Late TD pass lifts Jeannette past Mt. Pleasant in comeback victory

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, August 23, 2024 | 11:13 PM

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Mt. Pleasant appeared to have Jeannette right where it wanted it. A seven-point lead with three minutes and change remaining and a fresh turnover in their hands.

But Jeannette wasn’t ready to call it a night.

The more chances the Jayhawks got, the hungrier they looked.

They came to life at the perfect time to force a turnover of their own and then hit a big pass play for a 28-27 comeback victory in the season opener Friday night at McKee Stadium.

After Eli Jones recovered a fumble at the Jayhawks’ 19-yard line with 3:15 on the clock, junior Kymone Brown moved under center and delivered a 74-yard touchdown to sophomore receiver Jayce Powell.

The pair connected twice in the second half for the Jayhawks’ final two scores to complete the comeback.

The sure-handed and elusive Powell caught the screen pass in stride and did most of the work, outracing defenders downfield — with Brown chasing from behind to block — before sophomore kicker McAlister Steele made the extra point to give Jeannette a one-point edge with three minutes left.

“At that point, it was rally the troops,” said Powell, who had six receptions for 190 yards and three touchdowns. “The fumble recovery gave us new life and had us all fired up.”

Mt. Pleasant (0-1) got the ball back, but Jeannette forced a fourth-and-20, which the Vikings could not convert. A bad snap went for a 25-yard loss in the drive.

Brown shared snaps with sophomore Markus McGowan as the Jayhawks (1-0) played two quarterbacks.

Brown was 7 of 8 for 151 yards and two scores, and McGowan was 9 of 15 for 133 yards and a TD. Both threw an interception.

“I had just thrown an interception, but Eli told me, I got you,” Brown said. “I saw a blitz on the right side, so I checked it. When you get the ball to Jayce in space, nobody in the WPIAL can stop him.”

Brown also caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown on a night when the running game was quiet.

Powell also threw a touchdown pass to Brown in the first quarter.

“We know both (quarterbacks’) strengths,” Jeannette coach Tommy Paulone said. “On that last play, everyone in the building knew who it was going to. Jayce made a great play.

“I knew the kind of group we had when I took over here. This is more progress in the process for us.”

Mt. Pleasant had a 27-14 lead with 2:18 to play in the third but could not sustain drives and run clock.

“Our miscues hurt us tonight,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “We had some problems with snaps, and we missed some assignments. Jeannette made some plays, but we didn’t help ourselves.”

Senior Jarett Garn had a big night for the Vikings, kicking a pair of field goals, rushing for 55 yards and intercepting a pass.

Brody Hutter ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns and added an interception and a sack.

“I need to watch the film to completely assess everything,” Fazekas said. “We did some good things, but we have to be better.”

Mt. Pleasant opened the scoring with a 25-yard field goal from Garn for a 3-0 lead after one quarter.

McGowan was in a rhythm early, but the Jayhawks used trickery to score their first touchdown.

McGowan pitched to Powell, who threw a halfback option pass to Kymone Brown for a 4-yard scoring pass to make it 7-3.

The Vikings regained the lead later in the first quarter with a sound rushing attack. Hutter run up the middle for a 5-yard score and a 10-7 lead.

Jeannette turned it over on downs and forced a punt, but the Vikings quickly recovered as Cole Chatfield intercepted McGowan on the next play and went 11 yards for a pick-6 and a 17-7 advantage with 4:35 left in the first half.

Jeannette’s lengthy drive late in the half appeared stalled, but the Jayhawks converted on fourth down. On fourth-and-13, McGowan zinged a 30-yard scoring strike to Powell to close the gap to 17-14.

With only 43 seconds left in the half, Mt. Pleasant managed to get points.

After a 16-yard rush by Garn and a 24-yard pass from Chatfield to Logan Parson, Garn had enough time to connect on a 37-yard field goal and a 20-14 halftime lead.

Late in the third quarter, Hutter struck again for a 2-yard touchdown run, capitalizing on a fumble recovery by Rage Suchar.

Hutter intercepted McGowan on the previous drive, but Mt. Pleasant’s ensuing drive was stuffed by a Nick Stuchell sack on third down.

Brown took over under center and, on his second pass attempt, launched a 56-yard bomb to Powell, with the receiver catching it in stride. The touchdown brought the Jayhawks to within 27-21 with just under two minutes to go in the third.

Senior fourth-year quarterback Cole Chatfield was 8 of 9 for 105 yards for the Vikings.

“We got sloppy,” Fazekas said. “I thought we had enough. We needed to execute better.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant