Haynesville Turns Fourth-Quarter Takeaways Into Victory Over Junction City

Haynesville 23, Junction City 7

JUNCTION CITY — Haynesville converted two fourth-quarter fumble recoveries into 10 points and defeated Junction City 23-7 Friday.

The Golden Tornado held a 13-7 lead entering the fourth quarter and finished with three takeaways in the final period.

Neither team scored in the first quarter. Junction City’s Delonte Duff partially blocked a punt, and the Dragons drove to Haynesville’s 25 before the Golden Tornado stopped them on fourth down.

DJ Brown’s 4-yard tackle for loss forced another Haynesville punt early in the second quarter.

Haynesville opened the scoring on a touchdown run with 6:13 before halftime. Quarterback Miller Toney added the extra point.

Brown answered with a 35-yard run on Junction City’s next possession. He later converted fourth-and-five with a run from Haynesville’s 20 to the 7. Jermaine Kennedy finished the drive with a 2-yard quarterback sneak, and Joseph Armstrong’s kick tied it 7-7 with 2:18 left.

Haynesville regained the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run with three seconds remaining. Junction City stopped the two-point attempt, leaving the halftime score 13-7.

Kennedy recovered an onside kick at Haynesville’s 45 to begin the third quarter. Nemo Caldwell gained 12 yards, and Brown added an 11-yard run during the possession. An apparent touchdown pass was nullified by an ineligible-receiver-downfield penalty, and the Dragons punted.

Haynesville recovered a fumble at Junction City’s 30 on the opening play of the fourth quarter. A field goal with 9:47 remaining extended the lead to 16-7.

The Golden Tornado returned another fumble to the Dragons’ 15 with 3:41 left. A third-down touchdown run on a toss play and the extra point made it 23-7 with approximately 2:30 remaining.

Haynesville intercepted a pass at its 10 with 2:20 left and retained possession through the finish. Junction City’s Melvin Smith recorded a 1-yard tackle for loss during that possession.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

No scoring, tied 0-0.

2nd Quarter

Haynesville — Touchdown run; scorer not identified (Miller Toney kick), Haynesville 7-0, 6:13.

Junction City — Jermaine Kennedy 2-yard touchdown run (Joseph Armstrong kick), tied 7-7, 2:18.

Haynesville — 1-yard touchdown run; scorer not identified (two-point run stopped), Haynesville 13-7, 0:03.

3rd Quarter

No scoring, Haynesville 13-7.

4th Quarter

Haynesville — Field goal; kicker and distance not identified, Haynesville 16-7, 9:47.

Haynesville — Touchdown run on a third-down toss; scorer not identified (kick good), Haynesville 23-7, approximately 2:30.

Players Who Stood Out

• Jermaine Kennedy, Junction City, quarterback: One rushing touchdown and one onside-kick recovery. His 2-yard sneak and the ensuing extra point tied the game with 2:18 remaining before halftime. Recovered the opening second-half kickoff at Haynesville’s 45-yard line.
• DJ Brown, Junction City, running back: A 35-yard run and a 13-yard gain on fourth-and-five helped set up Junction City’s touchdown. Also recorded a 4-yard tackle for loss that forced a second-quarter punt and added an 11-yard first-down run in the third quarter.
• Delonte Duff, Junction City, offensive tackle/defensive end: Partially blocked a first-quarter punt, giving Junction City possession at its 36-yard line with 7:06 remaining. The Dragons advanced to Haynesville’s 25 on that possession.
• Nemo Caldwell, Junction City, tight end/defensive end: While carrying the ball from the wishbone backfield, produced a 14-yard first-quarter run and a 12-yard run immediately after Kennedy’s onside-kick recovery. Both gained first downs.