It was competitive for a while Friday night between Pulaski Academy and Jacksonville at Joe B. Hatcher Stadium, then the Bruins went on the kind of scoring spree feared by Jacksonville Coach Rick Russell.
“They can score at any time,” Russell said of Pulaski Academy, “and that was one of their bursts.”
The Bruins (10-0, 7-0) led Jacksonville 37-22 late in the first half when they scored four touchdowns in the final 3:12 en route to a 65-36 victory.
Tyler Colquitt scored on a 44-yard run at the 3:12 mark, and the Bruins kept on rolling, creating some turnovers and getting three touchdown passes from Will Hefley to end the half with a 65-22 lead.
“We can’t let them have the football,” Russell said. “That’s the only way to defend it.”
Hefley finished with 17 of 21 passing for 363 yards and 7 touchdowns. He played just a couple of snaps in the second half.
Jacksonville (4-6, 3-45A-Central) had just pulled within 37-22 when the tide dramatically turned.
Colquitt had two touchdowns - a 50-yard catch-andrun on the first play from scrimmage and the 44-yard run that started the second-quarter avalanche. Will Hastings had 5 catches for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns, Zack Kelley had 2 touchdown catches and a touchdown run, and Cameron Colbert had 3 catches for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Bruins.
The Bruins outgained the Red Devils 514-141.
Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley said Hefley probably played his best game to date, and “he’s played somepretty good ones.”
“We wanted to be right here where we are,” Kelley said. “If we can make it another week or two and get some guys back that are unhealthy - broken collarbones and this and that - then we think we’ve got a chance to be around at the end.”
Pulaski Academy led 30-8 early, but Jacksonville kept it competitive.
Lamont Gause scored on a 62-yard run to pull the Red Devils within 30-16 with 7:49 left in the second quarter. After Zack Kelley’s 10-yard touchdown run made it 37-16, Jacksonville got good field position thanks to a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff, starting at its 41. Reggie Barnes threw a 17-yard pass to Avery Wells down to the Pulaski Academy 24, and Gause had a 19-yard run down to the 2. Barnes capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Moore.
But Pulaski Academy was just getting started.
“Coach Kelley always teaches us … we say it before every game: The other team is going to go up, and then dip back down, and go up, and dip down,” Colquitt said. “And we just stay steady. So when the penalties and all that stuff (started happening), we just went through the adversity and kept pushing and kept pushing.”
Sports, Pages 25 on 11/09/2013