The Eureka Junior High Tornadoes evened their record at 1-1 Thursday night with a gritty 2216 win over the Fredonia Yellowjackets. The Tornadoes opened and finished strong, getting off to a lead in the first quarter and, after falling behind in the second, dominating the entire second half to earn the victory.
The Tornadoes opened the game on defense, forcing the Jackets to turn the ball over on downs after surrendering 17 yards. They then drove the ball down the field, culminating in a 43-yard touchdown by 8th grader Jameson Stewart. The conversion failed and the Tornadoes took a 6-0 lead. Fredonia took the ensuing kickoff down the field and rattled off a long run of 28-yards to tie the score. Their conversion attempt was successful and they led 8-6.
Eureka was forced to turn over the ball on their subsequent drive and Fredonia scored again, this time on an 18-yard run. Both long runs by the Jackets were the result of defensive mistakes by the Tornadoes and poor tackling. Fredonia was once again successful with the conversion and took a 16-6 lead. The remainder of the first half was an exchange of turnovers: an interception of a Tornado pass attempt that essentially functioned as a punt, and a fumble by the Jackets caused by the Tornado defense. Eureka took possession of the ball but ran out of time before half.
The third quarter was dominated by the Tornadoes. They took the kickoff down the field and Stewart scored again, this time on a 2-yard plunge. Stewart also took the ball into the endzone for the conversion, making the score 16-14 in favor of the Jackets. Eureka held the ball for all but 31 seconds of the third quarter, methodically driving the ball downfield and eating up time on the clock.
After forcing a Fredonia punt to start the fourth quarter, the Tornadoes scored again on a 44-yard pass play from quarterback Tate Scott to Brody Mitchell. Stewart powered in the conversion to make the score 22-16, which was the final score. On Fredonia’s final drive, a stout Tornado defense refused to yield and the game ended with the Jackets stymied once again.
The Tornadoes, with the exception of the second quarter, played with an intensity that was missing last week in their loss to Caney. This bodes well for future contests, although they face a big and quick Humboldt Cubs squad Thursday at home. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
