Turnovers prove costly as Jackson beats Kendrick

Sometimes a team's worst enemy can be itself. That's the way Kendrick felt leaving Memorial Stadium after five turnovers helped Jackson to a 38-6 victory over the Cherokees in the Region 2-AAA opener for both schools Friday night.

Kendrick (1-2) freshman quarterback Terry Dawson threw three interceptions during the first half, including one that went back the other way for a 57-yard interception return by Jackson's Tyqueze Johnson.

In the second half, ball security became a problem for the Cherokees as they coughed up the ball a few times during the final 24 minutes, with two winding up as turnovers. One of them resulted in a 78-yard touchdown return by Jeffery Burley late in the third quarter to help cap off the Red Devil victory.

"We got to get better," said Kendrick coach Cedric Ware. "We are a very young team and we are going to make mistakes, but I'm happy that the guys kept fighting, and that is a positive thing to take away from this game."

Kendrick began the game with the ball and looked good, driving to near midfield. On a third and long play, though, Dawson made his first mistake of the game, tossing the ball up for grabs -- which Jackson's Sha'colvian Douglas came away with.

The Cherokee defense played well on the pursing drive, limiting the Red Devils to a 36-yard field goal, then forced two consecutive three-and-outs on the next two Jackson drives, helping keep it a 3-0 game going into the second quarter.

After forcing Jackson to punt midway through the second quarter, Kendrick began a drive on their own 31 looking to take the lead. Walter Boze broke a 19-yard run to get into Jackson's territory, and things looked to be rolling the Cherokees' way.

Two plays later, however, Johnson stepped in front of Dawon's pass and raced 57 yards the other way and into the end zone, upping Jackson's lead to 10-0 with 6:16 left in the opening half.

Jackson forced Kendrick to punt after just three plays following the kickoff, then marched down the field on a 54-yard scoring drive that was capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass from Shaderious Crowder to Ny'j Smith that made it 17-0 at the break.

To begin the second half, Jackson made things worse for Kendrick, scoring on just four plays, with Crowder putting the finishing touches on the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Antavius Grier.

Grier was at it again for the Red Devils later in the third quarter as he broke a 57-yard touchdown run to make it 24-0 with 7:19 left until the fourth.

The Cherokees' fifth turnover turned out to be Jackson's last touchdown of the game, as Burley scooped a loose ball off the ground and ran in style into the end zone to make it 38-0 with just eight seconds left in the third quarter.

With just over 120 total yards on offense, one of the bright spots in the game for Kendrick was senior running back Walter Boze. Boze ended the night with 85 yards on 11 carries and, with his last touch going the distance, a 33-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

For Jackson, the Red Devils finished the night with 251 offensive yards. Grier had two total touchdowns in the game while rushing for a team-high 78 yards. Crowder finished the night 7-for-11 from the air with 111 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 58 yardsFriday at MemorialJackson 3 14 21 0--38

Kendrick 0 0 0 6--6First Quarter

J--Dallas Goddin 36 FG, 4:03Second QuarterJ--Tyqueze Johnson 57 interception return (Goddin kick), 6:16

J--Ny'j Smith 27 pass from Shaderious Crowder (Goddin kick), 0:46Third QuarterJ--Antavius Grier 25 pass from Crowder (Goddin kick), 10:01

J--Grier 57 run (Goddin kick), 7:11

J--78 fumble return (Goddin kick), 0:08Fourth QuarterK--Walter Boze 33 run (run failed), 1:35

Team records: Jackson 2-1, 1-0 Region 2-AAA. Kendrick 1-2, 0-1. Next: Kendrick, at Rutland, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Turnovers prove costly as Jackson beats Kendrick ."