Pioneer running back Cameron Jewell (2) works his way through a tough Eastmoor Warrior front as the offense attempts to pick up some momentum in the second half. JA fell to the Warriors, 35-7, in the Division III playoff opener. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
Jonathan Alder ended its 2021 football season Friday night, falling to Columbus Eastmoor Academy 35-7.
The verdict came in the Division III, Region 11 state playoffs.
The Pioneer offense struggled to finish drives.
“We knew they were going to be really tough upfront — they are big and very physical,” JA head coach Nathan Snedeker said. “We just came up short tonight.”
Field conditions were muddy at the start of the first-round playoff matchup. With a slight drizzle coming down, Jonathan Alder moved to its running game to start its first offensive series.
After receiving the opening kickoff, Pioneer running back Cameron Jewell rustled his way to a first down. moving the ball roughly 11 yards. However, it was a short series as JA punted to the Warriors, who started on their own 30-yard line.
JA held Eastmoor and started its second offensive series after a punt.
Attempting to catch the Warriors slipping, JA called a screen pass.
It was, however, read perfectly by the opposing defensive line.
Eastmoor’s Giguere Collier interceped the ball at JA’s 31-yard line.
Alder eventually held the Warriors. Eastmoor turned the ball over after falling short on fourth down.
On offense again, Jewell took an outside handoff and ran for decent yardage.
However, the Pioneers gave the pigskin back on a fumble as time slowly ran out in the first quarter.
Eastmoor Academy scored the first touchdown of the matchup with roughly 6:30 left to go in the second quarter. The Warriors eventually scored again, pushing out to a 14-0 advantage.
“Keep fighting,” is what Snedeker told his team at the halfway mark. “[We wanted] to take away some of the big runs they had in the first half.”
JA’s initial second-half possession did not go as planned as the Pioneers punted back to Eastmoor.
However, the offense went back out after Hank Shoemaker’s punt was fumbled by the Warrior’s Devin Lloyd.
The game proceeded into the fourth quarter with Jonathan Alder now trailing by a 28-0 count.
The Pioneers marched and found themselves knocking at the goal line. Just five yards out, Taber Headings handed off to Jewell, who scored JA’s only touchdown with 8:30 on the timer.
Charlie Aurin booted the extra point for JA.
After the score, Alder recovered the onside kick, finding some life with the ball in its hands.
However, the possession ended much like the others as the Pioneers turned over the ball on fourth down.
The JA defensive unit stayed vigilant until the end, jumping on a pair of Warrior fumbles in the second half.
“Our defense has been the heart of our team all season long,” Snedeker said.
However, with the Alder offense being confronted for most of the night, Eastmoor advanced to the next round of the state playoffs.
Starting out 0-3, this season has been an emotional rollercoaster for the Pioneers.
However, the team remained faithful to its system and earned its right for playoff action as a No. 10 seed.
With a core group of seniors leaving the program, players embraced each other after the game.
“This group collectively is just a good group of kids… and these seniors, I am going to be forever grateful,” Snedeker said.
“I wish I could keep them all next year.”
With Snedeker’s first year as head coach in the books, he and his staff look to cultivate their talent while learning from this past season’s ups and downs.