Jackets rout Bees, soar into playoffs

By DAVE ROGERS

Port Arthur News Sports Writer

The agony of the wait was definitely worth the ecstasy for the Thomas Jefferson Yellow Jackets Friday night.

For 15 long minutes that seemed like an eternity after their 34-0 wipeout of Lincoln in the Port Arthur Pride Bowl, TJ players milled about the center of Memorial Stadium field, waiting for reports or reactions from the scattered coaches and fans tuned in by radio to the wild finish in Port Neches.

Euphoria reigned on the field when news of Nederland's win over Port Neches-Groves finally arrive. Players danced and whooped and coaches hugged anyone within sight at the knowledge that TJ is headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

"There is no greater gift you could give coach Marler," Al Celaya, TJ's acting head coach told his team, referring to stricken head coach Richard Marler, who remains in a coma after a preseason heart attack.

"Without a doubt, this is the most special win I've ever had in coaching, and if the news I just heard is correct, I don't know, it seems like it was all a plan we may not have had anything to do with."

The news, about Nederland's win, was, of course, correct.

The Yellow Jackets, 7-3 for the season, qualified for the playoffs as the third-place team in District 20-4A. They will play Beaumont Ozen in the Division II-Class 4A playoffs next week at a time and place to be announced.

Ozen handed TJ one of its three losses, 21-14, in the fifth week of the season, but after the solid thumping TJ put on its crosstown rival in a game that figured to be a fight to the finish, any outcome appears possible in a rematch.

Lincoln, after all, had a chance to get into the playoffs for the second year in a row by beating TJ by eight points or more and sweating out a Nederland win over PN-G.

TJ ran through the Lincoln defense for two scores and took advantage of three big Bee mistakes for three easy scores. After scoring three touchdowns in a 43-second span, TJ led by the final score of 34-0 with 6:40 still left to play in the first half.

"I think we were wound up too tight, and that could be my fault for winding them up like that," Lincoln coach Dick Williams said, his team ending its season with four straight District 20-4A losses, after a 6-0 start had the Bees ranked No. 1 by some statewide rating services.

"But I felt we needed to get them more focused on the task at hand."

Lincoln's usually sure-handed receiver Ricky Wilson dropped three first-half passes and star running back ShanDerrick Charles, who failed to break Joe Washington's city career rushing record, was stripped of two fumbles that TJ turned into touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets were focused on the football and then the end zone.

"I thought it'd be a close game," said TJ defensive end Josh Stephens. "I never expected to be up 34 at halftime. But we came out and did what we had to do and the scoreboard showed it."

Although Lincoln actually outgained TJ 286 total yards to 194 for the game, the Jackets had the offense early, when they needed it.

They moved 78 yards with their first drive to score. The big play came on James Johnson's 47-yard run with a short pass from quarterback Tony Tompkins, and the payoff came on Tompkins' four-yard TD pass to tight end Kevin Everett.

The Jackets were back in the end zone less than a minute and a half later after a snap to Lincoln punter Coreyan Gorrer went awry and TJ took possession on the Bee 14. Johnson scored from there on the first play and the second of Brian Morgan's four PATs made it 14-0.

TJ went 57 yards in nine plays to score on its third possession of the game. Johnson, who finished the game with 21 carries and 94 yards rushing, had 29 yards on the drive. Tompkins hit teammate Wayman Harrison for a six-yard score.

Seven minutes, 23 seconds remained in the the half. It was 21-0. But not for long.

After Morgan succeeded in pinning Lincoln's kickoff returner to the sideline for the fourth time of the night, the Bees took over at their 15.

Charles took the first carry around right end and appeared to be stood up and stopped by TJ's Ronald Hayes. But no one blew a whistle and when the ball fell to the turf Yellow Jacket reserve Nathaniel Harmon alertly picked it up and ran 11 yards down the sideline to score.

It was 28-0 with 7:00 on the first-half clock and Morgan kicked off again. Charles tried left end this time only to be met by a host of TJ defenders. Nose tackle Kenneth Hunt ripped the ball away from Charles and Stephens caught in midair at the Bee 6, bouncing into the end zone from there.

Lincoln blocked Morgan's PAT try, but the major damage was done. TJ led 34-0 with 6:40 left in the half.

"We dug ourselves a hole," Williams, the Lincoln coach lamented. "We gave them 21 quick points. Not gave. We dropped the ball and they were able to capitalize on it."

And to think Celaya, the acting TJ boss, came into the game looking to play it safe.

"We did have a seven-point advantage (in a possible tie-breaker with Lincoln) going in and we kept that in mind," he said. "We really wanted to make sure we kept that advantage. As it turned out, we didn't really need all that."

Tompkins wound up passing for 62 yards and running for 20 more. Lincoln replaced starting quarterback Calvin Roberts with senior Kenneth Vaughn in the second half and he ended up passing for 59 of Lincoln's 75 air yards.

"Calvin throws a hard ball and Kenneth has a little more touch," Williams said. "It was kind of cold and a little moist and that made the ball slick. You can tell that when Ricky (Wilson) goes to dropping them; he's usually sure-handed. So I made the change to get something going."

The Bees, who got no closer to scoring than the TJ 31 in the first half, were at the TJ 5 early in the second half when Richard Senegal sacked Vaughn on fourth down.

The game ended with Lincoln trying to get Charles the yards he needed to overtake Washington as Lincoln's all-time rusher. Charles finished the game with 132 yards on 29 carries, giving him a final total of 3,961.

Washington finished with 3,995.

"He had some unfortunate things happen to him this season," Williams said of his running back who played most of the year with a broken hand and missed half a game with a shoulder injury. "He never was quite where he needed to be to perform like he was capable."