Injuries, turnovers and fake punts led to the downfall of the Neshoba Central Rockets against Velma Jackson.
The Rockets lost their starting quarterback and fullback in the first quarter, turned the ball over twice inside the 20-yard line and saw two Velma fake punts set up touchdowns in the Falcons’ 24-6 victory.
Neshoba took the opening kickoff and quickly drove down the field before stalling at the 21-yard line. Derek Crenshaw trotted out to attempt a 38-yard field goal, but the attempt sailed wide, and the two teams remained scoreless.
After Rockets starting quarterback Tyler McNeal left the game with an injury, backup QB Chris Adams came in and finished out Neshoba Central’s first scoring drive, sneaking into the end zone to put the Rockets up 6-0. Velma Jackson special teams managed to block the point after.
The Falcons managed to make another big play in the kicking game on their next possession. Facing a fourth down at midfield, Velma lined up in punt formation but faked it for a huge gain all the way down to the 5-yard line.
Velma scored on a 1-yard Robert Harris run a couple of plays later. The extra point was good and the Falcons would never relinquish the lead.
Another Neshoba error would lead to more points for the Falcons right before halftime. With the Rockets driving for what they hoped would be the go-ahead score, they fumbled on the Falcons 20. The ball was kicked backwards and the Falcons fell on it at the 45, leading to a field goal in the waning seconds before halftime to make the score 10-6.
Velma would go on to add an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Rodney Vaughan. The Falcons also succeeded on another fake punt.
This Friday, they’ll travel to Canton High School, which is coming off its first win of the season – a 27-19 decision against Greenville-Weston.
