James Clemens drops regular-season finale on late kick

TUSCALOOSA – James Clemens Head Coach Wade Waldrop was hoping the Jets would wrap up their regular season on the right foot last Friday night as they head into this week’s playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Jets, it was on the right foot, but it was the right foot of Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa kicker Seth Martin.

The sophomore kicked a 27-yard field goal in the final two minutes last Friday to lift the Patriots to a 20-17 win.

The loss dropped James Clemens to 7-3 overall.

“It was a tough night,” Waldrop said. “We did not execute on offense.  We had too many penalties.”

The Jets scoring relied mainly on the foot of Jesse Rowe, who hit three field goals in the first half to lift James Clemens to a 9-7 lead at the break.

James Clemens opened the second half with the ball and moved to the Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 12 yard line, but Rowe missed a 29-yard kick.

After Martin’s field goal, the Jets mounted a final drive of their own. But, under heavy pressure, quarterback Jamil Muhammad’s pass was picked off to end the threat.

The Jets host Hewitt-Trussville at 7 p.m. in Friday’s first-round of the AHSAA playoffs.

“We have to get back on track if we want to be successful this Friday night against a great Hewitt-Trussville team,” Waldrop said.