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Friday’s 47-29 win over West Jessamine was the largest margin of victory for East Jessamine (2-6) over the Colts (2-7) since 2008. And if Jaguars coach Mike Bowlin could have, he would have pushed the lead even more.
“I went for two every time because I couldn’t go for three — I think that’s Woody Hayes’ famous quote,” Bowlin said. East is always working on two-point conversion plays. “If we look out there and see what we like, we go for it.”
Following all but one of East’s six touchdowns, the Jaguars elected to go for two points and converted on all five of their attempts.
East threw a lot of different looks at the Colts throughout the night, but most of them centered on quarterback Ronnie Carson. The sophomore accounted for four touchdowns — three on the ground and one through the air.
“Our offensive game plan was to spread it out and let our athletes be in space,” Bowlin said. “Ronnie Carson just took over and ran around and made a lot of great plays.”
It was two first-half rushing touchdowns by Carson that gave East a 16-14 halftime lead. His first scored came with 4:10 remaining in the opening period. He scored on a 21-yard run, and East made it 8-0 on a two-point conversion pass from Jacob Goldey to Hayden Tatman. Tatman lined up near the sideline and jogged into the end zone unseen by all except Goldey and the East offense. Goldey lobbed an easy pass to the corner, and Tatman brought it down for two points.
Unfazed by the Jags’ drive, West came out and put together a seven-play, 76-yard drive. The Colts picked up a large chunk of yards on a 44-yard pass from Ryan Horne to Carter Hahn. Running back Devin Taylor scored on the next play, and West booted the extra point to make it 8-7 as time expired in the first quarter.
“We knew we had to stop Devin Taylor — I don’t know that we really stopped him, but we held him down enough,” Bowlin said.
East’s ensuing drive drained nine minutes and 43 seconds off the clock. When Carson finally broke the goal line on an 11-yard scamper, only 2:17 remained in the half. Blake Hinkle took the handoff on the two-point conversion and walked in to make it 16-7.
The short clock had no effect on West’s next drive as Taylor broke free on second down and ran 54 yards for the touchdown.
“We felt like offensively we did fairly well,” West coach Graham Heasley said. “We just didn’t bring it defensively.”
East Jessamine took a 16-14 lead into the half.
With Carson dominating the carries in the first half, East changed it up in the second half as the first play of third quarter was a handoff to Jarred Caudill. East pulled the right string as Caudill went 71 yards for the score. Goldey hit Clay Harrison on the two-point conversion.
The East defense, which had given up scores the last two times out, got a big stop at its own 18-yard line to begin the third. The offense used the momentum to take the ball in for a score on the other end. Hinkle got free on a big run and went from the East 33 to the West 30 — covering 38 yards. Carson scored on the next play, and Hinkle powered his way in on the two-point conversion.
East Jessamine took a 32-14 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to a 16-0 run in the third.
Taylor continued to give East Jessamine’s defense fits as he and Horne moved the ball down the field to East’s 4-yard line. Taylor rumbled in from there and Horne hit Hahn on the two-point conversion to make it 32-22 with 10:46 remaining in the game.
The final dagger came on the Jags’ next drive as Carson hit Tatman for a 36-yard touchdown pass play. Goldey ran in the two-point conversion.
“(Tatman) made some big plays and scored the touchdown to kind of seal it,” Bowlin said.
Hinkle scored on East’s next possession — the touchdown and extra point put the Jags up by 25 points at the time.
“Blake Hinkle ran the ball really hard up inside,” Bowlin said.
Taylor rushed for his fourth touchdown of the night on West’s final drive. He scored from 7 yards out.
Carson completed 7-of-10 passes for 113 yards and touchdown — he hit six different receivers on the night.
