By Johnny Sanders Jr.
SPRINGVILLE — Springville’s losing streak hit three games on Friday as Mortimer Jordan defeated the Tigers, 56-20, in what was another region loss. The Tigers have so far failed to win a region game this season.
The Blue Devils scored early, capped off by a quarterback Kourtlan Marsh 4-yard touchdown run with 6:53 left in the first quarter to put the visitors up 7-0. After holding Springville to a three-and-out, Marsh found Garrison McCleney on a 46-yard pass and catch for the second of many touchdowns on the night. Marsh ran up the middle for the 2-point conversion to put Mortimer Jordan up 15-0 with 4:14 left in the quarter.
Less than two minutes later, after another defensive stand, the Blue Devils’ running back Keondrick Hankins got his night started with a 47-yard touchdown run on the first play of the drive, putting his team up 22-0 at 2:28 in the first. After a couple of first downs by Springville, the Jordan defense would hold them to another punt and then drive the ball down to the 10-yard line where Garrett Helm would take a handoff to put the Blue Devils up 29-0.
The scoring continued in the second quarter for Mortimer Jordan as Hankins found paydirt from 15-yards out with 10:21 left in the half to put the Blue Devils up 36-0. After some back and forth on defense for the next nine minutes, the Mortimer Jordan offense set up shop at the 5-yard line and Hankins punched it in again, 43-0. It appeared that this would be the score going into the locker room for the half but on the ensuing kickoff, the Blue Devils would recover a fumble and new quarterback Hunter Boren put Mortimer Jordan up 50-0 heading into the half.
The third quarter was a much different story as Springville held Mortimer Jordan scoreless while finding some success in the running game and showing that they would not go away in this one. On the first offensive drive of the quarter, the Tigers drove the ball down the field and capped it off with a 17-yard scamper by Jace Hayes, which put Springville on the board for the first time in this game, making it 50-7 Blue Devils. After the defense held Mortimer Jordan to three-and-out, Springville would get the ball again and on third and 26, Kobye Payton would bust through the line for a 63-yard touchdown run with 5:10 to go in the third.
The fourth quarter began with the Blue Devils taking the ball down to the 9-yardline where their third quarterback of the evening, JaMyrie May would take the ball into the end zone for what would be Mortimer Jordan’s final score of the night, putting them up 56-14. But, Springville was not done, using a strong running game to push the ball to the 9-yard line where Payton would once again find the end zone with 2:40 left in the game making the score 56-20.
