By JERRY BYRD JR., Journal Sports
Nobody really wins a jamboree, but they did keep score Thursday night as Captain Shreve hosted Byrd High School at Independence Stadium. If it matters, and to both sides it certainly did, it was the Yellow Jackets who came out on top in all three contests.
It started with the freshmen. Byrd won 19-14.
In the junior varsity contest, Byrd came away with a dramatic 9-6 victory as Jackson Cooper hit a 34-yard field goal as the clock ran out.
It didn’t count on either team’s record, but you couldn’t tell from the celebration by the Yellow Jacket players on the field and Byrd fans in the stands.
Cooper’s walk-off field goal wasn’t the only big play of the night. Running back Malachi Johnson ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run with 4:30 left in the first half.
Captain Shreve answered with 1:02 remaining, scoring on a six-yard touchdown run.
Then it was time for the front liners, and they put on another exciting show, with Byrd prevailing 24-17 in the matchup of District 1-5A favorites.
After Captain Shreve’s drive stalled on the game’s initial possession, the Byrd offense put together a methodical drive which ended with a 3-yard run by quarterback Lake Lambert.
Lambert’s touchdown was set up by an explosive play on an option pitch around the left side to Josh Allen.
Lambert, Byrd’s senior three-year starter, provided a bookend touchdown in the second half with a 20-yard run in the second quarter.
“It felt good to get those touchdown runs,” Lambert said. “That all goes to my offensive line. They blocked it perfectly on that first one. Not a finger was on me. On that second one, maybe two fingers were on me.”
Other Byrd scores: an 8-yard touchdown run by Devon Strickland and a 28-yard field goal from University of Miami commit Abram Murray.
Shreve made the Jackets earn the win.
Gator quarterback Kenyon Terrell answered Lambert’s initial touchdown run with a 4-yard touchdown run of his own.
In the second half, Terrell found Texas Tech commit Marquez Stevenson for an 80-yard touchdown pass.
John Chance kept the Gators kicking with a 34-yard field goal inside of two minutes to cut Byrd’s lead to seven points. Then, CSHS took a shot at getting even.
Shreve’s first-year head coach, Adam Kirby, got in some work by his onside kickoff unit.
The kick was exactly what Kirby wanted, except that among the four players who touched the ball, the last one was on Byrd’s hands unit. After the recovery, the Jackets ran out the clock.
Overall, Byrd second-year head coach Stacy Ballew was pleased with the effort he saw from his Jackets.
“With the older guys I was happy with the way they played, but we have to clean up special teams,” Ballew said. “We did a good job, but on the sidelines it was not as efficient as it needs to be. We also had a couple of missed assignments on defense.”
Ballew was glad the jamboree afforded his team the opportunity to work on situational football, like the hands unit for Shreve’s onside kick.
“Those little things help to prepare you for when it counts,” Ballew said. “I was glad those kids got the opportunity to work on those things.”
As far as the offense was concerned, Ballew liked what he saw up front.
“Our offensive line created some holes, and our backs hit them,” Ballew said. “Lake, along with the other backs, did a good job of running the football.”
With the dress rehearsal out of the way, the Yellow Jackets will turn their attention to East Texas powerhouse Pleasant Grove, who will cross the state line for Byrd’s season opener a week from today, at Lee Hedges Stadium on Shreve’s campus.
It will not be the first game for the Hawks, who open their season tonight at Brock High School in Greenville, Texas.
Captain Shreve will begin the season hosting Loyola College Prep next Thursday, Sept. 1 at Lee Hedges.
Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com