Jordan football defeats Fairfax with another wild finish, more fireworks from Damian Henderson

LOS ANGELES — Jordan made large play aft large play Thursday night, turning a tight, alternatively methodical clash astatine Fairfax into expansive amusement and pulling distant to what mightiness person been a three-touchdown triumph successful a crippled not astir truthful lopsided.

Damian Henderson scored 3 spectacular touchdowns — 1 connected a punt instrumentality and different connected a kickoff instrumentality — arsenic the Panthers’ peculiar teams took complaint successful the 2nd fractional of a 36-20 triumph that wasn’t definite until the last minutes.

Jordan (2-1) took a 7-6 vantage into halftime, aft Henderson reversed tract connected a 10-yard tally connected third-and-goal adjacent the extremity of the 2nd quarter.

The Panthers extended it to 14-6 connected a bizarre, 17-yard punt instrumentality by Dylan Falefitu astatine the commencement of the 2nd half, past got the amended of a wild, give-and-take fourth-quarter fight.

The Panthers scored 4 fourth-quarter touchdowns, but lone 3 of them counted. The crippled ended with a 98-yard interception instrumentality by sophomore Deontae Tucker, but officials — with a emblem adjacent the Jordan 30 for roughing the passer — conscionable decided to adjacent things there.

“It was an awesome crippled … a chaotic game,” Jordan manager Tim Wedlow said. “These guys, they ne'er quit. They’re fighters and they showed again tonight.”

Both of the Panthers’ victories person travel from madcap finishes. They bushed Kennedy of La Palma successful overtime successful their opener, pulling retired a 47-46 triumph by stopping a two-point-conversion attempt.

Not each went truthful well. The Panthers were penalized 13 times for 95 yards, were inconsistent defensively, and backmost Makhi Travis was knocked retired of the crippled with a genu wounded connected Jordan’s penultimate violative play. His presumption won’t beryllium known until he’s examined much fully.

Fairfax (2-1) struck first, with Henry Prince uncovering Darren Tenner for a 9-yard people successful the country of the extremity portion connected third-and extremity and with conscionable 1 ft successful bounds. That wrapped a nine-play, 67-yard thrust astir a infinitesimal and a fractional into the 2nd quarter.

Jordan answered 2 possessions later, going 68 yards successful 10 plays.

Henderson took the handoff and swept right, past turned astir erstwhile confronted by respective defenders, winding to the near sideline and into the extremity zone. Jacob Hernandez’s other constituent provided a pb the Panthers would not surrender.

Falefitu’s 21-yard tally (while wearing No. 52) was a cardinal play connected that drive, and helium scored a touchdown aft Jordan stopped the Lions acold connected the archetypal thrust of the 2nd half. The ensuing punt was an adventure: The drawback went implicit the caput of Telmuun Odbaatar, who ran the shot down adjacent the extremity line, past attempted to footwear it successful stride but got conscionable a portion of it.

It bounced to the 17, and erstwhile cipher moved successful to prime it up oregon down it, Falefitu yet raced in, grabbed the shot and raced to the extremity zone.

Fairfax chopped the shortage to 2 points astatine the commencement of the 4th quarter, driving 63 yards — overmuch of it connected a 33-yard Prince-to-Tenner walk followed by a 12-yard Bryan Gregory tally — and capped by a fourth-down, 9-yard Prince propulsion to Jeremy Nievez-Mays.

Neither broadside did overmuch with their adjacent possessions, but Henderson provided a cushion with a 75-yard punt instrumentality a small much than midway done the quarter. It wasn’t truthful simple: He dropped the punt with respective Lions nearby, past scooped it up, recovered a seam and was gone. Travis pushed successful for 2 points aft a Fairfax offside punishment connected the PAT, and it was 22-12.

“When it came, I was like, ‘Ooh, should I effort to instrumentality it?’ ” Henderson said of the punt return. “It fell successful my hands, I dropped it, I was,’I got to marque it up.’ When I saw it was unfastened … (I was gone).”

Wedlow wasn’t surprised.

“He did that against Compton past year,” helium said, “and erstwhile helium did it, I conscionable enactment my hands up (in a touchdown motion). I said, ‘Oh, no, he’s going to score.’ And helium did.”

Fairfax again chopped the pb to 2 arsenic Prince deed Malik Keeles for 33 yards to commencement the adjacent drive, past recovered Tenner for 32 2 plays later. Prince went the last gait connected the adjacent play.

Henderson past returned the kickoff 85 yards for a nine-point edge, and Jeremie McGunn secured the triumph connected the Panthers’ adjacent possession, warring disconnected would-be tacklers en way to a 48-yard touchdown connected third-and-17.

McGunn ran for 74 yards connected 8 carries, and Henderson gained 49 connected 5 runs. Prince completed 15 of 38 passes for 160 yards for Fairfax.

Tenner caught 5 throws for 115 yards, which included a 27-yard zig-zag done Jordan’s defence connected a surface walk from Nievez-Mays aft Prince was shaken up connected a tackle. Gregory rushed 16 times for 91 yards.