Jets rise to Senators’ challenge

Joseph Arias (10) looks down field for an opening in the third quarter. (RECORD PHOTO/CHARLEY GAINES)

By Charley Gaines

For the Record

HARVEST – James Clemens was down two starting players Oct. 16, but that didn’t stop the Jets from turning up against the Sparkman Senators as they pulled a 28-0 win Friday night.

The bulbs on the scoreboard at Sparkman didn’t move throughout the first half as neither team put any points on the board. It was a rough first half for the Jets as they held the Senators, but the team’s usual passion and drive were absent.

“I felt like we had some things in the first half. We just weren’t real emotional. We weren’t fired up,” said head coach Wade Waldrop. “I thought the adversity in the third quarter sparked our team.”

Spark it did as the team went from going through the motions in the first half to playing with a fire in the second, making better decisions together and playing together.

The first points went on the board with 4:55 left in the third quarter as the Jets blocked a punt from the Senators, and Kyriq McDonald (6) plucked the ball from the ground for the return.

The last touchdown was just as exciting as the first after Torolla Walker (13) made a huge return plowing through a good portion of grass on the field after an interception.

“Things started going really bad, but I thought we responded like champs,” said Waldrop. “That’s the most proud I am of our team. When our backs are against the wall, they rose up and really responded well as a team.”