The Benton Tigers and Greenacres Mustangs earned victories in the Bossier Parish Eighth-Grade Jamboree presented by the Kiwanis Club on Tuesday at Bobby Marlow Field/Preston Crownover Stadium.
Benton defeated Rusheon 30-6 in the opener. In a very competitive second game, Greenacres rallied past Haughton 22-14.
In the finale, Elm Grove and Cope played to a 6-6 tie.
Benton’s Jeffrey King, a first-team All-District seventh-grade selection last season, picked up where he left off, tossing three touchdown passes.
Ryan Liles caught two and Andrew Wainscott one. Greg Manning scored the Tigers’ first TD on a 3-yard run.
Manning and Pierce caught two-point conversion passes from King.
Behind the running and passing of quarterback Keyshun T. Johnson, Rusheon reached the Benton 2 just before time expired in the first eight-minute half.
Johnson had one of the jamboree’s most exciting plays, breaking tackles and zigzagging his way for a TD run of about 70 yards in the second half.
In the second game, Haughton quarterback Jalen Lewis suffered a broken leg and is lost for the season, coach Darin Walker said.
On the play after Lewis was taken off the field on a gurney, Haughton’s Bryson Hinkie sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 6. Brayden Stovall’s two-point conversion run gave the Bucs an 8-6 lead.
Haughton took a 14-6 lead on Jason Zahm’s interception return for a touchdown.
Greenacres’ LaDarius Epps then hit Jaxon Graham for 80 yards and a touchdown to tie it.
Joshua Baker scored the go-ahead TD on a 5-yard run with just under three minutes left. Epps had a 30-yard run on the drive.
Epps passed 25 yards pass to Graham for the Cougars’ first TD.
In the nightcap, Cope kept the ball for most of the first half. But Elm Grove scored the only touchdown on an 80-yard run by Greg Chitman.
Cope’s Trevon Jackson had a TD run erased by a holding penalty. Jeremiah Boudreaux’s short touchdown run tied it in the second half.
Cope coach Ray Smith praised Conner McConathy for the way he ran the offense. He also cited lineman Brandon Sanders’ defensive play.
Cope won the seventh-grade title last season and finished 7-0 overall.
The seventh- and eighth-grade seasons begin next week. On Tuesday, Cope faces Benton at Airline Stadium, Haughton hosts Elm Grove, and Rusheon plays Webster Junior High at Bossier. Greenacres visits North DeSoto on Thursday.
Note: Any results of Thursday’s seventh-grade jamboree reported to The Press-Tribune will be added to this report. Look for regular season coverage to begin next week.
