The Forney Jackrabbits (5-0, 1-0 in District) defeated Mesquite Poteet 37-35 Friday night at Mesquite Memorial Stadium to ruin Pirate Homecoming. Poteet had a chance to tie the game after a late touchdown, but failed to convert the two point play. Pass interference was called against the Jackrabbits, but then the flag was picked up as the pass was ruled uncatchable. Poteet got one more chance to pull off the come from behind victory, as Peter Smith fumbled at midfield on the first play after the Jackrabbits recovered the onside kick by Poteet. The Jackrabbit defense made their biggest stand of the game as Poteet failed to gain a first down and turned the ball over on downs. The Jackrabbits made their own first down and then ran out the clock to close out a squeaker of a game.

Many folks expected an easier win for the Jackrabbits, but Poteet proved they are a very competent 1-4 team. They never let Forney get more than two possessions ahead and made plays when they had to to keep the game from getting away. Forney failed to score on a 4th and inches play at the goal line and Poteet recovered 2 fumbles and on onside kick over the course of the game.

The Forney offense continued to pile up the points and had their most balanced game of the year. Jr. QB Blake Branton was 13 of 18 on the night for 105 yards, including a 15 yard touchdown to Kezie Camp in the second quarter. Sr. RB Peter Smith finished the night with 171 yards on 25 carries, with two more touchdowns (4 and 56 yards) to bring his season total to 15, which gives him the lead in the DFW area 4A stat sheet. Not to be outdone, Branton scored two td’s of his own (2 and 3 yards) in the second half, pushing his season total to 8 which is good enough for 7th place on the area stat sheet.

Penalties and turnovers continue to be a pain point for Forney as they committed 8 penalties for 71 yards and put the ball on the carpet three times, losing two. Smith’s fumble after Poteet closed the gap to two points could have derailed the great run Forney is on to this point of the season. The strong stance by the Forney Defense came when it counted most and allowed this very promising season to move on unblemished. The Jackrabbit Defense allowed too many points to a team riddled with injuries and relying on a third-string sophomore QB to run the offense. I am certain Coach Kevin Rush and his staff will address the issues they see on film and have the defense back to early season form in two weeks.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a second and mention the consistency of Sr. Kicker Tucker Burke. Burke has missed only one PAT this year and has come up big on 2 field goal attempts for the year. It is not uncommon for High School teams to struggle with a kicking game. Burke’s consistency is a welcomed addition and can often be the difference in a high scoring game, which was the case last night. Burke gets a standing ovation from this fan and amateur broadcaster.

The Jackrabbits now get a week off to heal some bumps and bruises and prepare for a long run through District 15-4A. The Lancaster Tigers (2-3, 1-0) will be visiting CityBank Stadium on Friday, October 10th at 7:30 PM. As we do every week, Sportsgram.net (http://www.sportsgram.net) will be broadcasting the game live over the Internet as well as in CityBank stadium on 92.9 FM via StadiumCast.