The playoffs were no longer the motivation, the team simply wanted to defeat the Johnson Jaguars at Heroes stadium Thu. Nov 6.
The team marched down the field, utilizing the talents of junior running back Daijon Williams and the return of senior running back Isiah Dennis, to score first. Unfortunately, an interception and a fumbled punt led to a 21 point run for Johnson.
Unable to stop Johnson’s momentum, the team eventually lost 45-27, dropping their record to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in district to end the regular season.
Nothing seemed to be going right for the Brahmas. Offensively, the team struggled to move the ball consistently. Untimely penalties and an impressive Johnson defense forced Mac to rush the ball only 23 times because of the tough situations.
The offense had to make constant changes to try to turn around their rough night. Being a major piece of the offense all year, junior wide receiver Jeremiah Cura had a solid night with 6 receptions for 41 yards.
“We tried to come out and see what kind of coverage they were in,” Cura said. “We tried to break them down a little bit depending on the coverage.”
The team had chances to keep the game close, but small mistakes, such as missed blocks, missed tackles, and dropped passes, caused the hole to deepen. Three forced turnovers gave the Jaguars favorable field position all night.
“Offensively, not catching [hurt us], defense not tackling [hurt us], it was both of our faults,” Cura said.
Good news, Mac is in the playoffs. Bad news, they are playing one of the best teams in the state, the Steele Knights. However, MacArthur is capable of pulling off the upset if defensively they create turnovers, and offensively run the ball to control the clock.
“We got Steele in the first round, so we’re going to have to do a lot in practice and come out strong,” Cura said.
