Quincy ends season on high note

by Tony Vehrs<br>Herald Staff Writer
| November 6, 2006 8:00 PM

Jacks hold off Toppenish for victory

QUINCY — Coming out of the halftime break with a 19-0 lead, Quincy appeared to be in position to pick up their first win of the season Friday night over a hapless Toppenish squad.

However, after the Wildcats drove the opening possession of the second half down the field to close the score to 19-8, Quincy supporters couldn't help but fear the possibility of yet another difficult defeat in what has been a long season for the Jacks.

"I had a pit in my stomach after they scored," said Quincy head coach Bill Alexander. "I had a pit in my stomach the entire second half."

Rather than let another potential victory slip through their grasps, the Jacks regained their composure, dug down deep, and made enough plays down the stretch to secure a 19-8 victory on senior night.

"It wasn't pretty, but our seniors needed a win big time," the Quincy coach said of his players, some of which were overcome with emotion after the game. "You can see it in the emotion in the kids' faces how much this means."

"Nick Melburn, Zac Bishop, Kevin Biersner; all the seniors played their hearts out tonight," said Alexander of his team's hard-fought victory. "A lot of the other kids played their hearts out for the seniors as well."

After Toppenish scored, Quincy re-established control of the game with an 11-play drive that ended deep in Wildcat territory on a failed fourth-down conversion. Colby Melburn ran up the middle on a fourth-and-two near midfield for a first down to keep the drive alive, and later made a great catch of a ball thrown behind him on an out route that resulted in another first down.

Early in the fourth quarter, a fake punt attempt by Toppenish on a fourth-and-19 was read and covered for no gain by the Jacks, ending another Wildcat drive. With just over three minutes to play, Toppenish ran a reverse on fourth down that was once again smothered by the Jacks' defense. With time running down, Jesse Gonzales intercepted a deep Toppenish pass that effectively put an end to the game.

The Quincy defense, which played well enough to hold on for the victory in the second half, was dominant in the first half of play.

Toppenish did not register a first down until a quarterback scramble with 46 seconds to play before halftime finally moved the chains for the Wildcats. The Quincy defense held Toppenish to just 17 yards of total offense in the first half, forcing three three-and-outs and recovering a Wildcat fumble that led to a Jacks touchdown.

The Quincy offense also started the game strong, with Zac Bishop breaking off a 44-yard run that put the Jacks in a first-and-goal situation on their first possession. While Quincy eventually turned the ball over on downs, they would score on their next drive.

On the Jacks' second possession, Bishop picked up a big fourth-down catch to keep the drive alive, then Melburn caught a Gonzales pass on an out pattern and turned the ball up field for a 19-yard touchdown reception to make it 7-0.

In the second quarter, Quincy engineered a 72-yard drive that ended on a 5-yard touchdown run by Bishop that extended the Jacks' lead to 13. Early in the drive, Quincy got out of a first-and-19 hole when Melburn took a screen pass 29 yards up field and into Wildcat territory.

Quincy's final touchdown came when Melburn took a carry from the 2-yard line up the middle and then bounced out to the right side to get into the end zone.

While there will be no playoffs for Quincy, the Jacks walked off the field Friday with their heads held high, finally reaping the rewards of a season full of hard work.

"We're going to finish the season on a win streak," said Alexander.