PREP FOOTBALL: West Point storms past Cordova 55-14

Published 11:18 pm Friday, November 2, 2018

Rylan Jones, Hunter Persall and the West Point seniors finished their careers in style Friday night, rolling to a 55-14 home victory over Cordova.

Jones registered four touchdowns in the first half, including three through the air, and Persall added two touchdowns as the Warriors closed the season with a 3-7 record.

It was the final game for 14 West Point seniors — a deep class that was integral in helping the Warriors make four consecutive postseason appearances.

“I’m proud of our guys. Things haven’t gone the way we envisioned at the beginning of the year. We dealt with a lot of adversity and injuries, things that all teams have to go through. Despite those setbacks, our guys played hard every Friday,” coach Don Farley said. “It was great to see our seniors finish their high school football careers strong. I’m tickled for them, and I hope it’s a springboard to get us back on the plus side of the playoff picture next season.”

Jones collected touchdown passes of 35, 45 and 45 yards to three different receivers in the first half and added a 1-yard scoring plunge for good measure, propelling the Warriors to 35-7 cushion at intermission.

Jones capped his memorable night with a 9-yard touchdown strike to Will Cochran with 10:32 remaining in the game.

Persall hauled in a 45-yard touchdown reception from Jones with 1:20 left in the first quarter and garnered a 15-yard rushing score in the third quarter, extending West Point’s advantage to 41-14 with 2:53 left in the frame.

Nursing a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, Cochran found Kolton Sapp for a 55-yard touchdown strike and a 14-0 advantage.

Jones connected with Levi Farley, Persall and Whit Laney for touchdown passes before the first half was completed.

Martin’s 7-yard touchdown run with 5:05 left in the game closed the scoring for the Warriors.

West Point snapped a seven-game losing streak with Friday’s victory.

It was the first meeting between the Warriors and Blue Devils.

“We’re going to miss our seniors. They understand the game and have provided great leadership and competitiveness. Guys like Rylan Jones, Hunter Persall, Carson Moon, Michael Roberts and Brayden Martin are just fun to be around and care about football. All of our seniors will be successful in life because of the ups and downs they experienced,” Farley said.