by Steve Dunford
WEST FRANKFORT, IL – Both coaches, Brett Detering, of Anna-Jonesboro and Brian Beery of West Frankfort told both teams in practice on Thursday, what they needed to do to pick up a victory last night.
Detering said they needed to pick up more yards on the ground, as the Redbirds held them to 56 in Week 1 down at Anna last year. Beery said they needed to limit turnovers and penalties.
A-J rushed for 257 yards last night, WF coughed up the ball five times, three in the first quarter. Wildcat running back Jayce Turner ran wild for the Wildcats, as I had him picking up 196 yards on the night. (My good friend Moury Bass, the voice of the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats on WIBH, had him for an even 200).
Turner scored three touchdowns, and came up with some key tackles playing in the A-J secondary, as he led them to a 43-18 victory over the Redbirds last night at Johnson Field.
A-J wins the coin toss and elects to receive in the second half. West Frankfort starts at their own 27, Madison Allen has a 14 yard run on the first play of the game to get the ball close to the 50, Two plays later, sophomore QB Connor Eaton was picked off at the Wildcat 43 yard line at the 9:44 mark.
A-J gets on the board at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter, on the first of three touchdowns by Turner, on a nine play drive that Turner had his number called a lot on that drive. The extra point was good and the score was 7-0.
The Redbirds take over at their own 28. On the second play from scrimmage, Brendan Johnson breaks loose and has the ball stripped deep in the A-J red zone. The ball rolls in the end zone, and the Wildcats get a touchback.
Both teams swap possessions quickly as A-J was three and out, and the Redbirds fumble and give the ball right back.
The Wildcats play their signature grinding smash mouth as I call it, football, in an 11 play, six minute drive. Quarterback Bryce Osman scores on a two-yard quarterback keeper. The extra-point was good, and the score was 14-0, A-J at the 9:28 mark of the second quarter.
West Frankfort is three and out, and Arieh Hart, comes up with a 35 yard punt return, to give Anna-Jonesboro very good field position. They punch it in on a two yard run by Turner, his second touchdown of the night. They miss the extra point, and it was 20-0 Wildcats at the 6:16 mark of the second quarter.
The Redbirds give it right back to A-J on a six play drive near mid-field. The Wildcats score again at the 1:15 mark of the first half with Osman running another QB sneak. Hart picks up the two point conversion, and it was 28-0, Anna-Jonesboro.
I was thinking the game would see a running clock toward the end, and with the 7:30 p.m. start, it might be over before a lot of the other games across Southern Illinois that started at 7:00 p.m.
Things became a little interesting in the last few seconds of the first half. Kyle Hammers, has a 75 yard kick return for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, which the score was 28-6, Wildcats.
Anna-Jonesboro fumbles the kickoff and the Redbirds take over around the A-J 40. The Redbirds go to the air and Eaton finds Sam Cooksey for a 17 yard pass. He finds Kyle Hammers in the end zone after two incomplete passes. The two point conversion failed as the score was 28-12, Wildcats.
Brendan Johnson kicks an on side kick successfully. Eaton hits Kyle Hammers with a 35 yard pass. Eaton then takes two more shots at the end zone before the horn sounds and both passes were deflected in the end zone. It still remains 28-12 at the half.
On the opening drive of the second half, Turner marches the ball down the field. A-J is faced with a third and long. The Wildcats run the Wildcat with wide out Dalton Goddard finds Damien Crisp in the end zone for a 28 yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was good, to make the score 36-12, Anna-Jonesboro at the 8:00 minute mark of the third quarter.
The teams then trade fumbles and the Redbirds have a seven play drive in which they had to punt.
Turner gets his third and final TD of the night on a three yard run completing a nine yard drive. The drive was highlighted by a 30 yard pass from Ozamn to Kyle McMahan. The extra point was good and the score is 43-12, with 8:04 left in the third.
The Redbirds really looked sharp on a 12 possession drive, as Madison Allen scores on a five yard run. The extra point was blocked. AJ runs out the last two minutes. As the final was 43-18.
Anna-Jonesboro (1-0) hosts Murphysboro (0-1) Friday night. The Redbirds (0-1) will play the Pinckneyville Panthers (0-1) on Friday night as well.
Box Score
RUSHING
A-J: Turner 35-195, Hart 5-26, Osman 5-26; Kisat 1-5; Goddard 1-2
WF: Allen 7-76; Bre. Johnson 3-35; Cooksey 3-33; Hammers 2-20
PASSING
A-J: Osman 7-9 120, Goddard 1-1 28
WF: Eaton 5-13 85
RECEIVING
A-J: Sisk 1-39, McMahan 1-30 Crisp 1-28, Hart 2-26, Kisat 1-4
WF: Hammers 3-58, Cooksey 1-17 Rieger 1-10
TACKLES
A-J; Turner 4, Latham, Jeralds, McMahan, Fabic 2 1/2 Crisp 2 1/2, Hart 2, Sanders, Morrison, Pyle, Kisat 1 Team 3
WF: Allen 5 1/2, Engler, VanZant 5, Bre. Johnson 4, Bro. Johnson, Saunders, Broy 3, Clay 2 1/2, Cooper 2, Kahl, Cooksey. Uhls, Croslin 1, Hammers, Richardson-Veil, Forgatch 1/2
Score by quarters
Anna – Jonesboro (1-0) 7 21 8 8 – 43
West Frankfort (0-1) 0 12 0 6 – 18
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