Jefferson City Dominates McCluer North on Home Field

football coach Jim Schottmueller took the blame for the Stars second-half collapse on Saturday.    

Actually, there was plenty of blame to go around.    

Jefferson City broke open a close game in the third quarter and rolled to an easy 39-7 victory in the non-conference affair at McCluer North. The tradition-rich Jays scored 25 unanswered points in the second half to take control of the contest.    

North, which returns nine starters from last year's 7-3 squad, trailed 14-7 at the break before the Jays exploded.    

"It's my fault, I didn't have them in good enough condition," Schottmueller said. "We knew it was going to be hot. We just didn't have anything left for the second half."    

The Stars appeared to wilt in the low 90-degree temperature.    

"We've got to get in better condition," North senior quarterback Galen Brown said.   

Jeff City, behind junior quarterback Thomas LePage and senior running back Devon Moore, took the game away in the second half. LePage, who hit on 11 of 15 passes for 145 yards, ran for two third-period scores.

His 51-yard scoring gallop on fourth-and-three was the biggest play of the game. The run, off an option play to the right side, pushed the one-touchdown lead to 21-7.   

The Jays then took off from there. LePage scored on a 43-yard option run to the right side more than three minutes later to pump the advantage to 27-7. Moore added a 5-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the fourth quarter, and the route was on.   

"We felt like if we could keep it close going into the third and fourth quarter, we'd have an advantage," Jeff City coach Ted LePage, Thomas' father, said.   

North put together a pair of nice drives in the first half as the Brown-led offense displayed flashes of brilliance. The Stars' only score came on a 10-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Keith Smith.

Brown rushed three times for 28 yards on the march. Senior Antwaun Williams added a 12-yard run, and Bryan Herd connected with Joshua Hulsey on a 13-yard-strike as the Stars reeled off three first downs in four plays.   

The score, which came with 2:02 left in the half, cut the Jeff City lead to 14-7 and appeared to shift the momentum in the Stars' favor. But the second half turned out to be a nightmare for North on both sides of the ball.   

The Stars went three-and-out on their first two second-half possession, while the Jays scored twice the first two times they had the ball.   

"We didn't come out with any fire," Schottmueller said. "We came out tired."   

The Stars, , got hurt early when two starters left the game with injuries in the first period. Senior wide receiver/defense back Latron Thomas appeared to suffer a broke wrist. But Schottmueller would not use the lack of depth as an excuse.   

"Other guys just have got to step up," he said.   

North will look to get on track against rival McCluer in the Suburban North Conference opener for both schools on Saturday at North.   

Brown said that game is one his team must win.   

"Redemption," Brown, who hit on just 5 of 18 passes for 45 yards, said. "(We've got) to get better."