The Jaguars secured their 17-14 victory against the Saint James Academy Thunder on Friday, Oct. 17 with the points scored in the first and last minutes of the game. While making its overall record 3-4, the win also gave the team a 1-0 record in district play.

After the kickoff by St. James, the Jaguars started with a first and 10 at their own 34-yard line. A 67-yard run by junior quarterback Logan Koch on the following play and a successful extra point by junior kicker Andrew Hicks gave the Jaguars a 7-0 lead 17 seconds into the game.

Koch’s focus was on running as many yards as he could, trying to get the touchdown.

“I just run the ball until I get tackled, there’s nothing really to it,” Koch said. “I just keep running until I’m on the ground.”

With 4:58 remaining in the first quarter, St. James tied the game with a touchdown after a series of carries. This resulted in a score of 7-7 to begin the second quarter.

In the second quarter, the Jaguars were unable to execute a touchdown, but added three points to the board with a field goal by Hicks. The Jaguars took a 10-7 lead with 9:37 to play in the quarter. The team managed to hold this lead going into halftime.

For Koch, the number of penalties called was something the team had to overcome.

“We were playing really good on offense, we just had a bunch of penalties,” Koch said. “They kept coming, but we knew that we put the ball in the endzone.”

The score remained 10-7 until the fourth quarter, as St. James took the lead with a touchdown. The extra point was good, giving the Thunder a 14-10 lead with 9:01 to play in the game.

For the next eight minutes, the Jaguars held possession as they slowly brought the ball down the field. With under three minutes to play, St. James committed multiple penalties to ultimately give the Jaguars first and 10 at the 15-yard line. 50 seconds remained on the clock as Koch found junior wide receiver Christian Jegen in the end zone for the game winning touchdown pass. The extra point by Hicks was good, to make the final score 17-14.

Making the catch could win the game for the Jaguars, and Jegen knew that.

“I just knew I had to get that ball. It was for the win and I just dove out,” Jegen said. “We knew we had to score, and we did it.”

The Jaguars will play the Bonner Springs Braves on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Bonner Springs in their second game of district play in efforts of making it to postseason play.

While the team has faced challenges this season, the possible end result is worth it for Koch.

“It wasn’t fun to lose at the beginning,” Koch said. “But it’ll sure be fun to win in the playoffs.”