The Forney Jackrabbits traveled to Corsicana Friday night, September 15, for their last pre-district game of the 2012 season. Coming into the contest with a 1-1 record on the young season, this matchup would be the best indicator yet of the Jackrabbits' chance for a successful 2012 campaign on the gridiron. Corsicana was a 2011 State Semi-Finalist and has a rich history of football success in the 4A ranks.
The Forney Jackrabbits traveled to Corsicana Friday night, September 15, for their last pre-district game of the 2012 season. Coming into the contest with a 1-1 record on the young season, this matchup would be the best indicator yet of the Jackrabbits' chance for a successful 2012 campaign on the gridiron. Corsicana was a 2011 State Semi-Finalist and has a rich history of football success in the 4A ranks.
The game couldn't have started better for the Jackrabbits. The Corsicana Tigers failed to catch the opening kickoff by Forney's Clay Collins and sophomore running back AJ Atnip of Forney recovered the ball for a very early turnover. The Forney Jackrabbit's offense took advantage of the short field and opened the scoring with a touchdown pass by Jack King to make it 7-0.
The Tigers countered with a long opening drive of their own that took almost 7 minutes off the clock and resulted in a touchdown and a missed extra point, leaving the Jackrabbits with a 7-6 lead. The initial two-point conversion was successful by the Tigers, but an illegal chop block was called on the Tigers and the kicker could not convert the nontraditional 35 yard PAT.
The Tigers scored the second touchdown of the game early in the 2nd quarter after taking advantage of an interception and the subsequent short field. The Tigers were once again unsuccessful with the PAT, leaving the score at 12-7 in the Tigers favor. This second scoring drive for Corsicana was led by backup senior quarterback Rash, after starter Devonte Ball’s second injury of the game retired him to the sidelines for the remainder of the game.
The Tiger defense continued to apply pressure to the Jackrabbits. A second interception was called back after an offsides penalty in the second quarter. After a bad offensive series, the Jackrabbits punted the ball and had the Tigers inside their own 15. A third Tiger QB started this possession and promptly fumbled the first snap resulting in another turnover for the Jackrabbits and a short field for the offense. A second short TD drive gave the Jackrabbits the lead at 14-12.
Another Tiger fumble gave the Jackrabbits a chance to extend their lead as Forney's Clay Collins setup for a 55 yard field goal attempt. Collins connected perfectly and the 55 yard field goal attempt was successful. The Jackrabbits coaching staff, sidelines, and bleachers exploded, sending the Jackrabbits into halftime with a 17-12 advantage.
The second half was simply not as positive for Forney as they struggled on the offensive side of the ball with another interception and a lost fumble. These two turnovers combined with a stout effort by the Tiger defensive line resulted in a sputtering offensive performance throughout the second half that just couldn’t get turned around.
Corsicana simply had too many athletes for the Jackrabbits to handle. After losing their starting quarterback, the Tigers also lost their starting running back in the second half. The lack of a significant drop-off from these backups had to be a source of pride for Corsicana. A deep bench surely bodes well for their season and the upcoming years. The backup running back, Fields, was responsible for the go ahead touchdown run after an interception by the Tiger defense.
After a successful two point conversion, Corsicana led for good at 20-17. After a Tiger blocked punt in Forney territory, a final touchdown run by Fields at the 5 minute mark of the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for Forney as the Tigers led by a final score of 27-17.
The Jackrabbits have a bye week followed by the opening of district play with a road game against the state-ranked Highland Park Scots.
Photos provided by Big Shots Photography.