The Gazette/Tom Fedor
Bobby Stup drags down Thomas Johnson's Jordan Dorsey during Friday's game.
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Tuscarora High held off a furious fourth-quarter comeback from host Thomas Johnson and avenged a painful loss from last season with a 49-34 win Friday night.
A year ago, the Titans fell 14-13 against TJ after failing on a potential game-winning two-point conversion. That loss had been on the minds of many of Tuscarora's players.
"All I remember was last year when they stopped us at the one-yard line and I knew that couldn't happen again," Titans' senior running back Dominic Clarke said afterwards. "That's been in me since that game."
Clarke proved to the difference for the Titans (4-1 overall, 2-0 Monocacy Valley Athletic League Chesapeake Conference) as he gave his team a spark in all three aspects of the game. He scored twice on the ground, including the team's final touchdown with two minutes to go, forced a fumble that was returned for a 55-yard score and took the second half kickoff 90 yards to the end zone.
Despite Clarke's best efforts, it seemed for a while that the Patriots (2-3, 0-2 Conference) would pull off another close win. Trailing 42-21 going into the fourth quarter, TJ scored twice in three minutes and pulled within eight after a blocked extra point.
On their next possession it appeared TJ had a chance to tie when D.J. Clark returned a punt for a touchdown, but the play was called back after an illegal block in the back penalty. After the Patriots were forced to punt inside their own 20, a high snap gave the Titans the ball at the Patriot 14.
Five plays later the Titans drove the ball inside the TJ five-yard line, giving Dominic Clarke a chance to leap over the pile for the game-clinching 1-yard touchdown.
"They did come back, but we kept answering and that's the difference between this year and last year," Tuscarora head coach Shawn Carey said. "Our kids kept coming back and fighting."
TJ's offense was led by quarterback D.J. Jenkins, who finished with 255 passing yards and two touchdowns. During the third quarter Jenkins went a perfect 6-for-6 through the air for 123 yards and a 22-yard touchdown to Scott. Nick Forbes led the Patriots on the ground with 108 yards and two scores on 15 carries.
