Jefferson City ends 13-game skid with double-overtime win over Rockhurst

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - After booting a 30-yard field goal in the second overtime to upend defending Class 6 champion Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) 33-30, Jefferson City (Mo.) kicker Ryan Tanner was at a loss for words.

But the frenzied crowd at Jefferson City's Adkins Stadium wasn't.

The packed house, which included members of past Jefferson City teams, let out a roar after Jays ended 13 games of futility against Rockhurst.

Both teams entered the contest 6-0 and ranked among the top 60 in the nation.

"This is great," Tanner said. "To beat them my senior year in front of this amazing crowd and everything is fantastic. I'm ecstatic. I don't know the words for it."

Tanner's heroics were made possible by teammate Jack Young, who intercepted a pass by Rockhurst quarterback Nick Jones in the end zone to start the overtime period. It was a bit of redemption for Young, who recalled a pass play earlier in which he said he got burned.

"I told myself that I had to stay over the top," the 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior said. "The ball was overthrown a little so I was able to make a play on it. I went over the top and got it.

"It's great to be able to get this win in this wild place. This feels great."

Overtime periods didn't seem remotely possible early in this one as the Jays, ranked 56th nationally in the latest MaxPreps Freeman Rankings presented by the National Guard, streaked to a 16-0 lead against the No. 43 Hawklets.

Jefferson City electrified an already hyped crowd by scoring on the game's first possession.

Thomas LePage connected with Daniel Ajuzie for a 22-yard gain to midfield and running back Devon Moore ripped off a 14-yard gain to the Rockhurst 36 on third-and-10. Moore slashed for a five-yard gain on fourth and one to keep the drive alive.

LePage then capped the 72-yard drive by finding Scott Stegeman open over the middle from 2-yards out, giving the Jays a 6-0 advantage with 6 minutes, 11 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Following a Tanner field goal, Jefferson City made it 16-0 when Chris Sutton intercepted a Jones pass and returned it for touchdown. This one looked like it might be a rout.

"We didn't tackle well when we got off of the bus and we didn't run very well," Rockhurst coach Tony Severino said. "We told the guys that we had all of those turnovers and yet we were still in the game.

"Then you fight and you fight and eventually you just run out of gas."

Rockhurst, which played without injured star running back Jordan Walker, gained momentum finally just before halftime when University of Nebraska-commit Michael Rose sprinted home on a 27-yard run to cut the deficit to 16-7 with 3:44 left in the second quarter.

Rockhurst threatened to score again after Alex Bales recovered a fumble at the Jefferson City 30. But two plays later, yet another secondary star saved the day for Jefferson City as Jared Johnson intercepted a pass.

Jefferson City then stretched its advantage back to 16 points thanks largely to Young, who recovered a Rockhurst fumble on a punt return at the Hawklet 44.

Following a 14-yard pass from LePage to Ajuzie, Moore took a shovel pass and scored from 30 yards out to put the Jays up 23-7 with 1:29 left before intermission.

But Rockhurst showed it wasn't going away by any means, closing to 23-14 just on  38-yard pass play from Jones.

It looked like Rockhurst would climb within a field goal early in the third as it drove to the Jefferson City 9. But Young was Johnny-on-the-spot again with yet another interceptions.

To its credit, Rockhurst kept fighting back. Alex Bales pulled in a Jones pass inside the 10, broke a tackle and dove into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 23-20 late in the third quarter.

Rockhurst drove 94 yards to tie the game in the fourth quarter on a short field goal.

In overtime, Jared Johnson gave Jefferson City a 30-23 lead with a 1-yard plunge, but like it did seemingly all night. Rockhurst had an answer, this one on a 3-yard run by Jack Benninghoff.

That set up the final sequence and the emotional Jefferson City win.

Tanner's game-winning field goal was his first in a varsity contest.

"We didn't really look at this game any differently than any other game," Tanner said. "It's the same game. But I didn't want to miss that field goal."

Rockhurst's defense deserved better. It didn't allow a first down the entire second half and constantly was asked to bail out the turnover-prone Hawklets, who made six of them.

Most teams that make six turnovers aren't in any position to win a football game, let alone make it to the second overtime.

The good news for Rockhurst is that there's a distinct possibility for a rematch in the playoffs.

"It'll be a rivalry again," Severino said. "But not until we meet in the semifinals. We've still got a long way to go to get there. That's a long way away."