An impressive second-half rally attempt by Jonesboro-Hodge was thwarted when Winnfield scored two late touchdowns in the season-opening 26-8 loss of the 98 meeting between the two long-standing rivals. 

After being down 12-0 at the half, freshman quarterback King Campbell hit wideout Trey Burns along the left sideline midway through the third quarter, which went for a 39-yard score. Another Campbell pass to D.J. Palmer was good for the two-point conversion, bringing JHHS to within 12-8.

The Tigers threatened again when, at 7:48 remaining in the third quarter, Dakota Knox, who had started at wideout before moving to tailback after Landon Boston suffered a hamstring injury, burst through a hole on the left side and sprinted to the Winnfield five yard line but the drive ended with the Tigers turning the ball over on downs. 

Winnfield symied any thoughts of a comeback win on the ensuing possession when tailback Detavious Williams sprinted up the middle for a 60 yard score to put JHHS behind 20-8 leading to a another WHS fourth quarter toucdown run for the final margin.

The first half started ominously for the Tigers as on the second play of the game, Winnfield shocked JHHS with a 58 yard touchdown pass. The lead went to 12-0 in the second quarter on another WHS scoring aerial from quarterback Nikalas Mockosher.

Despite the loss, JHHS head coach Terrance Blankenship was upbeat about the Tigers play, citing that other than a few situations, the squad played well and showed great potential moving forward.

“I thought that other than a few missed assignments that led to scores, we played pretty good, especially it being the first game of the year,” said Blankenship. “We are looking forward to making the necessary corrections needed in practice this week to get ready for a tough test next week against West Ouachita.”

Bright spots for the Tigers were the play of quarterback Campbell, who in his first regular-season varsity action, completed 15 of 28 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, despite having suffered an injured wrist in the second quarter. 

“King played well, but I am not surprised as he had already shown in the scrimmage and Bayou Jamb that he was ready for the challenge,” said Blankenship. “We were a little concerned when he told us his wrist was bothering him and had to miss a few series, but being the battler he is, he came back to lead his team like a good quarterback does.” 

Several others turned in offensive performances that deserved mention, including:
Dakota Knox  – completed four passes in 8 attempts for 48 yards in relief of King and also rushed for a team high 47 yards on 12 attempts.
Channing Gray Jr. – led JHHS in receiving with 6 catches for 74 yards
Lontre’vious (Trey) Burns – 4 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown

Defensively, the Tigers’ front line of Sadaar Stevens, Cameron Jackson, and Noah Johnson all made good plays along with linebackers Kyron Atkins, Malik Nichols, Dylan Hayes, and Maurice Baker, and secondary members Jamarcus Dozier, Knox, D.J. Palmer, and Boston. 

“I don’t think the final score was really indicative of the effort our defense put forth,” said Blankenship. “Obviously, there are a couple of areas that we need to work on, but other than the couple of times we got gashed, I thought our defense stood tall for the most part,” said Blankenship.

One area of concern is what was reported as a hamstring injury suffered by key Tiger contributor, Landon Boston, who is the starting tailback and strong safety. Boston was taken for medical evaluation, but at present, no further information is available.

“We don’t know yet the severity of the injury. Hopefully, it won’t be too serious, as Landon is one of our team leaders and his being on the field is important to our success,” said Blankenship, who further commented on the senior team captain. “It was a blow to see him go down. I really feel bad for him as he is a great kid and has worked so hard to be prepared for a great senior season. Please keep him and the family in your prayers that he makes a quick recovery.”    

JHHS Passing:
Campbell: 15/28, 156 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Knox: 4/8, 48 yards
JHHS Rushing:
Knox: 12-47
Boston: 1-16
Campbell: 4-(-1)
Burns: 1-(-5)
JHHS Receiving:
Gray: 6-74
Burns: 4-68, 1 TD
Johnson: 4-30
Knox: 1-13
Boston 2-9
Palmer: 1-7, 2-pt conversion