DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
MONROE – There’s no question that Adams Central head coach Michael Mosser was right when he said that the Concordia Cadets were much better than their record might indicate.
He told WZBD that Saturday during the WZBD coaches show, imploring Jets fans to take the Cadets seriously, especially considering that they are more or less provisional ACAC members at this point.
After one quarter of play, there was real worry in Monroe that the Jets’ season may come to an end. The dynamic play of quarterback Eli Trent, combined with a topsy-turvy game that involved two turnovers for each team in the opening quarter, caused considerable consternation in the Jets’ camp in their first 3A postseason game.
The Jets never gave up though, and with an inspired performance from Jamison Roach on the defensive side of the ball in the second quarter, the game was turned around.
It was an eerie mood to start the game, with the voice of Aaron McClure not ringing in the cold autumn night and the stands as sparsely packed as any game in recent memory. Fall Break was to blame for both anomalies.
Despite the early deficit and the early turnovers, the big hits from Roach and the eventual victory in the trenches by Adams Central spurred the Jets to a night of 450 yards rushing – a night that should worry anyone in the team’s pending postseason path.
The Jets nearly had four 100-yard rushers by the time the night was done, but it was Reece Hammond and Roach who really did the damage. Hammond led the team in rushing with 119 yards and three scores. He also had a 10-yard touchdown catch.
Roach finished the night 5 of 7 for 61 yards and the toss to Hammond. He was second on the team with 116 yards on the ground and another touchdown. From his position in the secondary, he was involved with eight tackles and his interception in the second quarter (and subsequent 50-yard return) set up the Jets for good field position.
Ashton Yergler had three catches for 48 yards and he led the team with six solo tackles and also had an interception.
Barrett Collier may have had his best defensive effort of the season, terrorizing Trent. He had both sacks and three more tackles for loss, single-handedly cutting 49 yards from the Cadets’ eventual total of 408 net offensive yards.
To his credit, Trent finished 22 of 42 for an impressive total of 356 yards and four touchdowns. It was a worrying effort for the AC secondary, but they did make up for some of the yardage with two interceptions.
The game might have had a different tone early on, but the two fumbles for Adams Central were key in Concordia’s early success. The Jets eventually righted the ship and did not turn the ball over again. The offensive line was excellent, especially late in the game.
The challenge in the semifinal game will be quite different than the sectional opener. Whereas they faced a pass-heavy offense of an unfamiliar opponent at home, they’ll now face a very familiar Heritage team with a run-thirsty offense on the road.
Fans of the Jets can hear the game at Heritage on 92.7 FM on Friday.
SCORING SUMMARY
Quarter One
8:32 – C – Rashon Johnson 35-yd catch from Eli Trent, Jacob Bultemeier PAT Good, 0-7
4:24 – B – Thomas Laughlin 16-yd run, Braylen Cowans PAT good, 7-7
1:55 – C – Brycen Kelly 10-yd catch from Eli Trent, Bultemeier PAT good, 7-14
Quarter Two
10:48 – AC – Jamison Roach 7-yd run, Cowans PAT good, 14-14
:05 – AC – Reece Hammond 10-yd catch from Jamison Roach, Cowans PAT good, 21-14
Quarter Three
6:28 – AC – Reece Hammond 5-yd run, Cowans PAT good, 28-14
5:17 – C – Rashon Johnson 22-yd catch from Eli Trent, Bultemeier PAT no good, 28-20
1:39 – AC – Thomas Laughlin 2-yd run, Cowans PAT good, 35-20
Quarter Four
6:42 – AC – Reece Hammond 11-yd run, 2-PT attempt no good, 41-20
5:37 – C – Michael Henley 24-yd catch from Eli Trent, Bultemeier PAT good, 41-27
4:15 – AC – Reece Hammond 32-yd run, Cowans PAT good, 48-27
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