The Hardin-Jefferson Hawks needed double overtime to squeeze out a 19-13 victory over the Orangefield Bobcats on Friday night.
Orangefield jumped out to a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter following an 18-play drive, which covered 79 yards and consumed 9:21 off the clock. The key play was a 12-yard pass completion from quarterback Gunnar Jones to Macoy Marze to place the ball at the Hawks 4-yard line. Two plays later Hunter Ashworth scored from the 1-yard line.
The Bobcats extended the lead to 13-0 early in the fourth quarter on a quick seven play, 62-yard drive. Dwight Clark had two big 14-yard runs on the drive to put the ball deep in Hardin-Jefferson territory before Ashworth added a 4-yard scamper to the end zone.
Just when it appeared Orangefield had the Hawks on the ropes, Hardin-Jefferson quarterback Jaiden Porter took charge and willed his team downfield on a 67-yard drive which consumed 2:46 off the clock. Porter had a spectacular 19-yard run down to the Bobcats 22-yard line and had his helmet knocked off in the process on the tackle. Two plays later Porter found Brayden Martel in the end zone to narrow the Bobcats lead, 13-7.
Hardin-Jefferson attempted its second onside kick of the night and were successful in recovering the ball after it was swatted around a few times at its own 42-yard line.
Facing fourth down and nine at the Bobcats 39-yard line, Porter rolled out and found Sam Dickerson one-yard behind the defensive back for a touchdown with 1:05 remaining in the game. The extra point was unsuccessful.
The teams headed to overtime and it appeared Orangefield had the chance to put the game away after recovering a Hardin-Jefferson fumble on the second play of the drive. However, Orangefield would fumble the ball away at the 12-yard line to send the game into a second overtime.
The Hawks defense was firing on all cylinders in overtime and kept the Bobcats potent ground game in check when it mattered most. Facing fourth and 9 at the 24-yard line, Orangefield quarterback Gunnar Jones tried to roll out to his right but was sacked in the backfield to turn the ball over on downs.
Feeding off the momentum, Hardin-Jefferson kept the ball on the ground and used the tandem of Tyler Fountain and Dakota McNair to move the ball down to the 1-yard line, where Porter punched the ball in for the game winning score and the coveted third seed for the playoffs, which begin next week.
Orangefield (4-4, 3-3) is now the fourth seed in District 11-4A Division II and will face the Sealy Tigers (7-2, 5-0) in the Bi-District round of the playoffs on Thursday in Huffman. Hardin-Jefferson (5-4, 4-2) will play the Bellville Brahmas (8-1, 4-1).
-Tommy Mann, KOGT-
HARDIN-JEFFERSON 19
ORANGEFIELD 13
HJ 0 0 0 13 0 6 19
OF 0 7 0 6 0 0 13
SCORING SUMMARY
O – Hunter Ashworth 1 yard run, Gunnar Jones kick (4:39)
O – Hunter Ashworth 4 yard run, kick failed (10:34)
HJ – Brayden Martel 22 yard pass from Jaiden Porter, Baxter Wirth kick (3:42)
HJ – Sam Dickerson 39 yard pass from Porter, kick failed (1:05)
HJ – Porter 1 yard run (2OT)
HJ OF
First Downs 15 15
Rushes-Yards 50-241 47-196
Passing 107 12
Total Yards 348 208
Com-Att-Int 6-17-1 1-7-1
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 2-1
Penalties-Yards 6-55 3-25
Individual Stats
Rushing – HJ: Jaiden Porter 18-90, Tyler Fountain 14-72, Dakota McNair 14-70, Sam Dickerson 1-5, Brayden Martel 3-4; OF: Hunter Ashworth 16-76, Dwight Davis 14-76, Clayton Westbrook 8-25, Gunnar Jones 6-10, Tyler Washington 1-7, Macoy Marze 2-2
Passing – HJ: Jaiden Porter 6-17-1 107; OF: Gunnar Jones 1-7-1 12
Receiving – HJ: Sam Dickerson 2-61, Brayden Martel 1-22, Tyler Fountain 2-19, Dakota McNair 1-5; OF: Macoy Marze 1-12
Social Media