CRYSTAL SPRINGS — Following a Region 7-4A win over Columbia and with a looming tangle with South Pike — coinciding with fall break and a matchup against the 0-8 Crystal Springs Tigers — North Pike coach Chris Smith was worried about his team’s focus.
After the first half Friday, he had every reason for concern. North Pike struggled to a 13-7 halftime lead before pulling away in the second half for a 41-20 win to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
“They got hope,” Smith said of the affect the score had on the Tigers. “We came out flat. We let them stay in the game.”
The Tigers opened the game with a 15-play, 65-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard Dontarrias Toney touchdown run to take an early 7-0 lead.
But it wasn’t the score that worried Smith. It was an earlier 4th-and-2 play where the defense jumped offside to sustain the drive.
“We had them stopped,” Smith said. “It could’ve been a punt. Without that play, they wouldn’t have scored.”
The Jaguar offense responded on the arm of quarterback Revis Butler and rushing of LaDerrick Turner before Jaylen Adams scored on a 2-yard scamper to cap a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive. But the Tigers held the lead after Tyler Wilkinson’s PAT failed.
North Pike took a 13-7 on its next possession on a 1-yard Turner touchdown run to top off a 12-play, 75-yard march.
Smith said his players stepped up and took ownership of the team during the intermission. It showed.
The Jaguars needed only 1:20 to make the score 19-7 as Turner rushed for 38 yards before Butler scored from 17-yards out.
“We felt like if we could get up two scores, we’d take control,” Smith said.
North Pike scored the backbreaker on its next possession. Faced with a 4th-and-4 from the Jaguar 33, Butler drew the Tiger defense offside.
He scored on a 62-yard run the next play and converted a 2-point attempt to make it 27-7.
“I hollered three or times, ‘Watch the ball,’ ” said Crystal Springs coach Johnny Young Jr. “That let the air out of us.”
And though the Tigers didn’t throw in the towel, the Jaguars slowly pulled away in a game of “Can you top this?”
Though Crystal Springs finished the first half with two passes, Tiger quarterback Kendarius Williams took the air the rest of the way.
Jerry Austin intercepted him on the Tigers’ ensuing possession, but Williams bounced back to torch the Jaguar secondary for touchdowns on two occasions.
The Jaguars’ turned the ball back over on a Turner fumble, and Williams guided the Tigers on a 5-play, 55-yard drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tralarius Williams to cut the deficit to 27-13.
North Pike responded by going for the jugular when Butler hit Tonnie Collins in stride for a 73-yard touchdown pass to make it 33-13.
Kendarius Williams responded by finding Tralarius Williams again for a 70-yard TD to make it 33-20 before the Jaguars ended the scoring on a 5-yard Turner run.
