For the first time since they moved to 4A, the Forney Jackrabbits are 1-0 to start the season. The Jackrabbits almost brokethrough last year against Whitehouse, but a second half swan song kept the Jackrabbits from getting off on the positive side of the ledger. This year, a totally different story. With the 25-15 win over the visiting Greenville Lions, the Jackrabbits started a year of promise off on the right foot.

New starting quarterback Blake Branton did a commendable job managing the game and making plays when he needed. As expected, Peter Smith was the workhorse of the offense gaining 239 yards on 27 carries. At first glance, 27 carries seems to be alot. However, when you have a stud such as Smith it makes all the sense in the world. New Offensive Coordinator Brad Yudizky is well versed in Smith’s capabilities, as he saw him lead the district in rushing last year. Smith gained significant yards up the middle and around both ends. Three touchdowns (33, 2 and 17 yards) for Smith were truely a team effort that saw not only his linemen controlling the line of scrimmage, but saw some great downfield blocks by his wide receivers, fullbacks and even the quarterback. When you consider Smith started slowly with only 22 yards in the first quarter, the last three quarters were a very impressive effort on the ground.

Forney absolutely manhandled the Lions defense, racking up 300 yards rushing and 54 yards passing on the night. The passing yards could have been greater, except for a few dropped passes early in the game. Branton and Kezie Camp split time at quarterback, with both showing promise as compliments to the running game as well as demonstrating they can throw the ball when called upon. Wide Receiver Juan Villareal led the receivers with two catches for 31 yards, while partner Rodney Henderson had three catches for 5 yards.

There are not enough words to express the performance by the defense. Anytime you hold a team to less than a hundred total yards for an entire game, words can’t really express how tough the defense was Friday night. Forcing four fumbles and recovering two of them, was just part of the story. Lions Quarterback Alton Dennis, a very athletic and dangerous quarterback, was kept under wraps all night with a 36 yard rushing effort on 19 carries. Dennis only attempted one pass which should have been the Lions third offensive turnover as the Forney Defense had him picked off but saw the ball drop out of the hands of the defensive back.

Defensively, Preston Gale had a great individual effort from his defensive line position with several tackles for loss and some short yardage stops. The only touchdown allowed by the Forney Defense was early in the game after a blocked punt setup the Lions with a short field that enabled them to punch the ball in for an early lead. From that point on, the game was all Jackrabbits.

Next up for the Jackrabbits, the Seagoville Dragons. The Dragons dropped their season opener to Kennedale by a score of 37-6. Kickoff is at 7:30 at Seagoville Stadium. The Sportsgram Network will once again be providing coverage of the game live over the internet at www.sportsgram.net and in the stadium on 92.9 FM. Be sure to tune in and listen to play-by-play man Nate White, color commentary by yours truly and the great stat keeping of Kyle Robinson.

Sportsgram is still looking for sponsors for this the remainder of the football season. If you are interested in these low cost (as low as $12 a game) sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sportsgram at info@sportsgram.net. Lastly, if you missed the season opener you can always listen to a complete archive of the game on the Sportsgram site at the following link, http://www.meridix.com/everywhere.php?liveid=Sportsgram2.

Directions to Seagoville Stadium from DISD Website:
Take I-20 to US-175 Kaufman (east), exit Hall Street (left), pass the stop sign to Judy (left), immediate right on Jack Street, stadium on left

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