By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor

VINCENT – The Vincent Yellow Jackets weren’t able to overcome late mistakes in their final game of the 2019 football season, which led to a 41-14 loss to Class 4A Ashville on Friday, Nov. 1.

The Yellow Jackets were tied 14-14 late in the second quarter with a team two classifications higher, as they continued to show progress, but after driving inside the Ashville 5-yard line, the Jackets fumbled the snap and momentum completely changed.

“As bad as the record looked this year, we are competing and scrappy in every game,” Weatherford said. “This didn’t happen last year, so we are seeing improvement. Now, we just have to learn how to win.”

The visiting Bulldogs went on to score 27 unanswered points the rest of the way, as Vincent dealt with nagging injuries from the season that seemed to culminate at halftime, which led to several young players hitting the field for the Yellow Jackets in the second half.

But a bright spot for Vincent continued to be Tae McGregor, who returned the opening kickoff of the game 85 yards for a touchdown to give Vincent an early 7-0 advantage.

He also added an 80-plus yard touchdown run in the second quarter, which led to the Jackets being in that 14-14 tie game.

But with injuries and leading players unable to go in the second half, including one to McGregor, Vincent was unable to find any more explosive plays. That led to their young defense being on the field more in the half and to Ashville, who has more depth being two classifications higher, pulling away.

Vincent finished the 2019 season 2-8 overall, but lost three games by nine points or less and were two points away from a playoff berth. With a young group of players still learning what it takes, the Yellow Jackets will continue to grow and get better in the years to come with buy-in and belief.