Jackson-Milton falls to Grand Valley 23-8

By RYAN JONES

Vindicator Correspondent

NORTH JACKSON — Jackson-Milton outgained Grand Valley 317-188 in total yardage, but committed three turnovers and had 84 penalty yards in a 23-8 defeat to the Mustangs.

Sophomore A.J. Henson, who went 7-of-15 for 116 yards, tossed touchdown passes of 18 and 12 yards to tight end Logan Nye.

However coach Tom Henson was most impressed with his team’s defense.

“Our philosophy this year is that we are going from a shower curtain to a steel curtain,” Henson said. “We gave up so many points last season it was like our guys went through the motions as if they were taking a shower. Our second goal on defense is to get a shutout. We haven’t been able to do it yet, but we’re close and the kids are going after it.”

With a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, the Mustangs recovered a Jackson-Milton fumble at their 47-yard line with 3:51 remaining.

Grand Valley marched 53 yards in 10 plays and scored when Henson hooked up with Nye from 12 yards out to make the score 14-0 at the 9:28 mark of the second quarter.

Henson completed passes of 14, nine and seven yards on the drive.

Henson said his grandson (A.J. Henson) is making strides as a young quarterback.

“He’s only a sophomore and there were times when we had four sophomore linemen out there in front of him,” he said. “A.J. knows there are going to be times that he has to scramble, but he’s got a great sense of the field and the kids he’s throwing to have great sense of how to get open when he breaks contain.”

The Mustangs went 71 yards in eight plays on the first possession of the third quarter. Henson found Nye on an 18-yard touchdown aerial that gave Grand Valley a 21-0 lead.

After forcing a three-and-out, Jackson Milton’s Wilbur Wilson scored on a 29-yard touchdown jaunt and Reggie Johnson’s two-point run made the score 23-8. with 2:04 left in the third frame.

Two possessions later, Wilson intercepted Henson at the Mustangs’ 25 yard line and returned it to the 15, but two penalties put the Blue Jays in a third-and-40, from where they failed to score.

Coach Tim McGlynn said his offensive line struggled.

“I you don’t block anybody inside, you’re not going to win many football games,” he said. “We’re having a big problem from tackle-to-tackle. We had our starting tight end go down with mono and that hurt us a little bit. We have eleven seniors on our team, but only six of them saw game action last year. We have seven games left and we’re not going to quit. We need our guys up front to start to gel.”

Sophomore Brennen Morrison, who totaled 61 yards rushing and another 49 through the air, split time at quarterback with Johnson for Jackson-Milton.

McGlynn said when he brought Morrison in he moved Johnson to wide receiver to try to get him the ball in space.

“He [Reggie Johnson] is our go to guy, he’s our senior leader and captain,” he said. “Brennen Morrison is a sophomore who’s going to be a really good football player down the line. He starts for us at defensive end and we’re trying not to throw too much at him, but we have to spread the field out.”

Mitchell Lake caught two passes for 56 yards to lead the Mustangs.

Johnson and Wilson totaled 59 and 55 yards on the ground respectively.