Replay: Windmon does it all in last-minute John Ehret comeback over East Ascension

HARVEY – John Ehret is the alma mater of the player known as “Slash,” Kordell Stewart, because of the number of positions he could play on the field.

Perhaps Jacoby Windmon can make a claim to the moniker after playing multiple roles in rallying the Patriots to a 27-24 victory over East Ascension in a Class 5A quarterfinal Friday night at Hoss Memtsas Stadium, a game seen live on Crescent City Sports.

Fourth-seeded Ehret (12-1) advances to a 5A semifinal matchup next Friday at No. 1 seed West Monroe, which defeated the Patriots 44-20 on Aug. 31 in the season opener for both teams. The No. 5 seed Spartans ended their season at 11-2.

Windmon, a  6-foot-2, 220-pound senior whose position on the Ehret roster is “Athlete,” spent much of the night at receiver.

When starting quarterback Travis Mumphrey went down with leg cramps for the second time with 1:37 remaining and Ehret trailing 24-21, Windmon slid over to quarterback.

On his first play at QB, he broke away from two defenders, rolled right and found Ja’Ron Glenn for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 52 seconds left – the second Ehret touchdown in the final four minutes – to give the Patriots the lead.

“I wasn’t going down,” Windmon said. “I believed I could make that play. When (Mumphrey) went down, I had to step up.

“I practice how I play. In practice, I’m everywhere. Everywhere.”

“He’s a special athlete,” said Ehret coach Marcus Scott. “The only problem universities are going to have is where to put him.”

After a 35-yard PAT attempt missed, EA had a chance to tie with a field goal, but Windmon made sure that wouldn’t happen.

In the game for the final series at defensive end, Windmon sacked  Spartans quarterback Jason Wakefield on the final play to clinch the victory.

“My coach told me widen out, because I’m faster,” Windmon said. “As soon as I got around, I made the play.”

Windmon’s heroics capped a wild fourth quarter that began with Ehret still clinging to the 15-14 edge it took into halftime.

Alberto Ontiveros’ 22-yard field goal in the opening minute of the quarter gave the Spartans a 17-15 edge. On the ensuing possession, the Patriots drove from their 25 to a first-and-goal from the EA 10, but the Spartans’ defense stiffened and forced a 33-yard field goal attempt. The kick was blocked, scooped by  JaQunn Mitchell and returned 78 yards down the near sideline for a touchdown.

Suddenly, instead of Ehret regaining the lead, EA had a two-score edge, 24-15, with just 5:47 to play.

The Patriots got a 40-yard return from Brandon James on the ensuing kickoff and went 57 yards in six plays, with Mumphrey hitting Jordan Pickney for a 17-yard touchdown on a tipped pass with 4:06 left. A failed two-point attempt left the margin at three.

The final statistics showed the Patriots with a significant 440-123 edge in total yardage, but the Spartans were in position to win largely because of big plays on special teams and defense.

Ehret jumped to a 12-0 lead with touchdowns on two of its first three possessions – one on a Mumphrey-to-Deron Coleman pass and the other on a Mumphrey 12-yard run.

After a kickoff return to the 47, the Spartans got their initial first down on a double pass on a fourth-and-8 near midfield, which set up a 1-yard sneak by Wakefield.

An interception of Mumphrey by EA linebacker Derrick Smith was returned to the Ehret 37, and six plays later, Wakefield scored again from the 1 to give the Spartans their first lead, 14-12.

George Moreno’s 30-yard field goal pushed the Patriots back in front with 47 seconds left in the half.

Mumphrey accounted for 356 of the Patriots’ 440 yards, 294 through the air and 62 on the ground, before exiting. Coleman (128) and Pickney (109) each topped the 100-yard mark in receiving.

Not only was Mumphrey on the sideline at the end, but the Patriots played most of the night without leading rusher Damond Leonard, who left in the first half with a lower-body injury.

“It speaks to the character of our young men,” Scott said.

“It showed a lot in everybody, the character,” Windmon said. “We have talent everywhere. You’ve got to wait your time. When the time comes, you’ve got to make the play.”

Now the Patriots head back to the scene of their only defeat this year, 84 days ago.

“We have to take care of the ball and execute in the kicking game,” Scott said.