Jenks beats arch-rival Tulsa Union to pick up first win on the season

Trojans ride huge first quarter to eventual victory in the 'Backyard Bowl'

Tulsa Union went into Friday's renewal of the "Backyard Bowl" rivalry with Jenks riding high at 2-0.

The Trojans, on the other hand, were an uncharacteristic 0-2.

But, Jenks proved the classic adage that record books can be thrown away in a rivalry game with a huge performance Friday night. The Trojans jumped out to a 28-0 first-half lead and held off a late Redhawk comeback to prevail, 31-24, at Allan Trimble Stadium.

Friday's win not only gave Jenks (1-2) its first win of the season, it also avenged a 38-3 loss to the Redhawks (2-1) in last year's "Backyard Bowl."

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Jenks couldn't have asked for a better start to Friday.

In the first quarter, they jumped out to a 21-0 lead while forcing three turnovers.

One of those, a pick-six from Shawn Phillips, gave the Trojans their 21-point advantage. Jenks also got TDs in the first quarter on Hudson Ball's short run and a halfback pass from Kaydin Jones to Ayden Christiansen.

Then, the Trojans extended it to 28-0 in the second quarter on a TD pass from Owen Jones to Corey Foreman.

Union finally got on the board late in the first half as tailback Jordan Schelling - a transfer from Jenks - rambled in from 64 yards out.

Then in the third quarter, the Redhawks crept closer. Another ex-Trojan, quarterback Shaker Reisig, connected with Brendon McQueen; then Davion Pickens returned an interception to cut Jenks' lead to seven, 28-21.

But the Trojans got a 47-yard field goal from Jack Franklin late in the third to push the lead back to double digits. Union got a 31-yard field goal from Jake Scarbrough with 7:19 left to make it a one-score game once more, but the Trojans were able to hang on, especially after Kaydin Jones converted a key third-down run with more than three minutes to play.

Photo of Jenks' Kaydin Jones by David Stone, On3.com