Jonesboro brought its high-powered offense to central Arkansas and left with a 3-0 start to the 2016 season.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
The Hurricane, which averaged 53 points in its first two victories, took down Little Rock Catholic 69-34 on Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Junior quarterback Tyson Williams, starting in place of injured AJ Aycock, completed 14 of 22 passes for 474 yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Four of those touchdown passes went to senior Jonathan Adams, who caught 7 passes for 266 yards. Adams has orally committed to Arkansas State.
"Any time J [Adams] gets left open 1 on 1, he's going to make people pay," Jonesboro Coach Randy Coleman said. "Tyson did a good job of getting him the ball.
"We're going to figure out ways to get J the ball differently. We hit him with a couple of screens tonight and hit them vertically. Jakaylen Jackson continues to prove we're not a one-receiver team.
"I'm proud of the way our guys executed."
It was 28-21 Jonesboro at halftime, but Williams fumbled on the first play of the third quarter.
Catholic sophomore linebacker Trevor Karther recovered. But the Rockets couldn't take advantage of the turnover, as senior quarterback Taylor Price couldn't convert on a third-and-7 pass to the end zone and junior kicker Christopher Elser missed a 42-yard field goal.
Jonesboro turned the tide in its favor when Aycock found Adams for an 80-yard touchdown on the next play for a 35-21 lead with 10:38 remaining in the third quarter.
The Hurricane, a Class 6A member, outscored the Class 7A Rockets 41-13 in the second half.
Catholic Coach John Fogleman lamented his team's inability to pull closer early in the second half.
"We not only didn't get the points that we thought, but then the field goal," Fogleman said. "Then they turn around and go to the house and score. I really hate to say one play can make that type of difference, but that series of events was what changed it."
Adams also had touchdown receptions of 37 and 55 yards in the second half. He had a 30-yard touchdown catch in the first half.
Sophomore running back Samy Johnson led Catholic offensively, rushing 21 times for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns. He scored on two 80-yard runs and also caught a 51-yard pass.
Catholic led 14-7 going into the second quarter, but Jonesboro took its first lead of the game as Williams found senior receiver Jakaylen Jackson for a 53-yard touchdown. Senior Kyle Levis caught the two-point conversion pass and made it 21-14 Jonesboro with 9:18 left in the first half.
Jonesboro extended its lead to 28-14 with 6:18 left in the half on Williams' 55-yard touchdown pass to Jackson. Late in the first half, Catholic pulled within 28-21 when Johnson scored on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Price, eluding six Jonesboro defenders.
The Hurricane are on the road to start 6A-East play Friday at Mountain Home. Coleman said he is pleased with his team's start after defeating two Class 7A teams.
"Coming out 3-0 against that schedule is something I'm very proud of," Coleman said. "Now we have to go on the road the first two weeks of conference play. That will be another test.
"But I couldn't ask for anything better than 3-0 to start the year. Other than AJ, we've got minimal injuries. As long as we can stay healthy and continue to get better, we're going to give ourselves a chance."
Sports on 09/17/2016