Jonesboro-Hodge High School played Beekman Charter to a 14-14 tie in the opening game of the Saturday session of the annual Bayou Jamb, held at Malone Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM), as both teams fell behind but rallied.

It wasn’t a win, but it wasn’t a loss! Following the contest, which saw both teams compete on a sweltering morning that by game’s end found the surface of the turf over 100 degrees, JHHS head coach Terrance Blankenship, now in his school-record 14th season at the helm, sounded pleased with the effort.

“I have to admit that overall I am pleased with the effort the guys gave,” said Blankenship. “As expected, any time you take to the field for the first time, there are going to be mistakes made that, through additional practice, can be corrected, but we did more good than bad today.”

After being stopped on the JHHS four-yard line on their first possession, Beekman Charter scored on a seven-yard sweep to take a 6-0 lead midway through the first half. J-H responded with a good drive of their own, buoyed by a 48-yard sprint by Lon’trevious “Tre” Burns, in his first start at tailback, but got held out on downs at the Beekman Charter one-yard line.

Safety! On the next play, JHHS swarmed the BC runner in the end zone for a safety, the first ever achieved in Bayou Jamb competition by the Tigers, to narrow the gap to 6-2. The Tigers then took the lead on the ensuing possession when Tyson Burks made a spectacular one-handed catch on a King Campbell bullet for a 13-yard touchdown that gave JHHS an 8-6 lead at the half.

Upping the lead! The Tigers opened the second half by upping the lead to 14-6 thanks to Burns ‘ first-ever score as a running back when he burst over from four yards out. To the Class 2A opponents’ credit, they rallied to score and make the two-point conversion to tie the game with a little over four minutes left in the contest.

JHHS showed great grit and determination when, after fumbling to give Beekman Charter the ball around midfield, Burns stripped a BC ball carrier to get the ball back at their own 30-yard line. JHHS had one more hurdle to overcome as time was winding down when Beekman forced the Tigers into a fourth-down situation, calling for the first punt of the game by either team. A perfect snap by Micah Magee and a booming kick by Jamarlon Johnson sent the ball all the way to the Beekman Charter 18-yard line with only 6 seconds left in the game, leading to BC kneeling on the ball as time ran out.

“It was a good start,” concluded Blankenship, who gave somewhat of a prediction for the upcoming season. “We play a lot of people both ways, but if we can keep our guys healthy, I think we are going to be pretty good.”

Burns was named Player of the Game for JHHS after rushing for over 80 yards and recovering a fumble on defense in what was equivalent to one half of a regular-season game. JHHS received $250.00 from the Bayou Jamb on his behalf.

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