Yellowjackets fall to Rams

The Alto Yellowjacket football season came to a close with a 21-25 loss to the Joaquin Rams in the 2A-D1 Area playoff.

The Jackets won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Alto opened the game by kicking off to Joaquin.

At the 7:24 mark in the first quarter, the Rams scored on a quarterback sneak. Faking the extra point kick, Joaquin ran the ball into the end zone gaining the two-point conversion.

Following the kickoff, Alto ran a single sweep play to score. The ball was put into the hands of Vi’Dareous High, who ran 68 yards for the touchdown. Unfortunately, the extra kick was not good, leaving the Jackets two points behind at the end of the first period.

Alto was the only team to score in the second quarter.

With about a minute left on the clock, Aaron Skinner crossed the goal line on a five-yard run. Skyler Atkins caught the pass in the end zone for the two-point conversion, giving the Jackets a 14-8 advantage at the half.

The lone score in the third period was a 32-yard field goal by Joaquin, but the Rams still trailed by a score of 14-11.

The Jackets opened the final frame with a one-yard quarterback sneak across the goal line by Harmon West. The extra-point kick by Julio Serrano increased Alto’s lead to 21-11.

The Rams responded almost immediately, scoring on a pass play. The extra point was good, decreasing the gap, 21-18.

The Alto possession following the Joaquin score resulted in a punt, returning control of the ball to the Rams.

Joaquin took full advantage and scored again with under six minutes remaining in the game. Once more, the extra-point kick was good and the Rams took the 25-21 lead and the win.

The Alto offense garnered 288 yards in the game. The Jackets gained 277 yards through the running game. High picked up 136 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Skinner gained 123 yards and a touchdown on 21 totes. Atkins added 17 yards on a single run and West picked up one yard and a touchdown.

The 11 yards passing were from a single toss to High.

The Jacket offense tallied 510 points for the year, averaging 42.5 points per game.

Cayle Irvin led the defense against the Rams with 16 tackles, three for losses. West posted 14 tackles, three for losses.

The defense allowed Joaquin only 193 offensive yards.

The Jackets conceded just nine points and 94 yards per game over the 12 games this season.

The Alto Yellowjackets end the year with a perfect 5-0 district record and an 11-1 record overall.