By George, Longhorns down John Marshall in 3A semis
Brandon George injured his right foot late in Jones’ Class 3A quarterfinal win over Berryhill, so the plan for the Longhorns’ semifinal matchup against John Marshall didn’t include much of what has been an effective quarterback run game.
Circumstances dictated those plans had to change, and sore foot and all, George proved up to the challenge. The senior rolled up 144 yards and three touchdowns rushing on 11 carries as top-ranked Jones rallied for a 36-29 win over the second-ranked Bears in steady rain on Friday night at Moore Schools Stadium.
Jones (14-0) will face Plainview (13-1) for the state title next week, with the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association to announce a site on Saturday.
“He’s just a tough kid,” Jones coach Dave Martin said of George. “That’s the thing. These kids just go out and play hard and do whatever they have to do for their school and their town. That’s the whole thing. That’s the kind of kids we have.”
In addition to his rushing, George also completed 13 of 23 passes for 236 yards and another score despite conditions not suited to throwing the football.
“We were going to try and spread the ball around,” George said, “but I told my coach at halftime that, ‘If it’s there, give it to me. I’ll take it.’ I’ll put all the pain on my foot. It’s all good. I don’t care. I’ll do it for the team every game.”
George engineered two late scoring drives for the Longhorns, who came from behind in the fourth quarter for the second straight week after not having trailed in the second half in any game all season. He put Jones ahead 30-29 with 9:27 left, scoring on a 1-yard run to cap an 81-yard march, then on a 2-point conversion play.
After the Longhorns forced a John Marshall punt, they drove 68 yards for another score. On fourth-and-2 from the John Marshall 36, George broke through the line for a 36-yard touchdown that made it 36-29.
John Marshall (12-2) twice converted on fourth down on its final drive, reaching the Jones 16 on the final play before the Longhorns forced receiver Mekail Hall out of bounds as time expired. The Bears lost despite a yeoman’s effort from tailback Devonte Lee, who carried 40 times for 290 yards and two touchdowns, raising his season total to 2,940 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns. He went over 100 yards in all 12 games in which he played this season.
An interception by Jones’ Levi Messner ended the Bears’ opening drive at the Jones 26 and led to the Longhorns’ first touchdown, a 16-yard, fourth-down screen pass from George to running back Trevor Mansell. A 2-point conversion pass from George to Callen Houston made it 8-0. John Marshall answered with touchdowns on its next three possessions. Lee, caught dead to rights in the backfield on a fourth-down play at the Jones 35, spun away for a 30-yard gain and Corey Hornbeak scored on the next play, cutting Jones’ lead to 8-7.
The Longhorns then again almost stopped John Marshall, but on a third-and-12 play, Gianni Stevenson hit Hall in stride for an 88-yard touchdown pass to put the Bears up 14-8 at the 7:57 mark of the second quarter. Hall finished with three catches for 120 yards, but no other John Marshall receiver recorded a reception.
Jones went three-andout and the Bears drove 58 yards for another score, on a 15-yard run by Lee, who had 20 carries for 190 yards just in the first half.
Just when the Longhorns looked like they were in trouble, George hit Dalton May for a 19-yard gain to midfield, then scored from there on a quarterback draw. Another 2-point conversion pulled Jones within 21-16. A 57-yard pass from George to Houston gave the Longhorns a first down at the John Marshall 16 with nine seconds left in the half, but two subsequent passes fell incomplete.
Rowdy Warner’s 7-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter gave Jones the lead at 22-21, but the Bears responded with a 56-yard scoring drive, with Lee plunging in from the 1 on fourth down with 34 seconds left in the quarter. His subsequent 2-point conversion run put the Bears up 29-22.