Mark Monosky

For The North Jefferson News



MORRIS — Friday night the Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils lost their final game of the season to the 6A Oxford Yellow Jackets, 45-16. With the loss Jordan finishes their season 4-6. Oxford would have been 10-0 with this win, but they had to forfeit seven games earlier in the season due to an ineligible player, so they finished the season 3-7.

“Oxford’s got a good team. We couldn’t get anything accomplished on offense. I thought our defense played real hard. We had some good strong hits. Oxford can run and pass so that made it tough. I was proud of our boys. We never quit,” Blue Devils head coach Greg Watts said. “It has been a struggle of a year for us. We haven’t had the consistency week in and week out to become a winner. That why we have been up and down. I am proud of our seniors. They hung in there and they’re great kids. They fought hard they don’t have anything to be sorry for. They had four good years here. Oxford is a good 10-0 6A team. They would have gone all the way in the playoffs.”

The scoring started with Oxford’s first possession of the game. Yellow Jacket’s quarterback Judd Edwards ran it in from 14 yards out to complete a 5-play 51-yard drive, for a 7-0 lead.

Late in the first half, the Yellow Jackets scored again. This time quarterback Derek Thomas threw a 25-yard bomb to Ty Martin for a touchdown. This completed a 4-play, 51-yard drive and Oxford led 14-0.

With less than a minute to go in the first half Oxford added on to their lead, when Thomas threw his second touchdown pass of the game to wide receiver Antoio Webb. The pass covered 58 yards and completed a 7-play, 94-yard drive for the Jackets. Oxford took a commanding 21-0 lead into the half.

The second half wasn’t much better for the Blue Devils. On the opening drive of the half Oxford drove the ball 75 yards in only five plays. Derek Thomas threw his third touchdown pass of the game to Zeb Wright. This time the pass cover 57 yards and the Yellow Jackets led 28-0. Jimmy Newman added some more points on Oxford’s next possession when he kicked a 24-yard field goal to make the score 31-0.

The Yellow Jackets continued scoring after they held Mortimer Jordan on downs. Two plays later, Oxford running back Ryan Miller ran it in from 14 yards out. After yet another Newman point-after kick, the Yellow Jackets led 38-0. Late in the third quarter, Oxford scored again. After a bad Jordan punt, which set the Yellow Jackets up at the Blue Devil 16-yard line, Derek Thomas ran it in from 16 yards out. This was Thomas’ first rushing touchdown and his fourth total touchdown of the game and Oxford then led 45-0.

Mortimer Jordan finally got on the scoreboard on the first play of the fourth quarter. Brent Nation ran it in from 78 yards out. After a Tyler Kimbrough’s point-after kick Jordan had cut the Oxford to 45-7. Jordan cut into the score again when John Burrow blocked an Oxford punt, causing the ball to roll out the back of the end zone for a Blue Devil safety, to cut the score to 45-9.

With 45 seconds to go in the game Mortimer Jordan quarterback Jon Paul Motte threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Brent Nation. This completed a 2-play, 45-yard drive, to make the final score 45-16.