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Grab and Go: Jackson’s return, Jarrell’s night on ground spark Monticello past Orange

Photo by Ashley Thornton

Monticello’s Jacoby Jackson was just blocking on the punt return with less than two minutes to play in the first half when the ball took a funny hop backwards toward him, over Orange’s coverage team. At that moment he realized something.

 

“Nobody focused on me,” Jackson said.

 

Nobody. Jackson gathered the ball in hands and took off, racing 33 yards down to the Orange 25. That set up a 16-yard Kevin Jarrell power run into the end zone that gave Monticello a lead late in the first half and kicked into high gear a big run that sparked Monticello to a 42-21 victory over the Hornets.

 

“I was just on the line of scrimmage blocking, my man went by and I just looked around and just grabbed the ball and ran,” Jackson said. “I don’t get the ball much on offense so I was like, hey you’ve got your opportunity.”

 

Monticello reeled off 35-straight points during the second and third quarters to pull away from the Hornets in a game that was nip and tuck early on. Jarrell scored four of the five touchdowns in that run in the process of rushing for 238 yards and five touchdowns while also going 14-for-25 for 175 yards through the air on a windy night.

 

“Kevin always comes clutch,” Jackson said. “He’s our leader, every day he motivates us to be better, we really need Kevin.”

 

The Mustangs went an absurd 4-for-5 on fourth down conversions, with Jarrell orchestrating them all, including a 23-yard scramble, two big pickups on fourth and 1 and a 12-yard pass to Ben Drake. Jarrell just kept making plays in moments where Monticello desperately needed them.

 

“(Jarrell) made some plays on fourth down tonight that if we get the ball and the game is totally different,” said Orange coach Jesse Lohr. “They made plays, we didn’t but my kids didn’t quit.”

 

The Hornets, meanwhile couldn’t find those game-turning and drive-extending plays when they needed them, going 0-for-4 on fourth down and squandering a couple of first half scoring chances, including a 75-yard run by Jaylen Alexander that gave the Hornets first and goal at the Monticello five. Orange couldn’t cash in and looked a little out of sync at times in the passing game despite a quick start with an early touchdown pass.

 

“We’ve got some injuries piling up and we played with more of a two-receiver threat rather than our typical four receiver set,” Lohr said. “It didn’t really hurt us offensively, but it’s easier to cover two than it is to cover four.”

 

Two turnovers also proved costly, both coming on interceptions by Drake, who had a huge night with 74 receiving yards on four catches to go with his two picks. In addition to catching one fourth down conversion, he also had a catch and run for 28 yards on third and 24 during the third quarter that set up Jerrick Ayers’ touchdown.

 

“It was just a design and I caught it and I had a really good block from Christian Means and I just went from there,” Drake said.

 

Alexander finished with 185 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He’s a big reason Monticello had to endure a scare in the second half, with touchdown runs of 21 and then 31 yards that cut the Monticello lead to 35-21. Jarrell ended that spurt with his fifth rushing touchdown with 6:26 left to play.

 

Orange wideout Chris Washington finished with four catches for 69 yards including a 32-yard catch and run that opened the scoring in the first quarter.

 

Monticello’s Garrett Porterfield was a menace in the Orange backfield all night, helping the Warriors sack Kenyon Carter twice and stuff runners for losses a number of times throughout the game.

 

Porterfield was one member of a huge senior class honored before the game in their final regular season home clash, including Jarrell, Ayers, Christian Means, Trenton Mullins, Dylan Booth, Austin Haverstrom, Danny Talbert and Jerrick Ayers. It’s a group that had to stick together while enduring a frustrating 3-7 campaign a year ago.

 

“That’s a special group of kids,” said Monticello coach Jeff Lloyd. “I’ve had a lot of senior groups, and this group is as special if not more special than any of them. They bought in, I love those kids.”

 

The Mustangs moved a step closer to locking up a home game in the Region 3C playoffs, though a matchup next week with Charlottesville looms large. Orange will now face Powhatan in a possible must-win game to get in the Region 5D playoffs.

 

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