Bears advance to Elite 8

Only a sophomore, Houston County High’s Jake Fromm is knocking on the door of having one of the best seasons of prep football ever. His 410-yard passing performance, with three touchdowns, in Saturday’s GHSA Class AAAAA second-round game against Sequoyah High put the Bear on the first page of the state record book, and his team isn’t done.

Houston County won the game 43-12 to advance to the state Elite 8 for the first time since 2006. Fromm and his teammates have a chance to make further school and state history in the quarterfinal matchup this upcoming weekend. It will be, however, the first road test against 10-2 and Region 4-AAAAA’s No. 1 seed Stockbridge High.

The Tigers handled Stephenson High 27-7 in their second-round contest. They have three 50-point outings this season, and one of the two losses was to a Phenix City, Ala., club way back on Aug. 22.

But back to Fromm and his climb up the ladder that, for one season, is topped by the University of Georgia’s current starter under center, Hutson Mason. Against the Sequoyah Chiefs of Canton, he completed 24 of 33 passes for 410 yards. For the season, he stands at 30 touchdowns and 3,315 yards (222-for-350, 63.4 percent).

In front of him in yards is Lee County’s Justin Walker (3,331), who set the state record in 2010 for yards in one game, 595, though it was in a loss to Warner Robins High. The 30 touchdowns match a total by Peach County High’s Antonio Henton in 2005. Another former Trojan, Brian Ellis, is one of three who has 31.

Seven different Bears caught a pass in Saturday’s win. Jaylen Searcy had six catches for 121 yards. That gives him a team-high 72 receptions for the season and makes his school record total 96. Darion Anderson also had six catches for 94 yards. He is only 21 yards away from being Houston’s all-time leader in that category, and he scored his 21st all-time through the air.

Kory Ingram led the rushing attack with 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Houston County should also get as much credit for its play on defense as anything else. The Bears controlled the line of scrimmage against Sequoyah’s wing-T running game. The only times the Chiefs scored were on touchdown passes by Tracy Austin to Derrion Rakestraw and Nile Williams.

Also of note was the rain that fell in Warner Robins for most of the evening, though not to heavy as to turn McConnell-Talbert’s field into a mud pit. Conditions most likely didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Sequoyah, after choosing to take the opening kickoff, lost that kickoff when the returner ran into his own teammate.

The Bears recovered on the 20-yard-line, but Fromm started the game 0-for-3 and the Chiefs reclaimed the football on downs.

Sequoyah couldn’t get any penetration past the likes of Jacob Gates, Chase Riley and Lamaud Burden up front. When the punt went to the Houston 34, Fromm went 2-for-2, including Anderson’s wide-open post route touchdown catch of 49 yards. Jordan Strevig kicked the PAT for 7-0 at 8:37.

Strevig, in fact, saved a touchdown as the last person capable of stopping Blake Miller on the kickoff return. And it was a linebacker-worthy tackle after a 46-yard run. Behind hard running by Trey Mitchell, Sequoyah had a first down, Stefan Hill broke up Austin’s pass, leading the Chiefs into its first punting situation.

Though pinned back to the Bear 11, Fromm found Searcy over the middle on the 30. From there, there was a whole lot of shaking by Searcy, who was finally dragged down by the arm on the SH 34. Anderson, on the double reverse, found open room left end to score at 4:03 (14-0 on PAT).

Sequoyah’s Mason Tucker gave Austin an open target for a 43-yard catch on the Bear 23. That was a third-down conversion, but Bennie Steadman’s ensuing first-down tackle stalled the drive from there. The visitors tried a field goal that fell way short of the cross bar.

Penalties put the Bears in a deep hole, and the Chiefs brought the blitz to Fromm. But Ingram and Shelton Horton caught dump passes that gained 64 total yards. However, from the 10, it was Fromm fumbling the football and Austin Richardson recovering.

The game moved into the second quarter, and Sequoyah put on a drive of 10 plays that ate up most of half a period but didn’t even get to midfield. Mitchell ran three times for 20 yards, but Zach Taisler was all over Miller on the jet sweep for lost yards and 3rd-and-5. Austin hit Tucker over the middle converting on the 48.

Sequoyah was flagged for lining up offsides, and Gates and Burden swallowed Rakestraw for eight lost yards.

At 6:18, the Chiefs punted to the Bear 22. Two times in the ensuing drive, the Chiefs defense jumped offsides and Fromm completed first-down passes. From the SH 41, Amari Colbert broke away from the secondary and took an open touchdown catch at 3:46 until halftime. The PAT did not go in, keeping the game at 20-0.

But first halves by the Bears never end quietly, and Riley’s sack put Sequoyah at 4th-and-14. The punter had to run with the football, only covering half the needed distance. Houston had only 27 yards to go, and Anderson made a catch on the 10 and fought his way over the line. Ingram ran in the 2-point conversion for 28-0.

At 1:26, the Chiefs were on the scoreboard when Austin twice went up top to Williams. It gave him 67 yards altogether, including a 36-yard touchdown. This PAT missed, so at the half the visitors were down 28-6.

Fromm stood at 324 passing yards for the half. He kept his throwing to a minimum in the third quarter, but it was Houston’s ball for the beginning. Quick-side tackle Josh Sisco made great blocks on catches by Payton Johnson and Ingram to move the ball 38 yards.

From the SH 30, Ingram scored on a right-tackle blast. It was the seventh play of the drive, and Fromm ran in for two points and 36-6.

Sequoyah answered with Miller going 41 yards on the kickoff return and Austin scrambling for his life and a 3rd-and-8 conversion of 26 yards on the HC 26. In double coverage, Rakestraw came up with the touchdown catch at 8:18 (36-12).

The game’s final scoring was Houston’s nine-play, 76-yard drive with five carries by Ingram and Searcy’s third-down catch of 18 yards by the sideline. Daniel Jackson and Simeon Tanner, on the strong side, made a big hole for Ingram’s 19-yard run, and Fromm even ran for 15 after a play-fake.

Ingram plunged in from one out at 5:49, and Strevig made the PAT.

Taisler and Steadman had major defensive impact in the second half, and Robby McCoy crashed into Zach Start trying a jet sweep on fourth down for four lost yards. Taisler sacked Austin on the first play of the fourth quarter after the Bears lost a second fumble.

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