Second-quarter burst buries Falcons

MADISON - One play for 80 yards. Five plays for 93 more, followed by a sneaky 2-point conversion.

Less than six minutes had elapsed at Madison City Schools Stadium on Friday night and No. 7 Florence appeared poised to turn its Class 6A, Region 8 showdown against Bob Jones into a rout.

The game turned out to be a rout all right - with the Falcons on the losing end of the final score.

Bob Jones (2-1, 2-1) scored 26 second-quarter points and piled on two more touchdowns in the third to claim a 46-22 victory.

Florence (2-1, 2-1) was plagued by turnovers, losing four fumbles and throwing one interception. Its defense fared no better as Patriots quarterback Nick Acosta passed for 249 yards (12-of-17, zero interceptions) and Bob Jones added 216 more on the ground.

"Our kids really bought into the game plan," said Bob Jones coach Shannon Brown. "We knew we could run the ball on them.

"It was so tense for so long there (in the first quarter), but once the smoke cleared the kids did a great job."

Florence led 15-6 at the 6:28 mark in the first quarter.

Damien Simmons turned a short pass from Bryce Curtis into an 80-yard touchdown on the game's first play, and Shawn Southward ran 68 yards after Bob Jones had scored to extend the Falcons' lead to 13-6. Jamarcus Jackson's run for a 2-point conversion made it 15-6 midway through the first.

Southward finished with 96 yards on eight carries.

A 51-yard Acosta pass got Bob Jones to the Florence 1 early in the second quarter. Trai Ragland scored his second touchdown on the next play and a 2-point conversion pulled the Patriots to within 15-14.

Disaster struck the Falcons on the ensuing kickoff.

Florence fumbled the kick and Bob Jones' Derek Birdstrong picked it up in full stride and raced 15 yards for a touchdown.

Another 2-point conversion gave the Patriots a 22-15 lead with 10:02 remaining in the half.

Florence responded with a 12-play, 80-yard march that was capped by Curtis' 5-yard pass to Simmons. But the hosts answered with two more scores before the half - a screen pass that Ragland turned into an 82-yard touchdown thanks to some key blocks, and a 22-yard field goal that put Bob Jones ahead 32-22 at intermission.

The Patriots' second-half points came on a 37-yard run by Collins Moore and a fumble recovery in the end zone after Ragland lost the ball on what appeared was going to be a 15-yard touchdown run.

Next up for Florence is a key Region 8 showdown Friday against Huntsville, which defeated Decatur 23-13 to improve to 3-0.