PREP FOOTBALL: Burton trounces Haysi

NORTON, Va. – J.I. Burton always seemed to be a step ahead of Haysi.

Jaycob Coleman always seemed to be two steps ahead of everybody.

Coleman scored five touchdowns to lead the Raiders to a 54-17 rout of Haysi in the Region D, Division 1 semifinals Friday night at Lawson-Fitchco Stadium.

The speedy senior scored on runs of 32, 50 and 8 yards, respectively, and hauled in two touchdown passes from Devin Talley, one for 55 yards in the first period and one for 74 yards in the second quarter as J.I. Burton built a 28-3 halftime lead and cruised to the win.

Coleman finished with 346 all-purpose yards, including 167 yards on 11 rushing attempts and 171 more on four pass receptions. The five TDs were a career high.

“I didn’t realize I scored that many (touchdowns),” Coleman said. “I just let the game come to me. I’m glad it happened in the last game I played on my home field, with all my friends. I’m glad we went out with a bang.”

J.I. Burton (10-1) will meet today’s Clintwood-Thomas Walker winner in the Region D, Division 1 finals Nov. 22 at UVa.-Wise. The Raiders will take some offensive momentum with them after amassing 536 yards of total offense Friday.

Talley ran for one touchdown and was 4-of-6 passing, with all four of his completions going to Coleman. Martinez Miles ran 13 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Alex Mazza added a 52-yard TD run for the Raiders’ only fourth-quarter points.

“Our offense executed pretty well,” J.I. Burton coach Jimbo Adams said. “The kids did what we asked them to do.”

Senior place-kicker Allen Owens made it a memorable night for Haysi fans by booting a Region D record 49-yard field goal on the final play of the first half and by breaking the VHSL career record for extra point kicks with two P.A.T. boots on Friday. Owens broke the career record of 173 extra points set by former Lafayette High School and University of Virginia kicker Connor Hughes in 2001.

Haysi (8-3) had opportunities to stay with Burton on the scoreboard in the first half, driving to the Raider 30-yard line before turning the ball over on downs in the first quarter and driving inside the 20 in the second period, before Talley intercepted a Chris Fleming pass at the goal line. The Tigers could not, however, stop the Raiders assortment of jet sweeps, counters and reverses.

“We missed a couple of opportunites in the first half,” veteran Haysi coach James Colley said. “But, we just didn’t have an answer for [Burton’s] speed.

“They have a great offense, they’ve got lots of weapons, with Miles and Coleman and their quarterback [Talley], they’re well-coached. And people don’t realize how good they are on defense.”

Fleming was 21-of-36 passing for 211 yards and two touchdowns. The junior quarterback tossed an 11-yard TD pass to Justin Blair in the third period and a 13-yarder to Joe Barton in the fourth. Joe Yates hauled in eight balls for 70 yards, while Owens caught seven passes for 86 yards.

“Allen Owens has been with us for four years, and he’s just a super kid,” Colley said of his record-breaking senior. “You couldn’t ask for a better effort from him, on offense, defense or kicking the ball.”

Haysi 0 3 7 7–17
J.I. Burton 14 14 20 6–54

Scoring Summary
JIB-Coleman 32 run (Godsey kick)
JIB-Talley 4 run (Godsey kick)
JIB-Coleman 50 run (Godsey kick)
JIB-Coleman 55 pass from Talley (kick failed)
H-Owens 49 FG
JIB-Coleman 74 pass from Talley (Godsey kick)
JIB-Miles 22 run (Godsey kick)
H-Blair 11 pass from Fleming (Owens kick)
JIB-Coleman 8 run (Godsey kick)
H-Barton 13 pass from Fleming (Owens kick)
JIB-Mazza 52 run (run failed)
Team Stats
First Downs: Haysi 21, JIB 20; Rushes-Yards: Haysi 28-108, JIB 37-365; Passing Yards: Haysi 211, JIB 171; Comp-Att-Int: Haysi 21-36-1, JIB 4-6-0; Fumbles-Lost: Haysi 1-1, JIB 1-0; Penalties-Yards: Haysi 3-30, JIB 5-42; Punts-Average: Haysi 2-34.5, JIB 1-18.0.