Sunday, December 22, 2024
FootballSports

Jags take down Bearcats in jamboree, 17-7

The Northridge Jaguar football team hosted the Cullman Bearcats for a Thursday night jamboree at the Ridge. Rowdy Christensen hit Colin Kapilovic and Mayson Elam for touchdown passes and Caleb Scofield tacked on the PATs then added a 43-yard FG, to give the Jags a 17-0 halftime lead. The Bearcats got on the board as the clock expired in the third quarter, with their only touchdown of the evening. Northridge’s John Pruet picked off a Bearcat pass with under a minute left to seal the 17-7 win for the Jags.

8-15-2024 — Tuscaloosa, Ala. — (left) Jayden Cleveland and CJ Stinson pursue a Cullman ball carrier. (right) Ford Cole returns an interception against Cullman.

The Bearcats won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. The Jags picked up a couple first downs on their opening drive before it stalled and they punted to Cullman. After a decent, time consuming drive, Ford Cole picked off a Bearcat pass. A few plays later, Rowdy Christensen found tight end Colin Kapilovic all alone in the end zone for a touchdown pass. Caleb Scofield tacked on the PAT to give the Jags a 7-0 lead with 15.7 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

After a Cullman punt on their ensuing possession, Mayson Elam hauled in a catch-and-run touchdown pass from Christensen, crossing the goal line at the 8:45 mark of the second quarter. Scofield’s PAT extended the Jags’ lead to 14-0.

8-15-2024 — Tuscaloosa, Ala. — (left) Colin Kapilovic hauls in a touchdown pass against Cullman. (right) Rowdy Christensen releases a pass that Mayson Elam would haul in and carry to the end zone for a touchdown.

Miller Arendale ended the Bearcats’ following possession by picking off a pass at the 6:01 mark of the second quarter. Scofield would eventually score the last points of the night for the Jags’ hitting a 43-yard FG with 1:49 to go in the first half. The Jag defense forced a Cullman punt with 1:08 to go in the half and the Jags punted back to the Bearcats with 12.7 seconds to go, with the ball rolling dead with :01 on the clock.

8-15-2024 — Tuscaloosa, Ala. — (left) Caleb Scofield and Rowdy Christensen watch as Scofield’s 43-yard FG sails toward the uprights. (right) John Pruet picks off a pass near the goal line to end a Cullman scoring threat.

The Jags started mixing in clean jerseys in the early in the second half, and the Bearcats and Jags traded a few punts. The Bearcats found the end zone on a middle screen as the horn sounded to end the third quarter. Cullman closed the Jags’ lead to 17-7 after a successful PAT

The Jags and Bearcats traded possessions in the fourth quarter, until John Pruet picked off a Bearcat pass inside the 10-yard line with less than a minute to go, to end a last ditch scoring attempt by Cullman. The interception secured the 17-7 win for the Jags.

Northridge will travel to Calera next Friday to open the 2024 regular season against the Eagles at 7PM.