Bob Jones outlasts Sparkman in scorefest

HARVEST – The Bob Jones Patriots (4-3) were able to fend off a late surge by rival Sparkman (3-4) this past Friday with a 56-37 road win.

This game was full of momentum swings by both sides as Sparkman even led the game at halftime, but it was the explosive plays by Bob Jones down the stretch that created enough of an advantage to send the Patriots home with the victory.

Sparkman broke through first at the 7:15 mark of the opening quarter when senior running back Jabari Davis sprinted past the defense from 16 yards out for the swift 7-0 Senator edge.

Bob Jones was playing somewhat flat early on and the Senators were able to capitalize like when Sparkman burned the Patriots on a fake punt by Jamarion Matthews that set them up deep in Bob Jones territory.

Sparkman would end up making its lead 10-0 near the end of the first quarter when kicker David Faulk booted a 32-yard field goal through the uprights.

Bob Jones was able to score its first points of the game in a big way when the sophomore running back Jaiden Rice broke free for an electrifying 75-yard romp of a carry that sent the crowd into a frenzy and tightened this game at 10-7 Sparkman at 10:27 of the second.

There was a moment when Rice appeared down after just about 20 yards, but his body had twisted on top of a Sparkman defender, so the back just kept on chugging down the field.

Riding high with some momentum, Bob Jones converted a fourth down situation before rattling off another huge run play when Samuel Monroe collected a 44-yard TD gallop that handed the Patriots the 14-10 lead with 3:06 to play before halftime.

That touchdown apparently opened the floodgates as the teams traded punches in a flurry just before the end of the second quarter.

Sparkman retook the lead at 16-14 thanks to another scoring run by Davis who took the pigskin 31 yards with 2:03 on the clock.

A 2-point conversion attempt by the Senators would fail to keep the slight advantage for the home team at just a deuce.

That Sparkman lead would last just 22 seconds though as the ensuing kickoff struck gold for Bob Jones thanks to a massive return from Rhys Dorsey who caught the ball near the 15-yard line and was off to the races for the go-ahead touchdown.

Dorsey, in his all-white Bob Jones Jersey, glided through the converging black jerseys of Sparkman like a deer on the run in a familiar wood.

As the Patriots return man reached the end zone, he slowed down just mere feet away from the Bob Jones band who was warming up and watching in awe.

For a split second, Dorsey stood there in front of the band acknowledging them with the ball in his hand as the scoreboard glowed 2016 Bob Jones.

The Senators went right back to work on the next drive though as the clock ticked down before halftime.

Davis collected his third touchdown run of the game from 10 yards out with just 15.9 to go in the second quarter to remarkably give Sparkman the 23-21 lead at the midway point.

The teams duked it out in a defensive battle of sorts for much of the third quarter before Bob Jones broke the scoring silence once more when Monroe found the end zone from five yards out to give the Patriots the lead back at 28-23 at 2:26.

The first passing touchdown of the game came with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter when Johnny Jackson connected with the senior receiver Malachi Foster for a beautiful 27-yard strike into the end zone that made it 35-23 Patriots.

Bob Jones appeared determined to bury Sparkman by the time the fourth quarter rolled around when Rice scored once more on a 35-yard TD carry to balloon the Patriot lead to 42-23.

The Senators would not go down without a fight though, as the seemingly one-dimensional offense found another gear late in this contest with some passing success.

Sparkman sophomore quarterback Keaton Williams, who struggled with his accuracy on the deep balls for much of the game, was able to find receiver Zayden Bodner for a big gain that flipped the field.

Williams cashed in with his legs for a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 9:47 remaining in the game to make it 42-30 Bob Jones.

The Patriots also helped Sparkman attempt to claw back into the game with a costly fumble on the next drive that was recovered by the senior defensive back Will Robinson at 6:58.

The Senators went back to work and back to the air with the Williams to Jonathan Rozier connection beginning to find some success.

The left-handed quarterback Williams threw his best ball of the night when he found Rozier streaking to the left near the goal line for a 27-yard touchdown dart that made it 42-37 Patriots with the pressure suddenly on with 4:47 to play.

Bob Jones responded with 35yard touchdown run by Caleb Sanders who shrugged off tacklers to put the game out of reach with just 1:51 on the clock for a 49-37 score.

The Patriots would throw a final haymaker with three seconds remaining when Dorsey intercepted a Williams pass at the goal line and returned it all the way for the touchdown to make it a definitive 56-37 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.

Bob Jones next plays host to a tough Austin team (6-0-1) at Madison City Stadium this Friday at 7 p.m. while Sparkman welcomes yet another tough customer this Friday at 7 p.m. when James Clemens (5-1) invades the school on Jeff Road.