COLUMBIA - Only three points were scored following a turnover in Friday night's game between Jefferson City and Rock Bridge.
Those three points won the game for the Bruins.
After Tomisaac Johnson recovered a fumble in Jefferson City territory, Rock Bridge got inside the 15-yard line in eight plays to set up Jack Bower for a 27-yard field goal in the final minute for a 23-21 victory for the Bruins.
"If you lose the turnover battle you put yourself in a bad position trying to win a game," Jefferson City coach Scott Bailey said. " They won the turnover battle today and right there at the end it hurt us."
The Jays committed four of the game's six turnovers, but neither team could capitalize on the giveaways until the game-winning kick.
Rock Bridge began the game on its own 20-yard line and was in the end zone in nine plays.
A 28-yard quarterback keeper up the middle for Nathan Dent and a 12-yard connection from Dent to Max Vanatta preceded Bryce Jackson's 10-yard touchdown run that ended with him dragging players into the end zone with him.
The Jays answered right back.
Receiver Devin White took a handoff on a counter and ran 71 yards for a touchdown. Bassil Ahmed booted the PAT to tie it at 7 at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter.
The early back-and-forth battle continued with Rock Bridge driving down the field 64 yards in 11 plays, with Jackson capping it with a 3-yard walk into the end zone.
Bower's PAT made it 14-7.
Jackson carried the ball seven times for 38 yards on the drive.
After the teams traded punts, the Jays put together a 53-yard touchdown drive led by the passing attack of Seth Brooks.
Brooks completed a 6-yard pass to Marshaun Dye before squeezing a pass into Kevion Pendelton's hands for a 17-yard catch and run to reach the red zone.
On third-and-13, White ran across the field and got open just inside the 10-yard line and sprinted the rest of the way into the end zone for a 24-yard score.
"We just had a real good route combination and Devin is a really good athlete and Seth put it on him," Bailey said.
Ahmed's PAT tied the game at 14 with 6:31 left in the first half.
Neither team scored again until early in the fourth quarter when the Jays took their first lead of the game.
Starting at their own 13-yard line after a Rock Bridge punt, White gained 15 yards on a quick pass, Brooks ran it 11 yards on fourth-and-1 and White maneuvered through the Rock Bridge defense for a 45-yard touchdown run.
The lead was 21-14 after the PAT with 9:13 left.
"We're just trying to get the ball to the guys that can help us get first downs and score," Bailey said. "Devin is one of those guys."
On the ensuing drive, Payton Messer leaped over a defender near the pylon to grab a 21-yard touchdown pass from Dent to make it 21-20 with 5:43 left.
Pendelton blocked the PAT to keep the Jays ahead.
But the Jays' fumble on the next drive led to the winning field goal and Hudson Gibbs picked off a pass on the Jays' final drive to seal the Central Missouri Activities Conference victory.
Rock Bridge (3-0, 2-0 CMAC) will host Capital City (0-3, 0-2 CMAC) at 7 p.m. next Friday.
Jefferson City (0-3, 0-1 CMAC) will host Sedalia Smith-Cotton (0-3, 0-1 CMAC) at 7 p.m. next Friday for Homecoming at Adkins Stadium.