By Anthony Gorges
JC Post
On a rainy and cool Friday night, the Junction City Blue Jays defeated the Emporia High Spartans 28-6 at Blue Jay Stadium to capture the Centennial League title and wrap up the regular season.
For the first time all season, Junction City won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The Blue Jays picked up a first down to begin the game but stalled out and punted the ball away. Emporia’s first possession ended similarly, but on fourth down, a bad snap to the punter resulted in the Blue Jay special teams tackling him short of the line to gain, setting Junction City up with great field position. However, the Blue Jays failed to capitalize and turned the ball over on downs at the Emporia 16-yard line.
On the ensuing drive, Emporia found success running its flexbone offense and moved right down the field, scoring on a 1-yard rushing touchdown. The Spartans’ two-point conversion attempt failed, giving EHS a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Junction City quickly responded. The Blue Jays marched down the field and faced another key fourth down. This time, on fourth and goal, junior Khaliel Walker, out of the wildcat formation, powered into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown. Kicker Ethan Butler added the extra point, putting JCHS ahead 7-6 with 6:14 left in the first half. From there, the Blue Jays settled in and never looked back.
The defense held strong again, and another bad snap on an Emporia punt led to a fumble recovery deep in Spartan territory. Just a few plays later, senior quarterback Conrad Gomez connected with junior receiver Brody Boeckman for a 16-yard touchdown, extending the Blue Jay lead to 14-6 with 1:55 left in the half.
After forcing another quick punt, Junction City got the ball back with 0:45 seconds and no timeouts. Executing a perfect drive along the sidelines, the Blue Jays scored once more on a 10-yard pass from Gomez to senior receiver Lovell Autry with 17 seconds left before halftime. Junction City led 21-6 at the break.
In the second half, both offenses struggled with turnovers, but the Blue Jays added one more score when Gomez hit Autry for a 20-yard touchdown. Junction City held on to win 28-6.
With the victory, Junction City claimed the Centennial League title outright and finished the regular season 6-2.
Junction City head coach Randall Zimmerman was thrilled with the effort and the league title. “I am very, very proud of these kids,” Zimmerman said. “They really battled tonight and started believing in each other. They’ve developed unity, worked hard in the weight room all summer long, and are just really committed.”
Zimmerman also stated that several players have stepped up throughout the season that had little varsity experience prior to this year. “Our kids came in here, they believe in each other, and they just play hard,” he said. “This is a great group, and we’ve had a lot of fun these first eight weeks. Now with the playoffs, it all starts over, and we must be on every single day.”
*Tonight’s Blu Restaurant Player of the Game, announced on our KJCK Radio broadcast, was senior Jamarcus Tyson. Tyson receives a coupon for a meal up to $20 at Blu Restaurant in Junction City.
Junction City will enter the Class 6A West playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will host 14-seed Wichita West next Friday night at Blue Jay Stadium. Click here to view the full 6A West bracket.