DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY
montcnews2@windstream.net
MOUNT IDA – Jessieville claimed the win Friday night at Mount Ida in the Battle of the Lions with a score of 47-13.
The night was a very emotional night with the Mount Ida faithful gathering to honor former coach Mike White with the dedication of the Mike White Field House at half time.
Action on the field was aggressive with Mount Ida showing improvement over last week.
Mount Ida amassed 174 yards on 33 carries, scoring two touchdowns. They cut their fumble turnovers to two with six different Mount Ida players getting at least one carry in the game.
AJ Perez made the most of his chances, rushing for 82 yards on five carries, one for a touchdown. Hunter Davis had 15 carries for 52 yards, followed by John Hoeksema with seven carries for 30 yards and a TD. Baylor Bates had four carries for 13 yards and Austin Cooper and Gavin Summitt each had a carry.
Jessieville recorded 174 yards on the ground in 22 carries for four touchdowns and completed10-13 passes for 227 yards and three scores.
Matthew Huff was the workhorse for Jessieville with 13 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Charlie Davis was the leading receiver with five catches for 99 yards and two TDs.
Jessieville wasted no time scoring in the opening drive, moving the ball 73 yards in six plays to score on an eight yard run by Huff. Hunter Humphries blocked the PAT to hold the score at 6-0 with 10:06 left in the first quarter.
John Hoeksema provided Mount Ida with good field position on the kick off with a run to the Mount Ida 39, but a fumble on third and four from the 46 stopped the drive.
Jessieville went to the air scoring on a 35 yard pass to Davis for their second score. The PAT was good and they held a 13-0 lead with 8:17 left in the quarter.
They would score two more times in the first quarter, once on an 18 yard run by Carson Hair with 4:20 left in the quarter and another on a 40 yard run by Huff with 1:23 left in the quarter. Both PATs were good and Jessieville held a 27-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Jessieville put themselves within striking distance of the sportsmanship rule with a touchdown at the 10:19 mark in the half on a short five yard run by Joseph Benson. The visiting Lions went for two, but fell short.
Mount Ida found some momentum on their next drive, moving the ball 48 yards in seven plays for their first score of the night.
They started the game on their own 48 thanks in part to an unsportsmanlike penalty against Jessieville. Hoeksema moved the ball to midfield and Baylor Bates carried it into Jessievlle territory with a six yard run. Hunter Davis earned the first down for Mount Ida on the 40 yard line.
Hunter had a great eight yard run on the next carry, but an overzealous Jessieville defender hit him out of bounds moving the ball to the 16 yard line. Davis carried the ball to the 10 before a delay of game penalty backed Mount Ida up to the 15.
Hoeksema got the nod on the next play and exploded for a 15 yard touchdown run. Merlin Van Weyer connected on the PAT to cut the Jessieville lead to 33-7 with 7:25 to go in the half.
Jessieville would score two more times in the first half to take a 47-7 lead into the half. They scored on a 23 yard pass to Landen Daley and a 14 yard pass to Davis. The PAT was good on both tries.
Mount Ida played well in the second half, moving the ball on every drive. They opened the half with a solid performance which saw them move the ball deep into Jessieville territory before turning the ball over on a fumble.
Mount Ida’s final score came at the 2:42 mark of the game. Mount Ida started the drive on the Jessieville 47 yard line. The ball was put into the capable hands of AJ Perez who flew past a host of defenders on his way to the end zone. The PAT was no good and the game ended with Jessieville earning a 47-13 win.
Mount Ida drops to 0-2 on the season and prepares to travel for the first time of the season. They will make the trek to Magnet Cove Friday night where they will face the 1-1 Panthers. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m.
