High school football playoffs: Vanguard rally falls short in loss to Jones in regional final

Vanguard rallied from an 15-point second-half deficit and had a chance to tie in the fourth quarter, but a two-point conversion run came up just short as the Knights lost to Orlando Jones by a score of 28-26 in Friday night's FHSAA Class 6A, Region 2 final at Booster Stadium.

Jones (11-2) will visit Pensacola Pine Forest (11-1) in next Friday’s state semifinals, while Vanguard, which overcame a slow start, but was hurt by some untimely penalties and miscues, finishes the season at 12-1.

"We had our chances," Knights coach Edwin Farmer said. "I don't know if it was butterflies but we started very slow and it showed because we gave up points that we don't normally give up. We made some adjustments and played pretty good football in the second half and had a chance to tie the game, but we fumbled the ball on the two-point run and in these kind of games you can't have those kinds of mistakes.

“It's a tough loss, but I'm proud of these young men because they kept fighting and for the way they represented our school."

Jones opened the scoring on its second possession of the game as senior quarterback Kaylan Julian Calvez led the Fightin' Tigers on a six-play, 85-yard drive. Calvez, who is committed to Jacksonville State, hit Jabari Smith on a 33-yard pass and connected with senior wide receiver A'ceon Cobb on a 26-yard scoring strike. The extra point gave Jones a 7-0 lead with 2:09 left in the first quarter.

Vanguard went three-and-out and was forced to punt with Jones taking over at its 40.

Calvez, who completed 11-of-22 passes for 221 yards, showed off his strong arm with a perfectly placed throw to a streaking Cobb who got behind the Knights secondary and hauled in a 60-yard touchdown. The point after put the Fightin' Tigers on top 14-0.

Vanguard answered in a flash as senior Izaiah Guy, a Georgia State commitment, returned the kickoff 73 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Senior kicker Grandlin Willcox booted the extra point to pull the Knights within 14-7 with 11:30 remaining in the second period.

Jones went nowhere against a swarming Vanguard defense and was forced to punt.

A short punt gave the Knights excellent field position at the Fightin' Tigers 45-yard line. Running backs Josh Rembert and Dewhitt Betterson combined to pick up a first down before the drive stalled.

Willcox, who has a very strong and accurate leg, came on to drill a 51-yard field goal that had plenty to spare to make it 14-10 midway through the first half.

The Vanguard defense rose to the occasion and forced a Jones punt on fourth-and-four, but a penalty against the Knights for 12 players on the field gave the Fightin' Tigers a first down.

Calvez completed a pair of passes for 38 yards inside the 10, and Dylan Wade powered his way into the end zone from four yards out. The extra point gave Jones a 21-10 lead at the half.

"That was a really big penalty," Farmer said. "Momentum was going our way and you could see the fatigue setting in for the Jones players. But they called us for too many men on the field even though we had 11."

Vanguard took the second half kickoff and marched down the field as Betterson, who gained a team-high 71 yards on 11 carries, picked up a pair of first downs.

The drive stalled and Willcox nailed a 45-yard field goal to pull the Knights closer at 21-13.

Jones took the ensuing kickoff and used the strong running of senior Daquan Harris to move the chains several times. Calvez completed a 23-yard pass to Jaylan Williams and Wade scored from a yard out to give the Fightin' Tigers a commanding 28-13 lead with 4:23 left in the third quarter.

A good kick return and a pair of penalties gave Vanguard great field position and the Knights capitalized as quarterback Fred Gaskin connected with Rembert on a 34-yard touchdown pass. The point after made it 28-20 late in the third period.

Jones took the kickoff and drove down the field to the Vanguard 1-yard line. The Fightin' Tigers failed to score on second and third down and attempted a field goal on fourth down.

The kick was blocked and scooped up by senior Emile Sancho who ran it back to the Jones 12-yard line.

A pair of penalties moved Vanguard back, but Gaskin scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown on third down. The Knights attempted a run for the two-point conversion, but a fumbled snap disrupted the timing of the play and it came up short of the goal line to leave the Knights trailing 28-26 with 7:34 left in the game.

Jones took the kickoff and ran Harris, who picked up a game-high 134 yards on 21 carries, seven times to use time off the clock. On third-and-eight at midfield, Calvez used his legs to scramble away from pressure to pick up a key first down.

Vanguard used all of its time outs to stop the clock, but Harris bulled his way for a crucial first down at the Knights 7 with under a minute left to play.

Jones took two knees to seal the hard-fought victory.

"We had our opportunities," Farmer said. "It was just small things and some simple mistakes, but they were costly and you have to play clean at this time of year."

The Knights have a bright future with a number of key players returning next year.

"We have high expectations at Vanguard," Farmer said. "It's been a long season and we'll take a little break and then get back after it."

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: High school football: Vanguard rally falls short in loss to Jones in regional final