Golden Tornado rips Junction City
HAYNESVILLE, La. – It was an ironic evening in the Piney Hills of north Louisiana on Friday night inside Red FranklinMemorial Stadium as potentially hazardous weather conditions forced Class 2A No. 2 Junction City’s tilt with the Golden Tornado of Haynesville to be called midway through the third quarter in a contest that saw the Dragons’ cross-state rival claim a 33-0 victory.
Junction City (1-2) managed just 115 yards of total offense despite running 16 more plays than their Louisiana counterparts and finished 1-for-11 on third-down opportunities. Haynesville (3-0) tallied 237 yards on 27 plays with all of its damage coming on the ground in 25 rushing attempts.
The Dragons fell victim to turnovers in the first half of play as they lost three fumbles, while an interception ended the team’s first drive of the night on the third play from scrimmage. Additionally, Haynesville, ranked No. 5 in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) Class 1A poll, started four firsthalf drives from inside the Junction City 40-yard line.
After a scoreless first quarter of action, Haynesville tallied 21 points before the halftime break, including a late score in the second quarter with just 11 seconds left. That touchdown followed Junction City’s third lost fumble of the game which was returned 43 yards to the Dragon 14-yard line, where Haynesville scored on the next play.
The Golden Tornado would add two more touchdowns in the shortlived second half on a pair of Adrion Hardwell 50-plus yard touchdown runs to put the game out of reach. Hardwell finished with 135 yards on eight carries at an average of 16.9 yards per rush. He found the end zone three times.
Senior running back Dhante Gibson, who missed the Dragons’ game with Smackover two weeks ago, was the team’s leading rusher on Friday night as he carried 13 times for 73 yards. Junior running back Jakiron Cook carried a game-high 17 times for 36 yards.
Senior linebacker J’vacye’ Cook led the Dragon defense with
five tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss while classmate Jamie Carroll added four stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior defensive lineman Kyle Kidwell chipped in with four tackles and one tackle for loss.
Junction City begins 8-2A Conference
play next Friday as they rekindle an old rivalry with the Strong Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Jerry Burson Field in Strong. It will be the 60th meeting all-time between the Union County foes and the first since 2015 when the Dragons came away with a 20-0 win on the road. Junction City has won 45 of their clashes with the Bulldogs. Fans can follow the Dragons live each and every week on the Dragon Sports Network via UStream and 101.5 The Hog.