McCrory claims 2A title, ends Fordyce’s bid for three-peat
The McCrory Jaguars dashed the Fordyce Redbugs’ hopes for a 2A title three-peat Sunday at War Memorial Stadium.
After a Friday night weather delay with severe storms in the area, the Redbugs and Jaguars reconvened Sunday for the 2A high school football title match. The players took the field before large crowds of people who came to root on their home teams.
The Redbugs were wearing black trousers and red jerseys while the Jaguars sported all-white uniforms with gold helmets. Both teams have championship histories, having taken the 2A title three of the previous six years between them.
Carson Campbell was at quarterback for the Jaguars, while Tre Merritt led the Redbugs. Fordyce squeaked past their previous two opponents, defeating Magnet Cove 32-29 in the quarterfinals and Clarendon 7-6 in the semifinals, to make it to their third run at a state championship in as many years.
As opposed to the previous two seasons, Fordyce was the home team occupying the near side of the field. It won the toss, electing to kick off.
McCrory went three and out on its first possession. After stopping a promising Fordyce drive, McCrory came back to score first, punching it in from the 1-yard line. A twopoint conversion was thwarted, making it 6-0 with 3:03 left in the first quarter.
With Fordyce beginning another drive, Merritt fumbled after an awkward tackle that sent him limping to the sideline. McCrory scored on the next play with 8:57 remaining in the first half. A second two-point conversion was foiled, but Fordyce got a personal foul, giving the Jaguars another opportunity to raise the score.
Once more, the Redbugs stopped the two-point attempt, making the score 12-0 in McCrory’s favor.
In an effort to build tempo and gain momentum, Fordyce Coach Tim Rodgers kept seeking a winning combination for his offense. His strategy worked when Fordyce scored to make it 12-7 with 5:40 on the clock.
The Redbugs managed an interception with 34 seconds in the half,
then fumbled on the first play. With one second remaining, McCrory again punched it in from the 1-yard line. After a successful two-point run, the teams went to the locker room with a 20-7 score.
The third quarter proved no better for the Redbugs, with the Jaguars scoring another touchdown after more than 12 minutes of play. A good two-point conversion raised the deficit to 28-7.
In the next Redbug drive, a pass interception on second down turned into a pick-six for McCrory. A failed follow-up conversion led to the final score of 34-7.
This was Fordyce’s last game as a 2A team before it moves to 3A in 2022.
In his postgame interview, Rodgers said: “I should have had them take a knee at the end of the first half. A lot of this is on me. Momentum is everything. By going in 20-7 at the half instead of 12-7, I put us in a situation that was hard to come back from. In the second half, we kept making mistakes we haven’t made all year. I have to give McCrory credit for playing a great game. They made plays when they had to. They’re No. 1 in the state for a reason.
“I’m proud of our boys and just glad we got to War Memorial again.”