Jets ousted by Fairhope in 31-21 playoff loss
MADISON – Despite a late regular-season surge that resulted in a playoff berth, James Clemens fell short in its most recent comeback bid. The host Jets lost their first-round playoff game, 31-21 to Fairhope.
“You went toe-to-toe (with the Pirates),” James Clemens first-year coach Juan Johnson told his players, many of whom were teary-eyed, during a postgame gathering in the end zone. “It’s going to hurt, but you’ll remember the good times.”
The Jets finished 5-6 overall. They overcame a sluggish 1-4 start and won three of their last four games in the regular season to make a second straight playoff appearance. They faced Fairhope for the first time in school history.
“We’ve been resilient all year,” Johnnson said. “My kids understood where we had to be in October when our backs were against the wall.”
Last Friday’s outcome proved to be much closer than the final score indicated. James Clemens fell behind twice, rallying to tie the game at 14 and again at 21 before Fairhope reeled off 10 unanswered points on a field goal and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The Pirates took a 14-7 halftime lead on Trey Garner’s 12-yard scoring pass to Byron Martin and the first of two Nic Ronsisvalle touchdown runs. The Jets countered with Matthew Evers’ 58-yard scoring pass to Alex Lively.
James Clemens might have been down by another touchdown if not for a stellar defensive stand. Fairhope’s Andres Hunt’s apparent 51-yard scoring run on the game’s first play from scrimmage was negated by a penalty and the Jets came up with a fourth-down stop at their own 11-yard line.
The James Clemens offense came out after the break firing on all cylinders and knotted the score at 14. The Jets marched downfield on a 13-play, 71-yard drive capped by Evers’ 10-yard touchdown pass to MJ Gideon on a slant-in.
The teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Garner connected with Hunt on a 3-yard scoring pass before Gideon finished off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown run on third-and-15.
Fairhope’s Grant Thompson kicked a 30-yard field goal with 4:02 left in the game and Ronsisvalle added a 21-yard touchdown run to account for the final margin.
Evers wound up with 17 completions for 239 yards and two touchdowns, one to Gideon and the other to Lively. Gideon had 170 combined yards (86 receiving and 84 rushing) with a touchdown run and scoring reception.
Afterward, Johnson lauded his players, most notably his 11 seniors and several key sophomores who stepped up in a remarkable season highlighted by pivotal rallies and victories.
“I’m so proud of the senior class,” he said, noting that the entire team “grew up throughout the year, week after week when people counted them out.”
