Jonesboro-Hodge went into Arcadia on Friday night seeking their first win after a tough four weeks to start the season. The Tigers got just that after a gutsy, hard-fought 48 minutes that led to a 16-14 victory.

The game got off to a slow and sloppy start. There were four drives between the two teams in the 1st quarter, and they consisted of an interception and turnover on downs by each team.

Z’Mauryian Palmer came down with the pick for his first of the season for the Tigers.
As the Hornets and Tigers continued to exchange short drives in the middle of the field that never went anywhere, that’s when the J-Hodge defensive front got another big stop that set up the offense on the Arcadia 31-yard line. After a couple hard runs by Landon Boston, who had his best rushing game on the season, the Tigers looked to trick the Hornet defense. With Dakota Knox in an empty backfield, Boston came in motion and the Hornet defense swarmed to the right side when the ball was snapped and presumably was handed off to him.

Next thing you know, Knox was running up the middle of the field untouched for a 19-yard touchdown. DJ Palmer brought in a pass from Knox for the two-point conversion, and J-Hodge held an 8-0 lead midway through the 2nd quarter.

Arcadia’s next drive didn’t bring much success either, and after a quick three-and-out they lined up for the first punt of the game. With the help of a low snap, the Tigers rushed towards the punter and tackled him at the Hornet 21-yard line. Two plays later, Knox dropped back and lofted a deep pass to Christian McGuire who hauled it in for a touchdown. Knox sneaked it in for the two-point conversion to give the Tigers a 16-0 advantage near the end of the 1st half. Malik Nichols intercepted a tipped Arcadia screen pass with 25 seconds left in the half, and that sent the two teams into the locker room with Jonesboro-Hodge having all the momentum and a 16-0 lead.

The 2nd half opened with a very forgettable three minutes if you are a Tiger fan. Arcadia came out with a new energy, and it showed as they went 62 yards on just three plays not once, but twice, to get within 2 points at 16-14 after the two point run attempt was short.

The remaining 21 minutes of the game had many moments that just made you want to cover up your eyes while you cheered on your team, as a big play in either direction would’ve swung the outcome completely. After giving up 124 yards in opening three minutes, the J-Hodge defense held Arcadia to only 50 yards the rest of the 2nd half.

Landon Boston made the play of the game up to this point with just over two minutes left in the game, as he chased down a Hornet screen pass on fourth down and made an excellent one-on- one open-field tackle to give the Tigers the ball.

After a great pass from Knox to DJ Palmer to give the Tigers a first down with less than two minutes remaining, Arcadia felt desperate and started to use their three timeouts. J-Hodge needed just one more first down to ice this game and ensure a happy bus ride back home.

Facing a 4th and 8 on the Arcadia 43-yard line, it seemed to be an easy decision to
throw the ball on the ensuing play. but as the Tigers did earlier in the game, they caught the Hornet defense off-guard with an unexpected play call.

Knox got under center with Marquise Baker at the fullback position behind him, and the Tigers ran a QB sneak that not only got a first down, but nearly got a touchdown as Knox scampered 41 yards before being drug down at the Arcadia 2-yard line.

Jonesboro-Hodge then went into “victory formation” for the first time in the 2024 season and escaped the Hornet’s Nest with a 16-14 win.

The Tigers are back on the road next Friday, this time heading to Claiborne Parish to face the Haynesville Tornadoes, who sits atop the district 1-1A standings with a 5-0, 2-0 mark. Kickoff will be at 7:30 on Friday night.

JHHS PLAYER STATS:

Passing:
Dakota Knox – 11/18, 132 Yards, TD, INT
Rushing:
Dakota Knox – 23 Rushes, 70 Yards, TD, Fumble
Landon Boston – 11 Rushes, 35 Yards
Cameron Jackson – 1 Rush, 1 Yard
Receiving:
Christian McGuire – 5 Receptions, 74 Yards, TD
DJ Palmer – 3 Receptions, 46 Yards
Z’Mauryian Palmer – 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Landon Boston – 1 Reception
Defense:
Malik Nichols – INT
Z’Mauryian Palmer – INT