Even with a chance of rain threatening attendance at the first home football game of the season, the Jaguars defeated Bonner Springs High School 48-26 on Friday, Sept. 9 in front of a full stadium.

Only two minutes into the first quarter, junior quarterback Skyler Windmiller completed a  pass to junior receiver L.J. Hatch for the first touchdown of the game. With the extra point bysenior kicker Andrew Wesp, Jaguars lead 7-0.

When Bonner Springs fumbled a snap, the Jaguars took possession with 7:20 left in the quarter. Junior running back Kendall Short then went on to score the second touchdown for the Jaguars, ending the quarter with a score of 14-0.

Starting the second quarter on a slightly different note, only 50 seconds into the quarter, the Braves intercepted a pass by Windmiller inside their own 10 yard line.

However, when Bonner Springs was unable to convert the interception into a touchdown, the Jaguars got the ball back for sophomore receiver Henry Midyett to receive a touchdown reception from Windmiller, making the score 21-0 with 6:53 left in the half.

The energy picked up when senior receiver Ethan Rice brought the score to 27-0 on his 21-yard touchdown reception with 1:38 left to play in the half. Halftime began with a score of 27-0.

After the first half, Short was pleased with the effort the team had shown.

“Like coach says, we need killer instincts,” Short said. “We need to put teams away with no chance to come back.”

The second half began with the Jaguars opting to go for it on fourth and 13. With 10:39 in the third quarter, the decision paid off when Hatch caught a 33-yard touchdown reception and put the Jaguars up 33-0.

The two-point conversion was also successful, which gave the Jags a strong lead at 35-0.

One of the downsides for the Jaguars was the amount of penalties they were being called on. With 8:16 left in the third quarter, a penalty was called that resulted in a Bonner Springs first and 10 at the 21 yard line.

Bonner Springs was able to use the penalty and score its first touchdown of the night with 8:03 left in the quarter.

The Braves stands went crazy, but when the extra point was blocked, the Mill Valley student section quickly quieted them by pointing at the scoreboard: 35-6.

With 4:49 left in the quarter, Hatch had a 13-yard reception at the 36 yard line, and the Jaguars were in position to score again when Bonner Springs recovered a Mill Valley fumble and returned it for a touchdown, bringing the score to 35-12 with a failed two-point conversion.

Soon after came another bright spot for the Jaguars. With 4:17 remaining in the quarter, senior safety Justice Oehlert returned a Bonner Springs kickoff for 23 yards.

Then, after many plays fighting to get closer to the end zone, Short broke through multiple tackles and ran down the field for a 70-yard touchdown reception from Windmiller.

The extra point was no good and the quarter ended with a score of 41-12.

Starting the fourth quarter off with a quick score, the Jaguars increased their lead with a 25 yard touchdown run by Short, bringing the score to 48-12.

However, despite the lead, the Jaguars were not able to put the Braves away. With 4:05 remaining in the game, a 71-yard carry by the Braves resulted in their third touchdown of the night, and the score was brought to 48-18 with a failed two-point conversion.

Then, after a missed tackle, Bonner Springs scored again with 1:16 remaining on a 66-yard touchdown. The successful two-point conversion brought the score to 48-26.

When the Jaguars received the ball again, another pass from Windmiller was intercepted and a personal foul was called on the Jags with only 0:42 left in the game.

The negative energy was turned around right at the end of the game when Oehlert intercepted a Bonner Springs pass with 0:07 left and allowed the Jaguars to take a knee to end the game.

The team stood before the crowd to sing the school alma mater with a 48-26 score standing on the scoreboard.

Looking at the overall game, Hatch sees some areas that could be improved.

“We always expect to win,” Hatch said. “Tonight we expected to win big. We got off to a good start, but let off of the gas in the fourth quarter and let them come back a little bit.”

The next varsity game is at home against Tonganoxie High School at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16.