Shared from the 11/8/2018 El Dorado  eEdition

Dragons to host Jaguars in playoff opener

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Terrance Armstard/News-Times

Open field: Junction City's Kevontae Haynes (12) finds room to run with Dhante Gibson (10) throwing a block during the Dragons' 8-2A contest against Bearden last month in Junction City. On Friday, Junction City hosts Mc-Crory in the opening round of the 2A playoffs. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

In 2014, Junction City capped a second straight undefeated season by winning its third consecutive 2A state title.

A year later when the Dragons’ bid for a fourth straight title was ended by Conway Christian, it was McCrory who went on to claim the state championship.

Now the schools responsible for winning four straight 2A titles in this decade will meet, as the Dragons and Jaguars collide in the opening round of the 2A playoffs Friday night.

Game time is set for 7 p.m. from Junction City.

The Dragons (7-2), winners of six straight, are the 8-2A’s No. 1 seed after going undefeated in league play.

The Jaguars (5-4) are the No. 5 seed from the 3-2A.

McCrory clinched a playoff spot after beating Rector to snap a fourgame losing streak and Midland knocked off Marked Tree.

Injuries have taken their toll on McCrory, but the Jaguars were able to extend their streak of reaching the postseason to 11 straight years.

“We slipped into the playoffs as a five seed,” said McCrory coach Chris Kennon. “We’ve battled injuries all year, and we managed to get in. We’ve had a run I think of nine or 10 consecutive years, since right before I got here, of being in the playoffs.

“Our kids wanted to make sure that they continued to keep their streak alive. You want to end your season on a good note, and going to the playoffs is always a good thing. Your kids feel like that at the end of the day, they accomplished something.”

When healthy, the Jaguars showed just how tough they could be by winning at Des Arc, who wound up finishing with the conference’s No. 2 seed.

“We got a tough draw with our five seed,” said Junction City coach Steven Jones. “I feel that McCrory is a pretty good football team. They actually beat their two seed earlier in the year in Des Arc. They’ve put together a few games, they just haven’t been able to finish some of them, but once the playoffs get here, anything can happen, so we have to be ready for those guys.”

McCrory opened September with three straight wins, including the aforementioned 30-28 win at Des Arc, but as the injuries piled up, the Jaguars lost four straight games before nailing down a playoff spot last week.

“We wanted to have a solid year, obviously, and just perform at a high level and do the best that we can with what we have,” Kennon said. “I think the kids played well early. In Week 2, we played a really good Des Arc team and we were able to beat them at their place. We were healthy, we were rolling and I thought things were going in the right direction. It was one of those years that we knew that two or three certain kids could not get hurt, and two of them got hurt, so that just kind of put us in a bad position.”

The Jaguars needed some help to get into the playoffs, but with their season on the line, Kennon was pleased with how his team responded in a must-win game.

“Our conference was kind of a mess in the bottom half,” Kennon said. “Some teams took turns beating up on each other, but we knew at the end of the day that we had to go in and take care of business and do what we were supposed to do. I felt like our kids came out and played pretty well that night. We overcame a couple of mistakes and were able to finish it off.”

Although the Jaguars have had to navigate their way through injuries, their younger players have had to pick up the slack, and that is something the team can build on for next year.

“We’re extremely young. We play only two seniors on either side of the ball,” Kennon said. “I think in Week 2 when we played Des Arc and we beat those guys down at their place, that’s the last time we had everybody on the field. That’s a part of football. That’s one of those things that’s going to happen throughout the course of a year. You just have to overcome that adversity, move kids around and do the best you can.

“What I like about it is all of our playmakers and the kids that have carried us are all underclassmen, so it’s going to be big for these guys next year, especially up front. We’re returning every lineman next year, and that’s huge, especially on the O-line. I think it will help us a little bit and pay off for us next year. You don’t like growing pains, but sometimes that’s part of it.”

Junior Tarzan Alumbaugh guides the Jaguars’ offense at quarterback, and like most players at a 2A school, he plays both ways, but while most quarterbacks play either in the secondary or at linebacker, Alumbaugh plays at defensive end.

“He’s done a good job for them this season,” Jones said. “He throws the ball very well, and he’s a bruising runner. He’s a fullback body playing quarterback, and they like to run him a good bit. They run a lot of quarterback ISO’s and quarterback traps and things like that, so we’ll have to account for him. He’s not a guy that’s going to get out in space and make people miss, but he’s a hard-nosed runner.”

