Friday night’s Jeff Davis-Bleckley County playoff game didn’t go as expected, although the Royals from Cochran were favored to win and did, indeed, prevail 26-7.
But Bleckley’s heralded passing game was overshadowed by the Royals’ ability to run the ball right at the Yellow Jacket defense like few other teams have done this year.
And the Yellow Jackets’ trademark ball-control offense failed to materialize. All season long, Jeff Davis’ offense has been able to control the football for long, time-consuming drives against tougher opposition than the Royals. But that was not the case in Cochran last Friday.
Friday’s game ended the 2025 Yellow Jacket season with a 7-4 record. The Royals, 9-2, advance to the second round to face Worth County, 11-0, in Sylvester.
The Jackets J.T. Bryant took the opening kickoff at the 18 and returned the ball all the way to the JD 44 for a good start for the Jackets. But the Jackets couldn’t move the chains and Fabian Valdelamar got off a 38-yd. punt to the Bleckley 16 yard line.
A penalty moved the ball back to the 11. Four pass plays quickly moved the ball to the Jacket 35. From there the Royals ran the ball three plays for the score. The Jackets blocked the extra point kick as Bleckley led 6-0.
After the Jacket offense put together a short drive, Valdelamar punted the Royals into a hole as his 40-yd. punt pushed Bleckley back to onside their own 5 yard line.
From there, Bleckley put together an 11-play drive into Jacket territory that ended when Mark Durden intercepted a Royal pass at the Jackets’ 1 yard line.
Starting under the shadow of their own end zone, the Jackets couldn’t pick up a 1st down and Valdelamar got off a 58-yd. punt all the way to the Bleckley 37 yard line.
It took the Royals only 5 plays to march the 63 yards for their second score, mostly on the ground. The 2-pt. conversion attempt failed as Bleckley led 12-0.
On the 1st play after the kickoff, Durden retreated to pass and heaved a long bomb to Jaiden West who hauled in the pass behind the Bleckley secondary at the 34 and raced into the end zone for the score. Valdelamar kicked the extra point and the Jackets were within 5 points at 12-7.
After an unsuccessful onside kick, Bleckley drove 50 yards in 5 plays for another score, kicked the extra point and led 19-7 early in the 2nd quarter.
After the kickoff, the Jackets picked up a 1st down but a dropped pitch lost 11 yards and three plays later Valdelamar had to punt from the Jacket 43. His kick went 48 yards to the Royal 9. Three plays later, the half ended with the Royals leading 19-7.
Bleckley took the 2nd half kickoff and kept the ball for 12 plays, twice overcoming 4th down situations. But the Jeff Davis defense tightened and the Royals failed on 4th-and-10 from the Jacket 38 and Jeff Davis took over on downs.
Six plays later, an errant pitch left the ball on the ground and Bleckley recovered at the Yellow Jacket 34 yard line.
Six plays later, the Royals scored on a quarterback keeper. The extra point made it 26-7. still in the 3rd quarter.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Jackets picked up a couple of 1st downs but a quarterback sack put them in a deep hole and the drive stalled at the Bleckley 40 early in the final quarter.
Bleckley took over and drove to the Jacket 9-yd. line where Kace Galbreath picked up a Royal fumble and returned it a couple of yards and the Jackets took over possession at their 17.
The JD offense pushed the ball out to the 38 where Bleckley took over on downs.
From there the Royals ran out the remainder of the time on the clock.
Score by quarters:
JDHS 0 7 0 0 – 7
BCHS 12 7 7 0 -26
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.jdledger.com ’
