Gallery • 21 Photos

By Sophie Rosen

Running with the ball, senior defensive back Joel Donn dodges a tackle on Friday, Oct. 28 against Sumner Academy.

In the first game of the postseason on Friday, Oct. 28, the Jaguars defeated the Sumner Academy Sabres 56-0. Going into the postseason, the Jaguars had a regular season record of 4-4 and the Sabres had 2-5.

Junior wide receiver Evan Rice had confidence in the team going into the game and is proud that the Jags didn’t let their opponent score.

“We had great practices this week so we were pretty confident going into the game and it feels good especially to not let them score,” Rice said.

In the first 43 seconds of the game, junior quarterback Brody Flaming passed the ball to sophomore wide receiver Logan Talley and scored a 37-yard touchdown, giving the Jaguars and early lead.

The team’s early lead was a prominent factor of the game to senior offensive lineman Alec Derritt.

“A defining moment was honestly the beginning of the game when the offense came out, set the tone, and scored early,” Derritt said.

Just two minutes later, Flaming made another successful pass to Talley for a touchdown. After a successful extra point by sophomore kicker Jack Matchette, the Jags lead 14-0.

Halfway through the first quarter, Sumner Academy fumbled the ball which lead to senior linebacker Dylan Smith recovering the ball in the endzone to score a touchdown.

Defensive coordinator Drew Hudgins is proud of the team for pursuing the plays they have been concentrating on.

“We got some big third down stops, a defensive score, and a few takeaways and those are things we’ve been trying to focus on the last couple of months so it’s good to see us come through with those,” Hudgins said.

With over a minute left in the first quarter, Flaming carried the ball 23-yards to score the fourth consecutive touchdown for the Jaguars, bringing the score to 28-0.

To start out the second quarter, sophomore running back Cameron Young made a 43-yard run for a touchdown. Matchette made the extra point, extending the lead 35-0.

Flaming then intercepted the ball and made a 31-yard pass to Rice for the sixth touchdown in a row for the Jaguars.

After a 17-yard carry, Young scored a touchdown for the Jaguars to even further extend their lead against the Sabres.

13 seconds after, Talley scored the eighth and final touchdown of the game with 4:13 left in the half. Matchette’s extra point brought the final score to 56-0.

Rice believes that the win will give the team confidence going into round 2 of the playoffs.

“It feels really good [to have won]. [The win] was a good confidence builder and it lets a lot of relief off of [the postseason],” Rice said.

Although the Jaguars did not score in the second half, sophomore defensive back Ben Hanson intercepted the ball at the 34 yard line to stop the Sabres from scoring.

Rice’s goal for the postseason is to keep working hard and improving.

“[The goal is] to give it all we’ve got, practice hard, and give all the effort we can. We’re trying to get back to back championships so we’re working hard to do everything we can to go out there and get a win every game,” Rice said.

Looking forward, Derritt acknowledges the challenges that await the team continuing into the postseason.

“It feels really good [to have won] but we realize that with the other skilled teams in the 5A competition. It’s going to be a long road and that we need to play to the best of our abilities,” Derritt said.

The Jaguars will play against Blue Valley Southwest in round two of the playoffs on Friday, Nov. 4 at home.