Rison Answers Junction City Rally With Two Late Touchdowns

Rison 58, Junction City 38

RISON — Rison answered Junction City’s second-half rally with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, winning 58-38 Friday at Wildcat Stadium and improving to 3-0.

Junction City recovered the opening onside kick, and Zamundrae Gray scored on a 51-yard run on the Dragons’ first offensive play. Rison tied it 6-6, then scored on a 19-yard run to lead 12-6 with 2:50 left in the first quarter.

The Wildcats led 26-12 midway through the second quarter before Junction City quarterback Jermaine Kennedy returned a kickoff for a touchdown, trimming the margin to 26-18 with 6:14 remaining.

Rison answered on its next offensive snap with a 59-yard touchdown run and added a two-point conversion. A 5-yard touchdown run with 51.6 seconds left, followed by another two-point run, gave the Wildcats a 42-18 halftime lead.

Nemo Caldwell scored four touchdowns for Junction City, including three rushing scores and one receiving touchdown. Gray’s 26-yard reception on first-and-20 moved Junction City to Rison’s 20, setting up Caldwell’s first touchdown of the third quarter. Caldwell’s 20-yard run opened the second-half scoring with 8:56 left in the third quarter.

The Dragons recovered another onside kick, and Caldwell scored from 48 yards on the next play. The two-point conversion cut Rison’s lead to 42-32 with 8:45 remaining.

Junction City’s Jeremiah King forced and recovered a fumble near the goal line with 3:24 left in the third, keeping the margin at 10.

Aidan Bitely’s touchdown run and a successful conversion put Rison ahead 50-32 with 7:08 remaining. Kennedy immediately connected with Caldwell for a 54-yard touchdown, pulling the Dragons within 50-38 with 6:53 left.

Kyson Walker finished Rison’s ensuing possession with a 10-yard touchdown run at the 3:02 mark. Bitely added the two-point conversion for the final margin. The Wildcats then recovered their kickoff at midfield, securing possession again with 2:58 remaining.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

• Junction City – Zamundrae Gray 51-yard run (run failed), Junction City 6-0.
• Rison – Touchdown run, scorer unidentified (kick blocked), 6-6; 9:33.
• Rison – 19-yard run, scorer unidentified (pass failed), Rison 12-6; 2:50.

First-half recording gap: Rison added a touchdown and two-point conversion, and Caldwell scored a rushing touchdown for Junction City without a successful conversion. Their order, quarter and touchdown distances are not established in the supplied transcripts.

2nd Quarter

• Rison – Touchdown run, scorer and distance unidentified (run failed), Rison 26-12; approximately 6:30.
• Junction City – Jermaine Kennedy kickoff return (run failed), Rison 26-18; 6:14.
• Rison – 59-yard run, scorer unidentified (run good), Rison 34-18; 6:01.
• Rison – 5-yard run, scorer unidentified (run good), Rison 42-18; 0:51.6.

3rd Quarter

• Junction City – Nemo Caldwell 20-yard run (conversion failed), Rison 42-24; 8:56.
• Junction City – Caldwell 48-yard run (run good), Rison 42-32; 8:45.

4th Quarter

• Rison – Aidan Bitely touchdown run (run good), Rison 50-32; 7:08.
• Junction City – Caldwell 54-yard pass from Kennedy (pass failed), Rison 50-38; 6:53.
• Rison – Kyson Walker 10-yard run (Bitely run), Rison 58-38; 3:02.

Players of the Game

• Nemo Caldwell, Junction City: Four touchdowns — three rushing, including scores of 20 and 48 yards, plus a 54-yard touchdown reception.
• Jermaine Kennedy, Junction City: Kickoff-return touchdown and a 54-yard touchdown pass; completed a 26-yard pass to Gray to set up another touchdown.
• Zamundrae Gray, Junction City: 51-yard touchdown run and a 26-yard reception on first-and-20.
• Aidan Bitely, Rison: Touchdown run with 7:08 remaining and the two-point run following Rison’s final touchdown.
• Kyson Walker, Rison: 10-yard touchdown run with 3:02 remaining to finish the Wildcats’ final scoring drive.