Inspired Yellowjackets stun Jeannette in 30-22 upset
JEANNETTE After the first quarter of No. 11-seeded Freeport's 30-22 WPIAL Class AA first-round football playoff win Friday night over Jeannette, the body language on the sideline said it all: Freeport wanted the game more.
The Yellowjackets defense swarmed to the ball, forcing Jayhawks quarterback Demetrius Cox to fumble twice, and helped Freeport take a 14-0 lead.
The first fumble led to a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brendan Lynch to Derek Durand while the second was a 70-yard Curtis Hughes fumble return for a touchdown.
Freeport coach John Galliot wasn't sure that Hughes was going to score on the return.
“Honestly, I didn't know Curtis could run that fast,” Galliot said.
The momentum shifted before halftime when Cox recovered a Jake Campbell fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 17-14.
But the Yellowjackets scored the next two touchdowns to extend their lead to 30-14.
Campbell scored on a 21-yard run in the third quarter and Sean Liberto caught an 84-yard pass on third down to set up a 1-yard Campbell touchdown run in the fourth.
On paper, the Yellowjackets (7-3), didn't appear to have gaudy statistics, but they made a number of big plays that kept them ahead of the Jayhawks.
“Once they got the momentum, it really hurt us,” Jeannette coach Roy Hall said. “We got it back too late.”
The Jayhawks cut the lead to 30-22 in the fourth quarter when Cox scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:04 remaining.
The Jayhawks defense stopped the Yellowjackets offense on their next possession, but the rally fell short when Lynch intercepted Cox's pass at the Freeport 6 line with 40 seconds left.
“Everyone really played a great game,” Galliot said. “I can't describe how I feel right now. I'm so proud of these kids.”
Hall said Freeport's defense got tired in the fourth quarter, but his team still couldn't tie the game.
“I have to give Freeport credit. They bent but they didn't break,” Hall said. “We didn't do anything differently in the second half than we did in the first. We just ran out of time.”
