Bailey passes Jasper past Splendora 49-14
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Newsboy photo/Georgia Purdy HE MIGHT BE RUNNING HERE, but Jasper quarterback Dominique Bailey used his right arm to dismantle Splendora as he threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns to pace Jasper to a 49-14 victory over the Wildcats

Coming into Saturday's bi-district contest in Humble, Splendora coaches knew about the threat that Jasper's Dominique Bailey possessed with his legs.

Splendora didn't know about Bailey's arm capabilities.

They know now.

Bailey threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns and ran for three more to lead Jasper in an easy 49-14 victory over Splendora for the bi-district championship.

"Going into the game we didn't realize that they were going to play us to stop the run and give us the pass," said Jasper Head Football Coach Thomas Brooks. "We tried to run early and we saw they had so many people in the box so we decided to throw the football. They went to a man defense and we knew we had the athletes to beat them in a man defense."

Splendora crowded the running lanes early and bottled up Jasper's rushing attack. But Bailey went to the airwaves early and found easy openings in Splendora's rather porous pass defense. Bailey connected with Malcolm Bronson on a pass play down to the Splendora eight to set up Jasper's first score of the day. Bronson went over a Splendora defender for the catch but then fumbled the ball only to have Jasper's Kwame Spikes recover the loose ball.

Newsboy photo/Georgia Purdy JASPER SENIOR MALCOLM BRONSON enjoyed a field day against the Splendora defensive secondary. His acrobatic catch, above, started the contest for Jasper. Right, Bronson eludes the tackle of Wildcat Brian Wade during the contest.

Two plays later, Jasper found the end zone when Bailey scored from three yards out to give Jasper a quick 6-0 lead after David Beck misfired on the PAT. The score with 7:48 left in the first quarter gave Jasper a lead they would never relinquish.

Brooks said offensively, Jasper had to make some quick adjustments to the defensive alignment Splendora threw at them.

"Our coaches made some good adjustments during the game," Brooks said. "The coaches can say it all they want but the players are the ones that have to be able to do it. Our offensive line is starting to peak at the right time."

Coming into the contest, Brooks knew Splendora would run the ball most of the time and the Wildcats were able to move the ball the first two times they touched the ball. Splendora even lined up in the spread to start the game. But both times, Splendora would move down the field only to see the drive stall in Jasper territory.

"When they lined up in the spread, that threw us off for a bit," Brooks said. "That first series it threw us off some but we found out they still had a hard time throwing the ball."

Two straight incompletions by Splendora quarterback Drew Purdy gave the ball back to Jasper at their own 32 with 4:33 left in the first quarter.

Jasper used the running talents of Darren Bronson, William Brooks and Bailey to move down the field. But it was through the airwaves that Jasper reached the end zone once again. This time, Bailey connected with Spikes on a 34-yard scoring connection with 11:53 left in the second quarter.

JASPER'S DARREN BRONSON hauls four Splendora players for a ride during Saturday's contest at Turner Stadium. Pictured below, Jesse Boerner and Trae Horn (52) team up to bring down Splendora's Drew Purdy.

The score, pushed Jasper's lead to 13-0.

On the Wildcats next possession, Splendora found no forward movement and had to turn the ball back over to Jasper. Five plays later, Jasper lit up the scoreboard once again for the strong showing of Jasper fans.

This time, Bailey perfectly executed a pump fake and found Malcolm Bronson all alone down the field for a 39-yard scoring toss. The score, with Beck's PAT, gave Jasper a commanding 20-0 lead over Splendora with 7:50 left in the second quarter.

Splendora was forced to go for a fourth-down conversion on their next possession and like most of their plays, got nothing for the effort. Faced with a fourth-and-four, Splendora handed the ball to Mathew Kite who slipped as he cut up field and was knocked down for a yard loss giving Jasper the ball at their own 49.

Newsboy photo/Georgia Purdy

Two plays later, Jasper reached the end zone once again.

This time, Bailey connected with William Brooks on a 45-yard scoring connection with 5:31 left in the second quarter. Splendora knew it wasn't going to be their night when they blocked Beck's PAT only to see A.J. Bronson catch the loose ball and carry it in for a successful two-point conversion and a 28-0 Jasper lead.

"I wasn't expecting us to get out to a big lead like that," Brooks said. "They were a team that won their district and was undefeated in their district so I was expecting a lot closer ballgame."

Splendora went three and out on their next possession and Jasper went two and a score as they continued to show their complete dominance of the contest. This time Bailey went back to Malcolm Bronson for a 52-yard scoring connection and a 35-0 lead with 3:05 left in the second quarter.

Through that moment, Bailey had completed nineof nine for 250 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Even with a 35-0 lead, Jasper had to make sure they didn't suffer a letdown like they experienced against Silsbee the week before. Jasper led 24-7 at the half only to see the Tigers rally back into the contest.

"We have experience in that throughout the year," Brooks said. "You could tell a difference in the locker room at halftime as they were serious still about the game. That's when I knew we had turned the corner."

Give credit to Splendora because the Wildcats drove the field on their next possession and scored as the seconds ticked away on the first half. The Wildcats drove down the field behind the strong running of Joe Connell and Ables, who finished the drive by scoring from three yards with 12.7 seconds left in the first half. With Purdy's PAT, Splendora had cut Jasper's lead to 35-7 at the halftime break.

The scoring continued in the second half for the Bulldogs. Jasper moved the ball down the field but faced a fourth-and-six call from the Splendora 48. Jasper trotted out punter Derrick Day for an apparent punt to start the second half but Darren Bronson took a direct snap from center and scampered 28 yards to the Splendora 20 and a first down.

"We didn't want them to get any momentum we decided to fake the punt and keep the ball and score," Brooks said. "We've been practicing it for about a month. We just picked the right time to do it."

Bailey finished off the drive when he scored from three yards out and a 42-7 lead with 9:05 left in the third quarter.

While Splendora sputtered offensively, Jasper's offense was still clicking on all cylinders. Starting from their own 28 after a Splendora punt, Bailey was able to cap off his day with a thrilling display of his running talents. The sophomore zigzagged all over the field as he weaved his way through the Splendora defense on his way to a 73 yard run and his final touchdown on the night. The score, with Beck's PAT, gave Jasper a 49-7 lead and sent most of the starters to the bench for the rest of the contest.

Splendora scored a late touchdown late in the fourth quarter when Ables scored from a yard out with 2:39 left in the game. With Purdy's PAT, Jasper held a 49-14 lead.

"We knew that if Splendora fell behind, they would be in trouble," Brooks said.

Brooks also said he was impressed with the large crowd Jasper had in the stands for the bi-district playoff game. In fact, Humble ISD officials noted that the Jasper crowd was larger than the crowd Humble drew the night before for their playoff game with Deer Park at Turner Stadium.

"It was wonderful to see that many people cheering us on," Brooks said. "From the Silsbee game to this one, the crowd response has been great and the kids are excited about it as well."

DAWG NOTES: Carlos Carter was held out of the Splendora game but is expected to be cleared to play this week against Navasota.