By Scott Hansen
OK3Sports.com

Junior quarterback Jacob Zeno threw for two touchdowns and added another pair on the ground as John Jay evened its District 28-6A Zone B record at 2-2 with a 42-21 victory over Stevens at Gustafson Stadium on Thursday night in a game featured by OK3Sports.com.

John Jay sprinted out to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Zeno opened the scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run with 5:55 remaining in the opening stanza. Victor Rosas recovered a fumble and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown before Zeno hit Jordan Choate on an 18-yard touchdown strike with 2:02 remaining to give the Mustangs a three-touchdown lead after one.

Just :58 before halftime, Stevens got on the scoreboard with a 22-yard scoring toss from quarterback Josh Ramirez to Doryen Littlejohn. The 5’6, 150-pound speedster finished with 103 receiving yards on five catches in a losing effort for Stevens (2-7, 1-3 in District 28-6A Zone B).

After a quiet third quarter with John Jay clinging to a 21-7 lead, the scoring activity picked back up in the final quarter of play. Zeno’s 3-yard touchdown run with 10:05 remaining in the game got the ball rolling. Stevens responded with a 15-yard touchdown run from William China to keep the Falcons in the game at 28-14 with 8:42 remaining.

On the first offensive play on John Jay’s ensuing possession, one of the area’s leading rushers in junior Jaylin Hastings broke free and rumbled 65-yards to the end zone with 8:30 remaining to restore the 21-point advantage. Hastings would finish the night with a game-high 160 rushing yards and surpassed 1,500 for the season with his performance against Stevens.

After Carson Prouty scored on an 18-yard touchdown run for Stevens, Zeno would hit again hit Choate with a 12-yard touchdown pass with 2:08 remaining to round out the scoring. For the season, Zeno is approaching 2,000 passing yards and has 18 touchdown strikes to his credit. Both Zeno and Hastings will be amongst the recruiting discussion in the Class of 2019.

John Jay (6-3, 2-2) will await its opponent for Week 11 during Championship Week after completing Zone B play. It appears the Falcons will miss out on the playoffs but return in 2018 as one of the favorites to disrupt affairs in Northside ISD.

Photo Gallery – Mustangs vs Falcons – 2 November 2017