Emporia High opened its homecoming game with a strong start Friday night at Welch Stadium, but Junction City rallied to take control and hand the Spartans a 32-6 loss in Centennial League play.
The Spartans put together an impressive opening drive that lasted nearly seven and a half minutes. The possession ended with quarterback Cael Claibourn connecting with Talon Kirk on a 54-yard touchdown pass, giving Emporia an early 6-0 lead after a failed two point try.
Emporia’s defense responded by forcing a turnover on downs on Junction City’s opening possession. However, the Spartans gave the ball back on a fumble at their own 19-yard line. The Blue Jays capitalized immediately, scoring on the very next play to eliminate the EHS advantage.
After Emporia punted for the first time this season, Junction City put together an 87-yard scoring drive to take a 13-7 lead into halftime.
The Blue Jays continued to build in the second half, scoring the final 32 points of the game.
Turnovers proved costly for the Spartans, who lost the turnover battle 3-0, with all three Emporia turnovers coming on fumbles.
EHS falls to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in Centennial League play.
The Spartans will look to bounce back next Friday when they hit the road to take on Washburn Rural.
