Jordan falls to Westside
For the Westside Seminoles, Saturday night's game at Kinnett Stadium was a chance to get back on the winning track after a narrow two-point home loss to Region 2-AAA foe Jackson put the lone blemish on their 5-1 record.
For the hometown Jordan Red Jackets, it was a chance to build upon their first region win last week on the road at Rutland.
In the end, Westside got back on the winning track, doubling up the Red Jackets 42-21.
Jordan actually took a 7-0 lead early in the contest. Linebacker and University of California commit Markus Wright picked off a pass from Westside quarterback Savion Knowlton and returned it 32 yards for the opening score. The sure-footed Andres Espinoza was true on the extra point, giving the Red Jackets an early lead just 77 seconds into the contest.
"It was a big play, and Markus is a good player," said Jordan coach Jim Brown.
Knowlton made good for his Westside teammates after that, however, helping the Seminoles reel off 20 unanswered points.
On the ensuing drive for the Red Jackets, it was quarterback Romello Kimbrough's time to shine.
His 24-yard touchdown scamper, where he dodged several Westside would-be tacklers on his way to the end zone, put Jordan back within a score at 20-14.
"To be honest, we rely on him a lot. He's big in our running game and in our passing game. He's a great player, and he does a lot for us. We put a lot on his shoulders. He's only a junior, and he's going to get better. We're expecting big things from him," said Brown of his signal caller.
After Knowlton put Westside back up 28-14 after a successful two-point conversion, Kimbrough duplicated his effort from earlier in the quarter with another long rushing touchdown, this time from 28 yards out, to bring Jordan to within a score at 28-21 as both teams headed to the locker room for halftime. Kimbrough finished the day with 24 rushes for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns, easily leading all Red Jackets in those categories. He was also 8-of-18 through the air for 106 yards.
However, the halftime score was as close as the Red Jackets would get. Jordan looked to tie the game as they drove the ball all the way to the Westside 8 yard line, but Gerimie Mitchell picked off a Kimbrough pass in the end zone, giving the ball back to the Seminoles.
Knowlton scored once again on the ground and once through the air in the fourth quarter, and the Westside defense completed the second half shutout.
"I feel like we were right there and we just didn't make plays," said Brown. "Down inside the 5, you can't (turn the ball over) against good teams.
"I feel like some of this was on me too as a coach I didn't make calls as good as I needed to in order to put ourselves in good situations," Brown continued. "We were trying to be aggressive with them. Our running game looked good; we probably should have kept it up a little bit.
The loss drops Jordan to 1-4 in Region 2-AAA and needing serious help for a playoff bid.
"Our guys really had high hopes this year," Brown said. We'll be ready to play next week against Kendrick and hopefully get better. That's part of having a young team. We only have six seniors. Things look bright for the future."
Saturday at Kinnett StadiumJordan 7 14 0 0--21
Westside 14 14 0 14--42First Quarter
J - Markus Wright 32 interception return (Andres Espinoza kick), 10:43.
W - Steve Dolphus 9 pass from Savion Knowlton (Blaine Halvorson kick), 6:08.
W - Donta Pate 9 pass from Knowlton (Halvorson kick), 5:09.
Second Quarter
W - Gerimie Mitchell 13 pass from Knowlton (kick failed), 10:46.
J - Romello Kimbrough 24 run (Espinoza kick), 7:31.
W - Knowlton 3 run (Dolphus pass from Knowlton), 4:04.
J - Kimbrough 28 run (Espinoza kick), 1:07.
Fourth Quarter
W - Knowlton 7 run (Halvorson kick), 11:43.
W - Ty'gee Cunningham 24 pass from Knowlton (Halvorson kick), 8:42.
Records: Jordan 2-5, 1-4 Region 2-AAA; Westside 6-1, 4-1. Next: Jordan vs. Kendrick, Saturday at Kinnett.
This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 11:40 PM with the headline "Jordan falls to Westside ."