Jets earn first win of season against Wildcats

Oct. 10—The Cumberland County High School Jets scored a 7-0 victory over the Livingston Academy Wildcats Friday, earning the team its first notch in the win column this season.

"I'm proud of them," CCHS head coach Noah Repasky said following the game. "It's always tough to play here. We knew it was going to be a good game. Our defense made enough plays to win it for us."

The Jets and the Wildcats were both looking for their first win of the season and to score a region win Friday.

The Jets' defense was the star of the game, keeping pressure up on the Livingston quarterback and receivers and forcing multiple turnovers on downs. Neither team was able to make much progress toward the goal line, and both quarterbacks suffered tackles in the backfield for loss of yards. Both the Jets and the Wildcats faced multiple fourth-and-long plays and fell short of the first down.

The score stood at 0-0 as the first quarter came to a close, with Livingston hoping for a first down. They came up short on the first play of the second quarter, turning the ball over to the Jets on downs.

The Jets offensive found its stride, making steady progress down field until they were at first and goal at the 6 yard line. They gained three on the second down and two on the third down. With 16.3 seconds left in the half, Jets quarterback Bryson Wilson pushed forward, and a pile of players fell on top.

As they got up one by one, the crowd waited. Finally, the officials signaled a touchdown. A kick from Jaime Perez gave the Jets a 7-0 lead at the half time, and they had first possession when play resumed.

As the second half opened, Jet Drayton Hairston helped move the ball down the field. Soon, they were at first and goal at the 10-yard-line.

After three downs, the Jets weren't able to make it back to the end zone and went for a field goal on fourth and 11. The kick went wide, and the score remained 7-0

The Jet defense returned to the field and kept the pressure up on the Wildcats.

An offsides penalty and quarterback sack found the Wildcats facing fourth down and 29 yards to go. LA punted, but there were two fouls on the play. While the penalties offset, the fourth down was repeated, leaving the Jets in worse field position than before.

In the next series, the Jets punted on the fourth down, bringing the defense back up.

The Jets' defense continued with high pressure on the quarterback and the receivers, but penalties threatened to give Livingston an advantage. A long Wildcat pass on third and 18 was incomplete, but a pass interference call gave Livingston another shot and only three yards to go.

Another pass interference call gave Livingston a first down. Jet Jordan Propst made a tackle for loss of yards. Livingston went for a pass on fourth down with 12 yards to go, but the pass was no good and the Jets got the ball.

A turnover on a fumble recovery gave the Wildcats back the ball, but an interception at the CCHS 6-yard line kept LA from getting into the end zone. The Jets punted on fourth down and, as time ticked away, it looked like the Wildcats would face a long march down the field. However, the line judge ruled the first touch was closer to midfield. Livingston attempted two long passes that fell incomplete, and the Jets got a sack on the third down. The Wildcats faced fourth down with 15 yards to go and 1:13 left in the game. A long pass was incomplete.

The Jets took possession at their 44-yard line. With just 1:07 left to play and a 7-point lead, Noah Potter took a knee, allowing time to run out.

As the players gathered around Repasky after the game, the coach told them to enjoy their win. There would be time to talk about some of the missed opportunities when practice resumed after fall break.

Earlier in the week, Repasky said, "We are focused on the process. Every week it is about us, more than the other team."

The Jets are fielding a young team with only eight seniors.

"I'm very proud of my kids' effort. It's been a long time coming with this group. We've had a lot of ups and downs this year. They've kept focused, they've kept working hard, they kept believing," Repasky said Friday night.

"We've played a lot of young kids. We grew up a little bit the last couple of weeks. These guys deserved to win."

Repasky added, "My hat's off to Livingston. They played very well. They're getting better every week. They'll be in the win column really soon."

The Jets have an open week this Friday.

They'll be on the road for their final two games of the season. First up is Jackson County Oct. 21 in a non-region contest. The Blue Devils are 2-5 this season.

The Jets play Macon County Oct. 28 in Lafayette. The Tigers are 7-1 this season and 3-1 in the region.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.