COMPLETE STORY: Williams Rushes For 3 TDs In Homecoming Win Over Jensen Beach

SEBRING - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but it was a win.

Senior tailback T.J. Williams rushed 35 times for 222 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Sebring to a 31-17 homecoming victory over Jensen Beach on Friday night at Firemen's Field.

The win was important for the Blue Streaks, who rebounded nicely from last week's 35-0 loss to Frostproof, but numerous mental and physical mistakes by Sebring kept the Falcons in the game.

"I'm happy with the win, but we made a lot of mistakes on defense and on special teams and that bothers me," Blue Streak coach Jared Hamlin said. "There were so many little things that we didn't do well and we have to correct those things in a hurry because we start district play next week against Hardee."

The win improved the Class 3A Blue Streaks to 3-2 overall, while the Class 4A Falcons dropped to 0-5.

Jensen Beach recovered a short kickoff to start the game, but Sebring's defense forced a three-and-out and the Falcons punted.

The Blue Streaks took possession at their 7-yard line and with senior quarterback Steven Fortner making his first varsity start, marched 93 yards in 13 plays with Williams capping the drive with a 7-yard scoring jaunt.

The extra point by Sam Robinson put Sebring on top 7-0 with 5:12 remaining in the first period.
Jensen Beach answered with a scoring drive of its own.

The Falcons mixed the run and the pass to pick up a couple of first downs and sophomore quarterback John Glenn tossed a screen pass to tailback Gerald Footman, who broke two tackles and sprinted 64 yards for the score.

Footman finished with four receptions for 103 yards.

The point after by William Meyers tied the game at 7 with 1:29 remaining in the opening quarter.
After an exchange of punts, Sebring went to a little razzle- dazzle to take the lead for good.

On first down, Fortner pitched the ball back to Williams, who pulled up and fired a strike to a streaking Robinson, who had gotten behind the Jensen Beach defense.

Robinson outran the secondary for a 64-yard touchdown.

The extra point was wide left and the Blue Streaks led 13-7 with 9:33 remaining in the second period.
Jensen Beach failed to gain a first down and a poor Falcon punt gave Sebring excellent field position at its 48.

Williams carried seven times and finished the nine-play drive with a 1 yard scoring run.
The extra point was blocked and the Blue Streaks took a 19-7 lead into halftime.

On its second possession of the second half, Sebring shocked Jensen Beach with a sideline pass from Fortner to Robinson, who put a nifty move on a pair of Falcon defenders and sprinted 74 yards down the sideline to paydirt.

Fortner finished the night 2-for-2 in passing for 94 yards, and Robinson had two catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

"Steven came out here in his first start and did a great job," Hamlin said. "He managed the game well, completed both his passes and showed a lot of composure."

The point after was blocked, but the Blue Streaks led 25-10 with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter.
Jensen Beach refused to quit and cut into its deficit with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Glenn to Blair Johnson.

The extra point made it 25-17 with 9:15 remaining in the game.

The Falcons recovered a short kick, but the Sebring defense, which picked off three passes, rose to the occasion as senior defensive back Ronnie Brassell intercepted Glenn and returned the ball to the Blue Streak 46.

Sebring faced a fourth-and-4 and was going to punt, but an offsides penalty against the Falcons kept the drive alive.

The Blue Streaks capitalized as Williams carried the ball seven consecutive times and scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak for the clinching touchdown.

"We wanted to get the ball in T.J.'s hands and he did a great job of running and our offensive line did a better job of opening some holes for him tonight," Hamlin said. "We had a lot of people contribute to this win and we made a lot of big plays on offense and defense."

Sebring went for the two-point conversion, but Williams was stopped just short of the goal line.
Jensen Beach went to the air, but Brassell alertly picked off a tipped pass at the Falcon 35 to seal the win.

"It's always good to win, but we have to get focused and be prepared mentally and physically to give our best effort of the season against Hardee on Friday," Hamlin said. "We have to come out and be effective in all three phases of the game if we want to come away with a win."

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