Jones County holds off Houston County
GRAY -- People got there early and stayed late, really late.
But Terell Solomon made sure the home fans went home ecstatic with his interception in the end zone with 29.3 seconds left to seal Jones County's 24-17 win over Houston County in a defensive battle that took nearly three-and-a-half hours Friday.
"I was proud of our offense, of our defense and our special teams," Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. "We put ourselves, in all three areas in position to be successful. 'Don't lose the game in theese areas, make (Houston County) earn it.'
"I feel like that's what we did."
The No. 6 Greyhounds avenged last year's 45-15 loss to the No. 2 Bears with a defense that harassed Houston County quarterback Jake Fromm all night long but almost not enough.
Houston County's Amari Colbert made a tremendous falling-down and in-traffic touchdown catch with 3:17 left in the game, and Jordan Strevig's extra-point kick tied the score at 17.
The Greyhounds took over on their 23, got a 17-yard pass from Bradley Hunnicutt to Nick Singleton, but that only set up a bigger play. Singleton raced down the left side and ran under Hunnicutt's pass with Georgia commitment Darion Anderson defending. The pass and catch were perfect for a 52-yard touchdown, Josh Skinner adding the kick for a 24-17 Jones County lead with two minutes left.
Two minutes is a lifetime to defend Fromm, who hit Colbert for 25 yards on first down, then later kept for 17 on fourth-and-2, right after he was sacked but also the victim of a facemask, giving the Bears more life.
Three incompletions followed, with Darius Johnson making a super diving pass deflection on third down. On fourth-and-10, Fromm went deep to the left side of the end zone, but Solomon had position and hauled it in.
Jones County's defense made life tough for Fromm all night, and he spent three quarters escaping. But he was sacked six times in the fourth quarter. Fromm ended up 20-of-53 with two interceptions, still ending up with 373 yards despite an inordinate number of drops. His counterpart, Bradley Hunnicutt, was 21-of-32 for 322 yards.
"I can't say enough about how well our secondary and front line played, just getting pressure and getting coverage sacks," Rogers said. "A lot of time, (Fromm) had nowhere to go with the ball. The relentless effort of our defensive line and secondary, he had nowhere to go with the ball quick and early."
Both teams spent most of the first half driving and stalling, thanks to stellar defense on both sides.
The Bears settled for a 27-yard Strevig field goal on their first drive, and the teams went back and forth with short possessions. The Greyhounds were driving midway through the second quarter but fumbled at the 15. But they took the lead after a defensive stand when Chandler Ramage went 75 yards with 2:56 left in the half.
The Bears didn't let them enjoy it, marching 79 yards with Fromm hitting Anderson for a 26-yard score with 55.5 seconds left. The Greyhounds regained the lead midway through the third on Hunnicutt's 23-yard pass to Shareez Hamm at the 7:22 mark.
The offenses continued to sputter, and the defenses continued to be the major cause of that, moreso the Greyhounds’ eventually.
Skinner’s 40-yard field goal upped the lead to 17-10 with 9:48 left in the game. The Bears got a 41-yard pass from Fromm to Colbert to start the next possession, but a sack by Justin Chambers and Joshua Sanders led to a fake field goal try on fourth and 18.
Houston County still managed to tie it, and that lasted all of 77 seconds.
"This little ol' bunch is resilient," Rogers said. "(Houston County) hadn't been in a war for four quarters, and had to battle. We talked about it all week: get to the fourth quarter and see how they respond. And I was real proud about the way our kids responded."
This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 11:32 PM.