Jones added that the Dragons’ interior linemen will be a key in trying to slow down Alumbaugh.

“They spread it out and try to get numbers where they can run the ball with their quarterback and running back,” Jones said. “We have to do a good job of making sure we have got the right front in there and get a good push. Our interior defensive linemen will be a key this week. Our ends have a done a good job lately of not letting things get out in space, but this week, it will important to squeeze everything between the tackles.”

As far as the Jaguars’ offense is concerned, Jones said they give multiple looks.

“They do a couple of different things,” Jones said. “They do some three-wide receiver sets, and they’ll spread out to four wide.

“Then they’ll load the backfield up with three running backs, so they’re very multiple offensively. They like to run the ball. They like to run their quarterback. They try to run between the tackles, then they’ll throw the ball a good bit out of their spread stuff.”

One of Alumbaugh’s top targets is junior wide receiver/ tight end Colby Lane.

“He’s been real valuable to us,” Kennon said. “He’s caught a lot of balls and he has a little bit of speed once he gets into the open field. He can really make things happen. He’s done a really good job for us.”

McCrory’s defense is led by senior lineman Hagen Blackmon and junior linebacker Tyler Blackmon, but Kennon said the former may not be in the lineup for Friday’s game.

“He’s our best D-lineman, and he’s going to be questionable,” Kennon said. “We may have lost him for the season last Thursday to a knee injury. We’re not sure of the results just yet, but he’s been kind of a staple for us on the D-line. He’s played extremely well.”

Kennon added that the Jaguars will be on their third tailback when they take the field against the Dragons, and he said it’s been a steady rotation between three players.

“We have it by committee,” Kennon said. “Dylan Youngman or Tyler Blackmon or DaQuan Hall, we just rotate one of those three in and out and see who has the hot hand that night. It’s really, really tough when you lose those. My two tailbacks, one of them (Chance Davis) was also my leading tackler from last year, so losing him was a big blow. He played linebacker, slot and tailback, so that was a tough, tough blow for us.”

In their season finale at Parkers Chapel, the Dragons used their balanced running attack and several turnovers early on to pull away from the Trojans.

“We got off to a great start,” Jones said. “They put together a drive, but we were able to get a turnover right there and that swung the momentum. From there, we were able to successfully run the football. We feel like what we did last Thursday against Parkers Chapel was really something we can carry into the playoffs.”

As the Dragons open the postseason, their ground game seems to be hitting its stride. In their wins over Hector and Parkers Chapel, the Dragons have rushed for 300 yards, and with McCrory’s defense crowding the line of scrimmage, Junction City will continue to count on Dhante Gibson and Jakiron Cook.

“They stack everybody around the football,” Jones said of the Jaguars’ defense. “We’ll have to account for extra defenders in the box and try to find a way to get them out. We’ve had Dhante and Jakiron come on of late. We continue to get better at running the football. Both of those guys are right at 1,000 yards for the season. They continue to carry us offensively. We’ve got Kevontae Haynes out there, and he’s an explosive player that will be more involved as we move down the road.”

For Kennon, the trip to Junction City is one he is looking forward to.

“It’s always fun,” Kennon said. “It’s a playoff atmosphere. It’s a playoff game, and you can’t go to a much better place to play a 2A playoff game than Junction. You have to have tons of respect for what they’ve done down there. Coach (David) Carpenter builds an unbelievable powerhouse down there and coach Jones has stepped in and continued with success. It’s a fun challenge. If you can’t get up for this game and go enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy the whole playoff situation, then you’re not much of a competitor.”

If the Jaguars are to come away with a win on the road, Kennon said his offense must be able to produce.

“We’re going to have to have a little ball control,” Kennon said. “We definitely don’t want them having the ball any more possessions than they have to. They’re very talented as usual. Those guys always have great athletes, and they’re wellcoached. We have to eliminate turnovers and obviously, we can’t give up the big play. When we get the opportunity to get a stop, we have to be able to get those guys off the field. It’s going to be a tough task for us.”

For the Dragons to move on, Jones said his team must do two things.

“We’ve got to finish drives, and we’ve got to have great interior play from our defensive linemen,” Jones said.

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