Down 16-8 in the fourth quarter, Eupora’s brutal non-division schedule finally paid dividends.
The Eagles scored with six seconds left in the game and converted a two-point conversion to take a 17-16 win over J.Z. George over the Jaguars on Friday.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 3-6 overall and 2-1 in Division 2-2A play and secure a playoff berth.
In a season of struggles, the win was a big one for the Eagles.
“Our kids refused to quit and played hard all night,” Eupora coach Stephen Edwards said. “Every side of the football contributed, offense, defense and special teams. When we scored late, I was confident in our extra point but our kids were there to win and we decided to go for two. They just refused to quit. I just decided to go for it because I believed in the kids and they got the job done. I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids.”
The Eagles fell behind early when a pass was picked off and returned 76 yards for a touchdown. The try for two was good and J.Z. George led 8-0 late in the first quarter.
The Eagles responded with a 13-play drive as Tra McComb took the handoff on a reverse and scored on a 10-yard run. The try for failed and J.Z. George held an 8-6 lead.
The Eagles held J.Z. George on its next possession, turning the Jaguars over on downs at the Eupora 23. The Eagles drove deep in J.Z. George territory but missed a field goal in the last seconds of the first half as the Jaguars took an 8-6 lead into the half.
“I thought the defense had an outstanding game,” Edwards said “One of their scores was a pick six and long run. We played well overall. We gave up a couple of runs but I thought we held No. 7 in check. He’s going to be a special football player. You take away that one long run and I thought we did a good job on the defensive side.”
Eupora got the ball to start the second half and put together a six-play drive as they got inside the J.Z. George 10 but the drive stalled. Kimble Dillinger booted. 26-yard field goal and gave Eupora a 9-8 lead early in the third quarter.
But Eupora didn’t hold the lead for long as Deriaun Townsend broke free on a 53-yard touchdown run. The try for two was good and J.Z. George took a 16-9 lead.
The game then turned into a defensive battle. The turning play in the game happened midway in the fourth when the Jaguars faced a fourth and 5 at midfield and went for it instead of punting. The Eagles stopped Townsend short of the first down to take the ball at the J.Z. George 49.
“It was fourth and 5 at midfield and I really thought they would punt and pin us deep,” Edwards said. “We had moved the ball but hadn’t done a lot on offense. We stopped them on their best play and that was a big play. I was really proud of our seniors. I think every one of them stepped up and made a big play at some point. They all made plays and didn’t quit. They refused to quit and that will serve them well in life. Things haven’t gone our way but it hasn’t been for lack of effort.”
After taking over at the J.Z. George 49, the Eagles needed 13 plays to find the end zone as quarterback Cade Adkins hit Tra McComb on a 15-yard pass with six seconds left in the game. The Eagles then went for two as backup quarterback Ty Murphy scored on a quarterback keeper to give the Eagles the win.
Eupora had 283 yards of total offense with 223 yards rushing and 60 passing. Cade Adkins was 4-8 passing for 24 yards. Tra McComb had 165 yards rushing on 28 carries and two catches for 22 yards.
On defense, Deunte Watson had a monster night with five solo tackles and 15 assists for 20 total tackles. Landon Davis had 13 tackles while Ty Murphy added nine stops. Kyle Kilgore had eight tackles while M.J. Thomas added seven tackles. Zak Morris, Chris Robinson, Jacob Collum, Payton Collums and Sammy Bowie each had six tackles apiece.
Abraham Hodges and Collum each had an interception for the Eagles while J.J. Thomas caused a fumble.
