The Division II Jr. Midget Championship featured the Hoffman Estates Redhawks from Illinois vs. the 2011 champion Jensen Beach Falcons from Florida. Hoffman Estates defeated the Loveland Titans from Colorado, 28-0, in the quarterfinals, and then the Northeast Pride of Arizona, 15-12, in the semifinals. Jensen Beach won, 42-14, over the North Raleigh Bulldogs of North Carolina in the quarters, and then pitched a 36-0 shutout over the California Gilroy Browns.
The game started off with both teams playing solid defense. Hoffman Estates was winning the field position battle, as their average field position on their first four drives started at the Jensen Beach 47-yard line. However, they were not able to capitalize on these drives, and had four turnovers on downs to keep Jensen Beach in the game.
On one of these drives, the Falconsâ Tyrese Jackson came down with an interception, and had an incredible runback. Breaking tackles left and right, he scored on a 65-yard pick six to give the Falcons a 6-0 lead. As the first half came to the final two minutes, the Redhawksâ Clavonte Jackson read the quarterback and intercepted the pass, returning it to the Falconsâ 6-yard line. Markee Prude scored with 48 seconds left in the half for the Redhawks, and the extra point was good to take an 8-6 lead.
The Redhawks were able to recover the subsequent onside kick, and drove the ball to the Falconsâ 7-yard line. With the Redhawks looking to extend their lead with under 10 seconds remaining, the Falcons Justice Carter recorded an interception at the end of the half to keep the score 8-6 in the Redhawks favor.
Jensen Beach received the ball to start the second half, and went straight to the running game. Finding immediate success with it, the Falcons scored on a 3-yard run by Tyrese Jackson. The drive took 10 plays, covering 55 yards in 5:45, all on running plays. After the extra point, the Falcons led 14-8. Hoffman Estates countered on the next possession with a Jerwyn Teems 8-yard touchdown run. With the extra point no good, the score was now tied 14-14.
After exclusively using their running game on their first possession in the second half, the Falcons focused on the run again. The drive culminated in a 4-yard TD run by Jamien Sherwood, after he ran for a 49-yard gain on the previous play. After the extra point, the score was now 22-14 in Jensen Beachâs favor.
The big momentum shift came from the Falcons most prolific playmaker. On the next Redhawksâ possession, Tyrese Jackson came down with his second interception of the game. He then scored on a 31-yard TD run to push the Falcons lead to 30-14, giving them a two-score lead for the first time. After the Redhawks turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, Jackson capped his incredible performance with a 41-yard touchdown run to seal the game and Jensen Beachâs win, 36-14.
These two teams were very close throughout the game, and the final score was not indicative of how competitive this game was. For the Redhawks, Markee Prude ran the ball very well, and their defense recorded three sacks, all in the first half.
Give credit to the Falcons, as their running game stepped up in a major way in the second half, taking control of the game. Tyrese Jackson had a phenomenal game, accounting for four of the five Falconsâ touchdowns. Jamien Sherwood, who scored the other TD, was a force at running back as well as on defense, as the Redhawks actively ran the ball away from him in the second half. He also forced the Redhawks to abandon their outside running game, as he was able to outrun the Redhawks linemen and running backs to the football.
Nicknamed âthunderâ (Sherwood) and âlightningâ (Jackson), both players had tremendous games, and led the Jensen Beach Falcons to the Pop Warner Division II Jr. Midget Championship.
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