Southridge defeats Belen Jesuit 17-7

Same matchup. Same round. Same venue. Different result.

Southridge avenged last season’s elimination by ousting Belen 17-7 in the Region 4-8A quarterfinals to advance to face South Dade in the regional semifinals.

The Spartans (7-4) capped a lengthy opening drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to junior UM commit Kemore Gamble and went up by two scores two plays later when Coemba Jones returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown off a hit on the quarterback by Nadarius Fagan — one of four takeaways for a Southridge defense that held Belen to 42 total yards and no completions on 10 pass attempts. Belen ends its season 7-4.

TOP TWO

Drakar Jerry: Finished with 132 passing yards and a touchdown on 9-of-18 passing.

Cliff Smith Jr.: Carried 22 times for 79 yards, and added 62 receiving yards.

THEY SAID IT

“I felt their pain from last year. I wanted to win this for them.” — Gamble

DAVID FURONES

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Southridge defeats Belen Jesuit 17-7."