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Turnovers, mistakes doom Jackson against Leroy
This year's game will be remembered for years to come as one of the best in the rivalries 60- year history as the two teams traded leads four times and the outcome was still in doubt until the game's final minutes. Leroy won the opening toss and elected to receive the ball to start the game. A bold move for most teams but for a Leroy offense loaded with talent it was a no brainer. The Bears showed exactly why they made the decision to take the ball, marching straight down the field and tacking on seven with a eight-yard Michael Bracy touchdown scamper. Paul Gartman's point after was good and LHS held a 7-0 lead with 7:23 to go in the first. The Aggies answered two series later when Andrew Ezell broke free for a 32-yard touchdown run that followed a big run by fullback Tony Ivory. J.D. Mitchell added the point after and the game was knotted up at 7-7 with 0:26 left in the first. Leroy struck back when Gartman nailed a 33-yard field goal at the 7:40 mark in the second quarter to give the Bears a 10-7 lead. Broderick Washington led the Aggies straight down the field on the ensuing possession and capped the drive with a 13-yard quarterback scramble to give Jackson their first lead of the game at 13-10 with minutes remaining in the half. Mitchell's point after was no good. The Bears tried to put points on the board with their two-minute offense but it came up just short and the half ended with the Aggies up 13-10 over the topranked Bears. JHS looked like they would run away with the game late to start the second half. The Aggies had controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in the first half. Then on the first play of the second half, Broderick Washington found Cory Besteda streaking down the sideline for a 73-yard bomb that gave Jackson a 20-10 lead after Mitchell's point after. The Bears would not fold though, as they too answered with a big play on the following possession. Facing a third and 14 following two straight sacks by the Aggie defense, Moseley found fullback Detrick Powell wide open for a 67-yard pass to the six yard line. Michael Bracy scored a few plays later on a four-yard run to cut the Aggie lead to 20-17 with 8:34 to go in the third. After a stop by the Leroy defense, the offense marched 91 yards with Moseley completing several big third down conversions before scrambling for a fiveyard touchdown to give Leroy the lead. Gartman's point after made it 24-20 Leroy with 8:39 to go in the game. Moseley was 20-34 for 341- yards and two rushing touchdowns in the game including 10- 12 for 238 of that coming in the second half. But fitting in with the game's script, Aggie sophomore speedster Damion Bracy broke the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to give the Aggies a 27-24 lead with 8:27 left in the fourth. Leroy looked as if they were going to answer the Jackson score driving all the way to the Aggie 8- yard line before Damion Bracy struck again by stepping in front of a Moseley pass for the interception. The Aggies were in complete control with a four point lead, the ball, and time on their side. But the Bears' defense had a different plan. With under four minutes to go in the game and Jackson on their own 24-yard line, Leroy defensive lineman Johnathon Woodyard stripped an Aggie runner and Josh Trotter recovered for the Bears. As bleak as things looked a few seconds earlier, the Bears were back in business with a first and 10 at the Jackson 24. It was the third fumble recovery of the night forced by Leroy. After a short loss on a run, Moseley hit Bracy for a 27-yard gain that set the Bears up first and goal at the one yard line. Moseley found the end-zone again on second down with a quarterback sneak to give Leroy the 30-27 lead with 3:11 to go. Gartman's point after attempt was no good. Jackson took over on the 36- yard line needing just a field goal to tie the game. Washington hit Andrew Ezell out of the backfield for a 40-yard completion to set the Aggies up for the attempt. Several tries to get in the endzone on passing plays were not successful and the drive ended about a half inch short on fourth down to turn the ball and the game back over to Leroy with 1:29 left. Leroy was able to run the clock out to claim the 2007 Battle of the Tombigbee. Leroy will step back into 2A Friday night as the Bears head to Keith. The Aggies will also be on the road against Monroeville.
Game time is 7 p.m. for both games.
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