By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com
 

Come back in the morning for an update. The box score is at the bottom. Thanks.

            Maleek Wooten had been following poor plays in practice and a scrimmage lately with some pouting. He promised his coaches he would stop.

            Boy, did he.

            The sophomore wideout came up with a highlight-reel touchdown catch with with 4:34 left in the game – as well as one late in the third quarter - as Jones County survived Howard 34-28 Thursday night at Ed DeFore Sports Complex in the season opener.

            A good crowd got a full game, with a 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown, successful extra-point kicks by Howard’s Elizabeth Rodenroth despite high snaps, big hits and some dazzling offensive plays, plus some drama.

            The game between the 10-year-old program from Macon and the program from Gray trying to build a major reputation came down to a foot in the final minute, or the Hounds and Huskies really would’ve had something to talk about.

            Down by six – the high snap after Wooten outfought a defender at the 10 to score sabotaged the PAT and left the door open – with some time left, Howard took over on its 37 with 4:27 left.

            Another 5-yard penalty – and the Huskies had major issues with 5-yard penalties – on first down pulled Howard back, but Jeremiah Kelly got 12 back, and then zipped and wiggled his way for 23 and a first down at Jones County’s 33.

            He got five more, which the Huskies gave back with another penalty. Then on fourth and 2, Kelly took a deep pitch left, and the Greyhounds' Deon Richardson came from the back side and stopped him just short – after a measurement – of the first down, with 59.9 seconds.

            A few snaps later, Jones County could breathe.

            The Greyhounds went up immediately on a 65-yard wideout screen from Hunter Costlow to Caden Mutchler on the first play of the game. Howard didn’t buckle, and went ahead on quarterback Quintan Sewell’s 2-yard keeper with 1:32 left in the half.

            He passed to Aiden Stewart for the conversion and the lead. The Huskies defense got on the board three plays into the second half when big lineman Garrett Baughman got behind center for power short-yardage action.

            But he and Semaj Sewell couldn’t convert the pitchout. Howard’s Isiah Edwards, though, was able to convert the fumble recovery into a 50-yard touchdown.

            Rodenroth’s PAT made it 15-7 less than two minutes into the second quarter. After the teams traded picks, Wooten took the jet sweep around the right side for 59 yards and a score.

            An unsportsmanlike conduct flag was thrown on the Greyhounds on the play, and was marked off on the PAT, and a high snap killed that try.

            Howard’s defense stopped a late second-quarter threat, Cory Jordan and Keanu Blash teaming for a sack after Jones County had gotten inside the 35 with some time left.

            The Huskies barged out of the locker room and scored on a six-play, 67-yard drive, 43 coming on an impressive Sewell scramble. A high snap kept Rodenroth from getting a PAT off.

            Then another mistake bruised Howard.

            A high punt snap sent punter Juan Cardenas backward. He got it off, but the play lost 17 yards.

            On third and 14, Costlow got time and threw deep to Wooten, who went up and got the ball in traffic for a 34-yard score on third and 19. Jontavias Robertson’s run tied it at 21 with 2:31 left in the third, and all the momentum was on the visitor’s sde.

            It stayed there as the Huskies lost 11 yards on two plays and punted. Costlow, who learned in short work in the playoffs last year about comeback, drove the Greyhounds the distance, again throwing a strike to convert and third and long into a highlight touchdown catch, this time by Mutchler, who dove to bring in the score.

            That put the Greyhounds up with 8:58 left in the game. Not for long.

            Jarvasia Meadows’ nice kickoff return put the Huskies at midfield. Two plays after he got 19 yards, Sewell went in from a yard out, and Rodenroth tied it with 6:23 left.

            Four plays later came the 53-yard game-winning score.

Jones County 34, Howard 28

Jones County  7 6 8 13- 34

Howard             8 7 6 7 -28  

                                JC                           H

First downs       14                           17

Rushing               30-120               49-261

Passing                11-21-                  6-11-1

Passing yards    234                        55

Penalties             5-35                      14-105

First quarter

JC – Caden Mutchler 65 pass from Hunter Costlow (x kick)

H – Quintan Sewell 2 run (Aiden Stewart pass from Sewell)

Second quarter

H – Isiah Edward 50 fumble return (Elizabeth Rodenroth kick)

JC – Wooten 59 run (bad snap, conversion failed)

Third quarter

H – Jeremiah Kelly 12 run (bad snap, conversion failed)

JC – Wooten 31 pass from Costlow (Jontavias Robertson run)

Fourth quarter

JC – Mutchler 27 pass from Costlow ()

H – Sewell 1 run (Rodenroth kick)

JC – Wooten 53 pass from Costlow (bad snap, conversion failed)

Rushing

Jones County

Semaj Ingram 17-67; Maleek Wooten 2-74; Hunter Costlow 7-(-1); Garrett Baughman 1-(-7), team 3-(-14)

Howard

Jeremiah Kelly 25-143; Quintan Sewell 16-106, Jarquavious Coleman 4-8; Jarvarsia Meadows 4-17; team 1-(-13).

Passing

Jones County

Costlow 11-21-1, 234

Howard

Sewell 6-11-1, 55

Receiving

Jones County

Wooten 4-101; Jontavias Robertson 5-45; Caden Mutchler 2-92

Howard

Meadows 3-27; Coleman 1-19; Kelly 1-5; Aiden Stewart 1-4.