Royals Win Homecoming
Jay-The Royals (3-2) won their 12th homecoming game in a row on Friday, defeating Destin High School (1-4) 25-6.
Destin took their opening drive and made the most of it, scoring on the 3rd play of the game, missing the extra point. After both teams had 3 and out drives, Jay had a drive going and attempted a 25 yard field goal but it was blocked by Destin. Jay would score mid way through the 2nd quarter, but again Destin blocked the kick attempt, leaving the score tied 6-6. Jay would once again get in the red zone, but with a minute to play in the first half on first and goal, fumbled and turned the ball over.
Jay received the ball to open the 2nd half and gave the Destin Sharks a heavy dose of the full back and Landon Cooley. The drive took 6:13 seconds before Hayden Morris would score on a 25 yard quarterback scramble. Jay went for two, but it was no good. “We challenged the offensive line and backs at halftime , told them for us to win we had to win the line of scrimmage in the second half. Destin won it in the first half,” stated head coach Brian Watson after the game.
After forcing a stop, Jay’s tight end Tomas Ravendo would score on a 60 yard pass from Hayden Morris, extra point good, extending Jay’s lead, 19-6. Tailback Jackson Lawson would seal the deal for the Royals, scoring on an 18 yard touchdown run, extra point no good.
While it was a good win for the Royals, it was a long night over all, penalty wise. The game had 38 flags thrown, 22 in the first half. Destin had 9 personal fouls/unsportsmanlike penalties. “It was definitely a chippy start to the game and we kept telling them to play within the rules of the game,” stated Watson.
When asked about being 3-2 at the mid-way point of the season, Watson said, “We are half way into the season and we have two very tough games coming up (Baker, Northview). We are looking forward to the challenge. Happy where we are at but not satisfied.”
Morris finished 5/10 on the night, throwing for 149 yards and two tds, adding 37 yards in the ground on 8 attempts, including a rushing touchdown . Landon Cooley rushed for 93 yards on 19 carries. Jackson Lawson ran for 25 yards on 4 carries and a touchdown. Jay’s backfield rushed for 218 yards as a whole.
DHS 6 0 0 0-6
JHS 0 6 6 13-25
