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Baker puts 'Royal' beating on Jay (with photos)
BAKER – Don’t tell the Baker football team that Friday’s Kickoff Classic with Jay was just a preseason game.
The Gators entered the game seeking their first win in more than a year, and their first victory against the Royals in more than five years.
Long before the final horn sounded it was clear that both streaks were ending. And boy did they as the Gators pounded Jay 33-9.
Fullback Cory Harper looked nothing like a former offensive lineman as he shredded the Royal defense for 155 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. The scores came on runs of 40 and 44 yards as the speedster showed he will be a force to be dealt with.
Harper was hardly a one-man show as Logan Wagner hit Christian Mainor with a pair of touchdown passes and a 2-point conversion.
The Wagner-Mainor connection struck from 20-yards out on the opening drive of the game as they capped a 9-play, 64-yard drive with 8:38 left in the first quarter.
From that point on it was all Gators.
“This is the best I ever felt playing varsity football,” Wagner said. “Words cannot describe how much this win boosts our confidence. Everybody’s excited and we are rallying now.
“That boost of confidence is huge going into the season.”
Wagner and Mainor teamed on four passes for 61 yards as Wagner finished the game with 94 yards passing hitting 9-of-14 attempts.
Baker wasted no time scoring on its second possession of the night as Harper’s 40-yard scamper finished off a 27-yard drive that took just five plays.
Even with a 14-0 lead there was no letting up for the Gators.
Vada Moore put Baker up 20-0 with a 13-yard run early in the second quarter.
After crossing the goal line in the north end zone, Moore took a knee and bowed is head and then pointed heavenward in a tribute to his mother, LeighAnn, who passed away earlier this year.
“We wanted to come out and smash them in the mouth,” Moore said. “We came in and did and took control after that.”
Jay’s only score of the first half came with 2:53 left in the second quarter when, on Baker’s only punt of the half, the snap sailed over Wagner’s head and through the back of the end zone.
Wagner hit Mainor with a 22-yard strike with 6:54 left in the third quarter to make it 27-2 and Harper finished off the Baker scoring with his 42-yard dash to paydirt.
Ricky Cofield scored Jay’s lone touchdown of the night on a 30-yard run against the Gator backups with 11:24 left in the game, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
The Gators finished the game with 392 yards in total offense as they shook off the disappointment of last year and looked ready to go.
“Any time you beat Jay it’s a good win,” Gator coach Bob Kellogg said. “It’s the first time I ever beat them, so I’ll take it any way. This was a warm up, but it was still beating Jay.
“It was a great win and our kids needed it.”
