JEFFERSONVILLE — Every team has a game they mark on their schedule before the starts. In the case of the Jeffersonville Red Devils, that game was Bedford North Lawrence.

Looking to avenge a seven-point loss from a year ago, the Red Devils toppled the Stars 41-26 on Friday at Blair Field.

“We totally dominated the game offensively,” said Jeffersonville coach Lonnie Oldham. “It was good.”

Tyler Fridley threw for five touchdowns for the second straight week as Jeff improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Hoosier Hills Conference.

A stalled opening drive for the Stars left them deep in their own territory. A botched snap on the punt attempt left it there for Fridley and the Red Devils.

On the following play, Fridley connected with Ricky Embry on a 21-yard pass to opening up scoring for the evening. The point-after attempt added two more to the total on a trick play, connecting Fridley with Dalton Adkins to give the Red Devils an early eight-point lead.

After Jeff’s initial score, BNL started a scoring drive from its own 30. The grinding drive was capped by a 14-yard run by Jade Daab with a successful PAT kick from Arie Evans, cutting the Jeffersonville lead to 8-7 with 6:51 remaining in the opening quarter.

Each team exchanged fumbles. The Red Devils started the fumble exchange, giving the ball to the Stars on the 30-yard line. The ball came back to the Red Devils on the next play as BNL fumbled it on their own 25.

With the ball back in their hands, Jeffersonville wasted no time getting back to the end zone. Just 32 seconds after recovering the fumble, Fridley connected on a 30-yard throw to Jacquari Chandler, giving Jeffersonville a 15-7 lead with 3:58 to go in the opening quarter.

Bedford North Lawrence needed just one play to answer.  The one-play, 75-yard scoring drive was all on the running of Daab.

The Red Devils spent the next drive moving in reverse. The series, riddled by penalties, saw Jeffersonville as far as 49 yards from a first down before being forced to punt. Bedford ended their next series on a punt, or so it looked before Chandler fumbled, giving it back to the Stars on their own 25.

The opportunity was not lost as the Stars struck with a 36-yard pass from Jesse Millikan to Jack Spreen for the touchdown but the two point conversion was intercepted, leaving BNL with a 20-15 lead with 7:34 to go in the second quarter.

Looking to capitalize on a Jeffersonville penalty on the score for a late hit, BNL opted for an onside kick. The kick was recovered by the Red Devils on their own 31 yard line, setting them up for another score 12 seconds later. The short series was capped by a 69-yard bomb from Fridley to Damon Smith. The short series gave Jeffersonville a 21-20 lead with 7:19 remaining in the first half.

The momentum visibly shifted as BNL punted on a four-and-out series, giving Jeffersonville the ball on their own 40. The Red Devils needed little time to get their score, a 11-yard run by Austin Hines and a good PAT kick from Isaiah Negron, giving the Red Devils a 28-20 lead with 4:41 to go in the second quarter.

The pace of the score abruptly slowed as both team exchanged failed drives late in the second quarter. The second half started at a much slower pace than the first for both teams.

The Red Devils wasted no time getting back on the board in the final frame. The 70-yard drive, capped by a 23-yard pass from Fridley to Embry gave the Red Devils a 34-26 lead with 11:28 remaining in the game.

The ensuing drive for the Stars ended with a punt after a Daab touchdown being called back on a penalty. The punt gave the Red Devils the ball and on their 48-yard line with 8:57 remaining.

The score looked to be on the rise on a 10-yard run from Hines, but a holding call brought it back to the the 20-yard line. The next play was the real deal as Fridley connected with Chandler from 20 yards. A good PAT kick from Blanton gave the Red Devils a comfortable 41-36 lead with 5:35 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Stars attempt to get back to end zone ended quickly on the next series. Just three downs into the series, Millikan connected with Jeffersonville’s Damin Smith at the Red Devil 40 yard line with 4:12 to go in the game. The interception gave the Red Devils a solid grasp on the game, allowing them to run out the clock for the win.

“We’re not a one-dimensional team”, Oldham said.

Jeffersonville will host Madison next Friday night while Bedford North Lawrence will face the New Albany Bullodgs next Friday night.



BOX SCORE

JEFFERSONVILLE 41, BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 26

Bedford NL        14 12 0   0—26

Jeffersonville    15 13 0 13—41

First Quarter

    J — Ricky Embry 21 pass from Tyler Fridley (Dalton Adkins pass from Fridley)

    B — Jade Daab 14 run (Aire Evans kick good)

    J — Jacquari Chandler 30 pass from Fridley (Fridley kick good)

    B — Daab 75 run (Evans kick good)

Second Quarter

    B — Jack Spreen 36 pass from Jesse Millikan (two pt conversion no good)

    J — Damin Smith 69 pass from Fridley (Fridley run good)

    J — Austin Hines 11 run (Isaiah Blanton kick good

    B — Justis Breedlove 23 pass from Millikan (two pt conversion no good)

Fourth Quarter

    J — Embry 23 pass from Fridley (Blanton kick no good)

    J — Chandler 20 pass from Fridley (Blanton kick good)