With the district championship on the line, both the Lueders-Avoca Raiders and the Jayton Jaybirds knew that many in West Texas would be looking for a solid matchup between two evenly matched squads. Spectators hoping for an exciting game would not be disappointed. The Jaybirds overcame a 24-point halftime deficit to pull ahead of the Raiders 42 to 40 with 33 seconds left in the game.
In response to Jayton’s first lead of the game, the Raiders scored a touchdown of their own with a deep pass on the second play of their drive to ice the game and win the district championship 46 to 42. Obviously, this heartbreaking loss was hard to swallow for the Jaybirds who had clawed their way back in the second half of the contest.
The Jaybird offense relied heavily on their three-headed rushing attack of Tye Scogin (230 yards and 1 TD), Aaron Hernandez (70 yards and 2 T’s) and Pecos Smith (100 yards and 1 TD). To amass 400 total yards on the ground was an impressive achievement for this Jaybird team who have worked hard to wear down their opponents by keeping them on the field for as long as possible. Hernandez also connected on two touchdown passes to Scogin and Keldon Moorhead. Kaden Awe also threw for 94 yards.
The story of Jayton’s comeback in the second half was their stingy defense in the third quarter as they held the Raiders scoreless. Scogin amassed 16 tackles followed by Hernandez and Smith, each with 9 tackles of their own. The defense made key stops in the second half to afford the Jaybirds the opportunity to get back into the game.
While both teams will automatically make the postseason, this game carried a playoff atmosphere that benefitted both teams. While the Jaybirds came up short in this one, they were able to see what can be accomplished when they face adversity. This lesson will come in handy as they look to make a deep playoff run.
The Jaybirds will finish their regular season against Groom in Silverton on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. This Jayton squad will look to finish the regular season on a strong note before they enter postseason play.
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