Click Here to link to the Oklahoman Photo Gallery of the Jenks Union game. You must register to view the gallery, however there is no cost. Jenks beats Tulsa Union with late fourth-quarter TD By Andrew Gilman The Oklahoman TULSA - The Tulsa Union student stood motionless and silent well after Thursdays game ended. Meanwhile, Jenks Isaac Norman fell to the fake Skelly Stadium grass, his hands going to the side of his helmet like he couldnt believe what had just happened. Neither could anyone else for that matter. Jenks beat Tulsa Union 48-44, getting the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left, in the latest and now the greatest chapter in Oklahomas best rivalry game in front of 15,110 fans. Im speechless, said Jenks quarterback Jake Strain. Its just awesome. Speechless because Jenks scored 28 fourth-quarter points, all coming in the last 6:32 erasing a 17-point fourth-quarter Union lead. Awesome because the last Jenks touchdown came on a 64-yard pass from Strain to Norman just 16 seconds after Union took an improbable 44-41 lead. I dont know how it finds a way to do what it does, said Union coach Bill Blankenship describing a rivalry which apparently, in Blankenships mind, has a life of its own. I think that was the best $7 ticket you could get tonight. Kejuan Jones went 80 yards on a slant pass in the final 21 seconds of the 2000 game between Jenks and Union, giving Jenks a 41-37 win. Unions Tyler Gooch led his team to a last-minute touchdown in the 1999 regular-season game before Union beat Jenks 27-24 in overtime. And last year, Andrew Brewer of Jenks tipped away what would have been the game-winning touchdown in the closing moments of a 17-13 Trojan victory in the regular season. It just reminds me of so many of these matchups in the past, Blankenship said. But back to the present. Third-ranked Jenks moved to 2-0 on the season and beat top-ranked Union for third time in the teams past four meetings. Jenks led 14-0 after one quarter, trailed 15-14 at halftime and fell behind 37-20 with 10:32 to play. But from there, Union couldnt hold on to the ball or on to the lead. Jenks parlayed three touchdowns in a 2:56 stretch into a 41-37 lead with 3:06 left. Union fumbled the ball away twice in the fourth quarter, but managed to rally after Jenks took its first lead since the first quarter. Union went 80 yards on nine plays, converting a fourth-and-13 along the way, getting the final 10 on a Casey Whorton to Kegon Beers touchdown pass with 34 seconds left. That meant a 44-41 Union lead. After an 11-yard pass to Brandon McLaurin on first down, Strain found Norman behind the defense and Norman went untouched the rest of the way for a 64-yard touchdown. All I was thinking was, Catch the ball, Norman said. We executed, and by the grace of God we won. And the Trojans won thanks to outlasting Union. Jenks had 462 yards of offense compared to Unions 391, and Jenks won thanks to surviving Unions Jake Borgsmiller and Renard Johnson. Borgsmiller caught 11 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson ran for 209 yards and a touchdown. I just keep thinking of 2000, Jenks coach Allan Trimble said of the earlier Jenks thriller over Union. I guess thats why you tee it up. Jenks relishes comeback triumph over Tulsa Union in an instant classic By Andrew Gilman The Oklahoman TULSA - While Isaac Norman talked about the grace of God and miracles, Jenks coach Allan Trimble just shook his head in disbelief. At the other end of the field, Tulsa Union coach Bill Blankenship only smiled and talked about a rivalry which seems to get bigger and better each time Jenks and Union meet. Thursday at Skelly Stadium, Union lost, Jenks won -- a 48-44 instant classic -- and a day after what has to be the best game between the two high school powers, two realizations were apparent. Jenks is back. Past performance is not indicative of future outcomes. A week after Jenks struggled past Class 5A's Bixby 17-10, the Trojans were sensational against top-ranked Union. Jenks let a 14-point lead slip, then it rallied from 17-points behind in the fourth quarter. The Trojans scored 28 points in the final quarter, all coming in the final 6:32 of the game. The win pushes third-ranked Jenks to 2-0 on the season and widens its lead in the all-time series against Union to 27-11. But Thursday's win at Skelly Stadium wasn't exactly a determining point for where these teams will finish. In fact, the winner of the regular season game between the Class 6A teams has lost the past five times when the teams have played again in the same season. Jenks won last season's regular- season game 17-13, only to lose to Union in the final. Union won the 2003 regular-season game 37-0, only to lose to Jenks in the semifinal. "Win or lose, I was going to give the same speech," Blankenship said of what he said to his kids after the game. Union's season isn't over: That's the solace the Redskins will take into their game Friday at Muskogee after allowing the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left -- and just 16 seconds after Union had taken a 44-41 lead. And now Jenks has to guard against a letdown against Springdale, Ark., and its quarterback Mitch Mustain next week. Mustain is listed as the second-best quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com and is an Arkansas commitment. Springdale is ranked No. 16 in the country by USA Today and has already beaten powerful Evangel Christian Academy (La.) this season. | 
