Jags end regular season with decisive win over Minor, 45-13

The Northridge Jaguars hosted the Minor Tigers for Senior Night at The Ridge on Friday. The Jags got off to a fast start, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and held a 35-0 lead at halftime. Additionally, the Jags tacked on another touchdown and Caleb Scofield nailed a 53-yard field goal to give Northridge a 45-0 lead with a little over three minutes to go in the third quarter. Minor did manage to get 13 points on the board in the fourth quarter, after clean blue jerseys flooded the field for the Jags.

The Tigers won the toss and elected to defer. The Jags went to work quickly. With less than two minutes off the board, Rowdy Christensen hit Brylon Tubbs across the middle and Tubbs outraced everyone to the end zone. The 60-yard catch-and-run TD was followed by Scofield’s first PAT of the night, giving Northridge a 7-0 lead with 10:12 remaining in the first quarter.

The second score of the night came on a 49-yard pass from Christensen to Mayson Elam. Scofield added the PAT to give the Jags a 14-0 lead with 8:03 showing on the first quarter clock.

Colin Kapilovic was the third recipient of a Christensen touchdown pass. The 10-yard scoring play came with 3:43 to go in the opening quarter. Scofield’s PAT increased the Northridge lead to 21-0.

The Jags cooled off a bit in the second quarter, but Miller Arendale got Northridge warmed up when he picked off a Tiger pass and returned it to the Minor 5-yard line. Kapilovic notched his second score of the night, this time on the ground, on the next play. Another Scofield PAT stretched the Jag lead to 28-0 with 3:43 to go in the second quarter.

CJ Stinson handed the ball back to the Jag offense when he recovered a Minor fumble on the ensuing kickoff return attempt. Four plays later, Christensen connected on his fourth touchdown pass of the night, hitting Jacob Hall on a swing pass out of the backfield. Scofield added another PAT after the 4-yard scoring play at the 1:31 mark, giving the Jags the 35-0 lead that they carried into halftime.

The first possession of the second half for Minor ended quickly. Grayson Cannon tacked on the last Northridge touchdown of the night on a Pick-6 with 11:05 remaining in the third quarter when he stepped in front of a Tiger pass and returned it for a touchdown. Scofield added his last PAT of the regular season to give the Jags a 42-0 lead.

On the very next series, Cannon picked off his second pass of the night at the 9:40 mark of the third quarter. After the Jags were unable to move the ball effectively, Scofield walked out on the field and dropped a 53-yard field goal just inside the left upright. The kick gave Northridge a 45-0 lead over the Tigers.

Soon after the 45-point lead, clean jersey began to infiltrate the ranks in blue. The CleanShirts eventually yielded 13 points to the Tigers, but did manage to recover a fumble in their fourth quarter appearance.

Northridge ends the 2024 regular season at 7-3 overall and 4-2 in Class 6A Region 4 (rank #3) and a first round appearance in the Class 6A playoffs. The Jags will travel to Russell County (8-2, 5-1 in Class 6A Region 2, rank #2) to take on the Warriors on Friday night.