TIGER PRIDE: Jacksboro edges Boyd in first home game since tornado damaged stadium

JACKSBORO – When Jacksboro ISD Superintendent Brad Burnett pulled into the stadium parking lot at 2 p.m. Friday, his eyes darted toward the north end zone.

There stood Tiger Stadium’s new scoreboard, the one that wasn’t supposed to be ready for Jacksboro’s home opener later that night against Boyd.

“That probably got me more excited than anything when I saw it lit up,” Burnett said. “We weren’t sure as of this morning if we could get it operational.”

About eight hours later, that same scoreboard showed Jacksboro snagging a 28-27 victory over the Yellowjackets thanks to Lando Belcher’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Kaleem Howard with 3:38 remaining.

It was Casey Hubble’s first win as head coach of his alma mater. It was a bounce-back performance after last week’s lackluster debut in Breckenridge.

But more importantly, it was another sign of the town’s resilience after an F-3 tornado struck Jacksboro’s elementary and high schools on March 21.

“This was important to us, to be able to have this game and have it as close to normal as a regular Friday night game at Tiger Stadium,” Burnett said. “Obviously there’s still construction taking place, but we’re so thankful to have great facilities and provide for our student athletes and fans.”

Making Tiger Stadium playable this season was high on Burnett’s list after two light towers collapsed and the pressbox sustained heavy damage less than six months ago. But it was never a guarantee.

Principal Starla Sanders, whose house was destroyed by the tornado, said she didn’t envision September football at Tiger Stadium in the immediate aftermath. But contractors worked diligently to make it happen, and local business and organizations stepped up when needed.

“It’s been amazing to see our community rally around to try and help us,” Sanders said. “We wanted this to happen for our kids. They need this, they need to play at home. They need to have this atmosphere, so I just think it’s been important for us to get this done for them.”

The massive tarp covering the Jacksboro High School gymnasium is the biggest indicator there’s still work to be done. Burnett said it’ll take 18 months for that step to be accomplished and estimated the district’s insurance claims will end up totaling roughly $20 million.

Like any team with a first-year coach learning a new offense, there’s plenty of on-field work the Tigers need to get done too.

After taking a 21-7 lead on Howard’s 28-yard touchdown catch midway through the second quarter Friday night, Jacksboro stumbled in the final couple minutes and went into the locker room tied.

Then defensive lineman Dakota Barrow put Boyd ahead 27-21 on a 48-yard fumble return with 6:44 remaining. The only silver lining was a missed PAT.

At that juncture, Jacksboro’s offense had three lost fumbles, three punts and a turnover on downs to show for its second-half possessions. But Belcher and the Tigers responded with an 11-play drive.

The last of those was a third-down play where Belcher kept the play alive with his feet, finding Howard in the back of the end zone from 4 yards out. Randall Bustos then delivered the winning margin with an extra point.

Breckenridge had its way with the Tigers’ defense in last week’s 42-13 rout, but Jacksboro put the clamps on Boyd in the second half, holding the visitors to three first downs and 46 total yards.

When Braden McIntire’s deep fourth-down pass from the Tiger 43 fell incomplete with 1:02 remaining, Jacksboro faithful had more reasons to celebrate the special evening.

Hubble knows better days are ahead for his squad, which overcame five turnovers.

“As a younger coach I used to get mad when we didn’t win the way I thought we should have won,” Hubble said. “You’ve got to celebrate them all, they’re all good. Anytime you get one, you better celebrate.”

The debris that lined the east side of town off U.S. 281 has long been removed. Houses no longer have tarped roofs, and some dwellings have nearly been rebuilt. Mangled treetops are even finally sprouting green leaves.

Sure, the scars from that terrifying day remain – the words “March 21” are repeatedly mentioned in Jack County just like “Terrible Tuesday” is still recalled 43 years later in Wichita Falls.

But each day offers a glimpse of growth, too. For Burnett, it was seeing the scoreboard working. For Sanders, it was the slab getting poured for her family’s new house.

For Belcher, who finished with 226 yards and three touchdown passes, it was getting to play in Tiger Stadium in front of a student section that rushed the field afterward with a vigor usually reserved for playoff triumphs.

“We’re definitely a lot more grateful from all of this,” Belcher said.

The town of Jacksboro was already a winner before Friday night’s kickoff. The fact the Tigers battled back to edge Boyd was icing on the cake.

Jacksboro 28, Boyd 27 

Boyd                      7              14           0              6              -27 

Jacksboro            14           7              0              7              -28  

FIRST QUARTER  

B – Carter McClure 22 pass from Braden McIntire (Case Ferguson kick), 10:02

J – Luke Sams 70 run (Randall Bustos kick), 9:10

J – Tyler Mitchell 34 pass from Lando Belcher (Bustos kick), 3:38

SECOND QUARTER  

J – Kaleem Howard 28 pass from Belcher (Bustos kick), 5:06

B – Gavin Rosado 9 run (Ferguson kick), 2:11

B – Rosado 3 run (Ferguson kick), 0:17

FOURTH QUARTER  

B – Dakota Barrow 48 fumble return (kick failed), 6:44

J – Howard 4 pass from Belcher (Bustos kick), 3:38

TEAM STATS  

First downs: (B) 22; (J) 19

Rushing: (B) 35-118; (J) 41-149

Passing: (B) 19-41-0—219; (J) 20-32-1—226

Punting: (B) 6-37.2; (J) 4-31

Fumbles: (B) 2-2; (J) 6-4

Penalties: (B) 8-90; (J) 5-27

INDIVIDUAL STATS  

RUSHING: (B) Gavin Rosado 27-77, Carter McClure 6-39, Braden McIntire 1-1, Aiden Anthony 1-1; (J) Luke Sams 14-89, Lando Belcher 14-57, Baylor Laake 8-15, Cannon Valenzuela 1-8, Paul Shackleford 1-5, team 3-(14).

PASSING: (B) McIntire 19-41-0—219; (J) Belcher 20-32-1—226.

RECEIVING: (B) Mason Turner 6-71, Aiden LeMasters 6-68, Rosado 1-32, Anthony 2-21, McClure 2-20, Case Ferguson 1-5, Morgan Cain 1-2; (J) Kaleem Howard 8-93, Tyler Mitchell 3-70, Valenzuela 3-29, Sams 4-16, Kasey Swan 1-13, Shackleford 1-5.  RECORDS: Boyd 0-2; Jacksboro 2-0.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Boyd Yellowjackets at Jacksboro Tigers 2022 high school football score