by Zachary Cohen

Sports Editor

If you only watched the second half of Johnson’s game Friday night, you wouldn’t know that the opposing team boasts one of the best running backs in the state of Texas today. The Jag defense held the Madison Mavericks to zero points in the last two quarters despite an extremely formidable offense. However, the first half of the game was a totally different story.

It only took Madison running back Aaron Green three minutes and eight seconds to score his first of three touchdowns on the night, a 10-yard scamper. He scored again just 17 seconds later on a 24- yard run, and then again at the 5:35 mark after ripping off an 87-yard run. Troy Williams complimented Green as he scored on a 2-yard touchdown run late in the 1st quarter, giving the Mavericks a 28-0 lead heading into the 2nd quarter.

Slip-ups deep in Maverick territory cost the now 2-3 Johnson team dearly: a missed field goal and an interception with less than a minute left in the half resulted in no first half points for the Jags. However, the Jag defense stiffened up and didn’t allow a single point in the 2nd quarter, and went into halftime trailing 28-0.

The Jags began their attempt at a comeback with 21 seconds left in the 3rd quarter when junior Marvin Smith scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. However, a missed extra point kept the Jags’ score at just six points. The determined Jags entered the critical 4th quarter down by 22 points, but were unable to light up the score board again.

As bad as the Jag defense looked in the first quarter, they played like a totally different team for the final 36 minutes of play. Hopefully the Jags can carry that momentum into their next game against Roosevelt on Oct. 15. There’s an old Vince Lombardi saying that goes, “We didn’t lose the game, we just ran out of time,” which might explain happened Friday night with the struggling Johnson Jaguars.