailing 36-28 Frye lifted the team again with under three minutes left in the game. His scrambling 60-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Rice and dramatic 2-point conversion pass to Rice tied the game.
Moments earlier Bob Jones appeared to have lost when a 2-point try came up inches short after Frye’s 53 yard run set up a Tyler Whalen to Rice 4-yard touchdown pass. On the next play from scrimmage, Moore bolted 70 yards to put Huntsville up by eight.
Frye briefly left the game with an ankle injury but returned.
“I just have to thank my teammates, they kept me motivated, kept me pushing, I just prayed I could make plays,” Frye said. “Hard work and dedication are what put me in this position. I wanted to see if I deserved to be here.”
In overtime, Frye connected with Roderick Randolph from 10 yards out to put Bob Jones up 43-36 after Trulock’s extra point.
Frye got his first start after head coach Kevin Rose was forced to make a change at quarterback after Tyler Whalen threw six interceptions in the first four games.
In the fourth quarter, Whalen threw his seventh interception and second returned for a touchdown this season as Patrick Voytko picked off an underthrown pass and returned it 55 yards to put Huntsville up 22-21.
For the first time this season Bob Jones fell behind early. Huntsville drove 44 yards and scored on quarterback Brewer Hicklen’s nine yard end run and led 7-0.
Bob Jones tied the game briefly on a Jay Rogers one yard run but Deonta Moore raced 82 yards to put Huntsville up 14-7.
For the second straight week, Bob Jones got a defensive touchdown. Kenneth Turney’s blindside sack of Hicklen popped the ball up and David Norris caught it and raced 27 yards for a touchdown. Matt Trulock’s extra point failed and Bob Jones trailed 14-13.
Trulock later kicked a 21-yard field goal to give Bob Jones their first lead going into halftime.
Trailing by a point, Frye rallied the team in the fourth quarter. He converted a key third and eight pass to Roderick Randolph then ran an option for 11 yards. He hit Hunter Scoggins for a 16 yard touchdown.
Deonta Moore scored the second of his three touchdowns on a 20-yard run and Bob Jones trailed again.
Moore’s 290 yards were the most a Bob Jones defense had given up since Bo Scarbrough rushed for 214 in 2012.
Huntsville’s Deonta Moore runs as Christian Hess and Kenneth Turney close in
(CONTRIBUTED/CINDY HESS)
“He cut us up pretty good,” said linebacker Nick Holman. “I don’t recall ever being run on like that but we fought back, we haven’t been down like that. It gives us a lot of confidence, we pride ourselves on winning close games. We do overtime challenge in practice so we had our minds right.”
Kevin Rose is now 2-0 in overtime games as Bob Jones head coach.
“Jeremy made some huge throws and Jon Rice made some huge catches,” Rose said. “We expected this kind of effort from Huntsville. Moore is the best back we’ve seen all year.”
Bob Jones last played an overtime game in 2010 when they defeated Decatur 17-14. They not played a one point game since losing 15-14 to Buckhorn the second week of the 2006 season.
Next week Bob Jones faces another tough road test as they travel to face Decatur.
