Jets score 3 TDs in fourth quarter; capture region crown
DECATUR — James Clemens rallied with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter Friday night to beat Austin 36-23 and capture the Class 7A Region 4 title.
The Jets (7-2, 7-0) trailed 23-14 entering the final period before quarterback Jamil Muhammad scored on a four-yard run and Jesse Rowe’s point-after kick cut the Black Bears’ (7-2, 6-1) lead to 23-21. Then, Muhammad scored on a 19-yard run with just under 8 minutes left in the game and his two-point conversion pass to Chris Hope put the Jets up 29-23.
“We just got locked in and started doing the things we needed to do,” said Head Coach Wade Waldrop. “Nobody panicked and that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”
Dylan Blackburn wrapped up the scoring later in the quarter on a one-yard run and Rowe’s point-after provided the 36-23 final.
Muhammad had touchdown passes to Hope and Travis Hunziker in the first half to go with his two TD runs. He finished 11-of-17 passing for 128 yards and had 21 carries for 116 yards.
“We put our guys through a lot of adversity,” Waldrop said. “We were just telling them ‘We’ve been here; we’ve been in hard times before; respond the way we need to.’
“And the guys responded.”
The Jets wrap up the season at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa on Friday.