JASPER – The West Point Warriors traveled to Jasper to take on the Curry Yellow Jackets in a regional matchup Friday night. It didn’t start out well for the Warriors, but they weathered the storm, walking away victorious, 27-18, in this seesaw game and securing their spot in the playoffs.
The first offensive play for the Warriors wasn’t what they were hoping for; they fumbled the ball to set the Yellow Jackets up in good field possession. It only took four plays for the Yellow Jackets to capitalize on the Warriors’ miscue as Tristan Jones found the end zone from 10 yards out to give Curry an early 6-0 lead.
West Point held on to the ball but went three-and-out on its second offensive possession, giving the ball back to a fired up Yellow Jackets’ team. Ultimately the Jackets found the end zone from 3 yards out thanks to Peyton Luster, giving the Jackets a 12-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the opening quarter.
An excellent return set the Warriors up in great field position, and two plays later Hunter Persall cut into the lead with a 34-yard touchdown run. After the failed attempt the Jackets lead was cut to 12-6 with 2:42 remaining in the first.
The Warriors got the ball right back thanks to a well-timed onside kick, and four plays later Rylan Jones gave the Warriors the lead, 14-12, when he took it in from 10 yards out with 1:18 still in the first. Both defenses settled into the game after both offenses scored two touchdowns, but late in in second quarter Persall extended the Warrior lead to 21-12, scoring from 1 yard out with only 3:26 to go until halftime.
Curry came out of the locker room clicking on all cylinders offensively, marching the ball the length of the field, taking most of the third quarter, and with 3:55 left in the third, Luster capped off an impressive drive with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone cutting the West Point lead to 21-18. The Jackets’ defense held steady and got the ball back to their offense with their eyes set on taking the lead; however, a Levi Farley interception put an end to the drive. The Warriors moved the length of the field, chewing up precious time, and the drive ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Jones, giving the Warriors a comfortable 27-18 lead with just less than three minutes to play in the game.
Down two possessions with little time to work with, the Jackets had to strike quick and hope for an onside kick to come away with the victory, but Steven Rodriguez intercepted the pass with 1:38 remaining in the game to seal the deal for the Warriors.
In a back-and-forth game, the Warriors made the plays when it mattered, earning the Warriors a 27-18 victory over the Curry Yellow Jackets and a berth to the 2017 AHSAA playoffs.
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