FLORISSANT, Mo. - McCluer North gained seven yards twice in Friday's 47-0 loss to the Jefferson City Jays. Those were the longest plays of the game for the Stars, until a 43-yard run on the last play.
If Tarron Gregory didn't run up the middle for those 43 yards as the clock was winding down, McCluer North would have ended the game with negative yardage.
"Defensively, wow," Jays coach Ted LePage said. "We felt like we were going to be pretty strong defensively. Our defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and our linebackers scraped real well. Very, very impressed with our defense."
The Stars finished the game with two first downs, both coming in the fourth quarter.
The Jays took advantage of the six 3-and-outs McCluer North had, scoring three touchdowns on drives of less than 30 yards.
The Stars averaged 23.7 yards per punt, giving the Jays prime field position.
Jefferson City's fourth score of the game came on a four-play, 27-yard drive.
Maleek Jackson and quarterback Devin Roberson got it started with runs of nine and 13 yards, respectively. After a 2-yard run by Jackson, Roberson finished it off with a 3-yard touchdown, his second rushing score of the game.
The PAT was blocked, keeping it 27-0 with 6:49 left in the second quarter.
The Jays extended the lead to 41-0 by halftime, capping a 29-yard drive with a Jackson 3-yard run, his second of the game. Jackson led the Jays with 88 rushing yards on 15 carries.
It was the Jays' sixth straight drive ending in the end zone after turning it over on downs on the opening possession of the game.
It would have been the seventh if a holding penalty didn't negate a 25-yard touchdown pass from Roberson to tight end Ian Cote.
"I felt after that we executed very well," LePage said.
Jefferson City gained 48 yards on the ground during the opening drive, and the rushing attack kept going the rest of the way.
Seven of the Jays' 38 rushes went for 10 yards or more, including an 18-yard score for Jackson to make it 21-0 with 8:57 left in the second quarter.
"That was a really pretty run," LePage said. "He's going to just develop more and more."
Roberson had TD runs of 1 and 3 yards, and totaled 47 yards on nine attempts. K.D. Rosser, who scored the first TD of the game on a 5-yard run at the 3:47 mark of the first quarter, rushed for 51 yards on eight carries.
In all, Jefferson City ran it for 194 yards on 38 attempts behind an offensive line that included two sophomores, two juniors and a senior. All but one made their first start Friday.
Skyler Bohannon, a junior, was unable to start because of a migraine. Blake Moore, a sophomore, started his his place.
"All of of sudden we're sitting there thinking, 'Oh gosh,'" LePage said. "Here's Ian (Cote) out there and he's directing traffic in his first start. He's got two sophomore tackles starting with him. He did a good job directing traffic and he caught the ball really well."
Cote, making his first start at tight end as a junior, caught two passes for 23 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Cote was one of four Jays with two receptions. Roberson completed 8-of-14 passes for 80 yards in his first start.
"We missed on a couple deep balls," LePage said. "I think with a little more touch and a little bit more timing, those are going to be pretty special plays for us."
Jefferson City (1-0) will try to start 2-0 for the second straight season as it heads back to the St. Louis area to play fourth-ranked Kirkwood (1-0), the defending Class 6 state champion.
Game time is 7 p.m. Friday
"How often do you get to play the defending state champ in your second game?" LePage said. "Like I told our players, we get to play anybody and everybody. State champs, doesn't matter. They've got to line up and play us too."
Notes: Mitchell Huston and Nik Williams each recovered a fumble for the Jays. Khalil Foster picked off a pass early in the second quarter. All three turnovers turned into touchdowns. Sophomore kicker Ben Folz made 5-of-7 PATs. One miss was blocked after a bad snap and another hit off the post. He also had one punt of 45 yards, which was fumbled and recovered by Huston. "It's just a situation of him getting a little more experience," LePage said.