The Forney High School Jackrabbits successfully defended their Unity Bowl title and trophy on Friday night, October 25, 2013. With the 27-17 win, the Jackrabbits are now 2-0 in a very young rivalry tradition pitted between the north and south sides of Forney.
The Forney High School Jackrabbits successfully defended their Unity Bowl title and trophy on Friday night, October 25, 2013. With the 27-17 win, the Jackrabbits are now 2-0 in a very young rivalry tradition pitted between the north and south sides of Forney.
Sophomore Quarterback Luke Skipper proved tonight why he deserves the starting position for the Jackrabbits after throwing 187 yards with a 73% completion rate and rushing for another 42 yards. Jackrabbits Junior AJ Atnip also had an impressive showing with a total of four touchdowns, 3 rushing and 1 off the arm of Skipper.
“We've had a tough season,” said Jackrabbits Football Head Coach Kevin Rush. “We've had trouble putting our halves together. Tonight we put it all together and played a complete game.” The Jackrabbits snapped a four game losing streak and were able to put points on the board in every single quarter against the Falcons.
The Jackrabbits were first to strike in the first quarter on AJ Atnip's first touchdown of the night, a 28-yard pass thrown by Skipper in the first two minutes of the game. The Falcons drove the ball back down the field in hopes of contesting the touchdown but were only able to snag an impressive 40-yard field goal by kicker Hunter McClain.
The Jackrabbits next series wasn't the best look for Skipper – who only just took the helm in the pocket for the Jackrabbits last week against the Terrell Tigers. Skipper fumbled the ball on an attempted rush but was able to recover it. The next play, Skipper threw a pass that was intercepted by North Forney's Bryce Ford on the Jackrabbits 15-yard line.
The Falcons were penalized 10 yards but Falcons quarterback Hunter Herndon quickly voided those yards with a 23-yard rush. Herndon finalized the series with a 2-yard rushing touchdown but the point after attempt was no good. The Falcons took the lead with 6:47 left in the 1st quarter, 9-6.
The next points came late in the 2nd quarter for the Falcons. The Falcons drove the ball 48 yards to the Jackrabbits 7-yard line where Herndon rushed for a 7-yard touchdown. The Falcons lined up for a two-point conversion and Tritavious Jones hit an opening on the right side of the offensive line to find the end zone for two additional points.
The Falcons left little room or time for the Jackrabbits to score any points before the half, but they did. Skipper connected with David Burnett for 63 yards to the North Forney 13-yard line before being taken down by Jackrabbit Derrick Mosely. AJ Atnip took it from there, rushing for the final 13-yards in 3 carries with 19 seconds left in the first half.
The Falcons went into the locker room in the lead at halftime, 17-12, and with high hopes of snatching the Unity Bowl trophy away from the defending champs.
However, the Jackrabbits had different plans going into the second half. The Jackrabbits quickly scored in the 3rd quarter on an AJ Atnip 12-yard rushing touchdown which was followed up by an AJ Atnip two-point conversion. The Jackrabbits regained the lead in the game, 20-17, with 8:26 left in the 3rd quarter.
North Forney looked poised to score a quick touchdown after Tritavious Jones snatched the Jackrabbits short kick-off, found a narrow gap, broke several tackles, and headed for the end zone before being taken down at the Forney 35-yard line. Jones was ripped to the ground by his collar on his run to the end zone and the Jackrabbits were charged with a 15-yard horse-collar penalty. The Falcons had the ball in the red zone on Forney's 20-yard line but were cut short when the Jackrabbits intercepted a Hunter Herndon pass.
Neither team was able to score late in the 3rd quarter but the Jackrabbits set up their next series going into the 4th quarter with a 44-yard rush by Chazz Slatinsky and a 15-yard Skipper pass to Jacob Gonzalez.
The Jackrabbits finished their previous series early in the 4th quarter with AJ Atnip rushing the football in for a 13-yard touchdown. The Jackrabbits widened their lead to 27-17 with 10:11 left in the 4th quarter.
North Forney made some critical mistakes in the fourth and lost their next two possessions because of interceptions and ultimately wasn't able to score on their last and final drive before the Jackrabbits kneeled their last two downs for the win, 27-17. The Unity Bowl trophy stays at Forney High School.
The Jackrabbits accumulated 362 total yards to the Falcons 239. The Jackrabbits fumbled 3 times but were able to recover each. The Jackrabbits also threw 1 interception to the Falcons 3.
With the win, The Jackrabbits move to 1-4 in District 10-4A with an overall season record of 2-6. Out of the playoff race, their last two matchups for the season are against West Mesquite (4-1, 4-4) and Carrollton Newman Smith (1-4, 1-7).
AJ Atnip led the Jackrabbits offense with four touchdowns, 61 rushing yards, and 49 receiving yards. David Burnett also accumulated over 100 total yards with 112 receiving yards.
Although the Falcons lost, they still hope to grab a playoff berth late in the season. Their District 10-4A record stands at 2-3 and their overall record is 3-5. They are currently tied with Carrollton Creekview (2-3, 4-4) in District 10-4A and will play them in two weeks after playing Mesquite Poteet (4-1, 7-1) next week.
Game day photos provided by Don C. Johnson Photography and Big Shots Photography.