Jenks' Steven Parker catches a pass in front of Union's Jack Alspaugh during Jenks' 20-16 victory Friday over Union. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
After each amazing MidFirst Bank Backyard Bowl finish, I am always asked how the latest edition stacks up with previous thrillers.
Cooper Nunley's 76-yard TD pass to Dylan Harding that gave Jenks a 20-16 victory over Union on Friday night ranks among the very best in the regular-season portion of the series between the two schools that have combined to win the past 17 Class 6A state titles.
In some ways, the 2013 classic may have provided the most stunning finish. The three other games that I have ranked above it were high-scoring affairs. In contrast, points were hard to produce on Friday. Although the Jenks-Union rivalry has taught followers to expect anything, it just didn't seem very likely that Jenks would be able to go from its own 19 with a sophomore quarterback (Cooper Nunley) in the final 1:05 with no timeouts. It would be tough enough to even get into position for a tying field goal.
In the Union-Jenks rivalry, every time it seems that you can't see a more fantastic game, another comes along that is better with an even more amazing finish.
"Mindboggling," Jenks coach Allan Trimble said about yet another stunning last-minute reversal of fortune in this rivalry.
Below is how I rank the regular-season meetings between Jenks and Union:
1. Union 43, Jenks 42 (2007): This is the most-watched game in the series thanks to NFL Films. It gets the edge because not only did each team score a TD in the final 100 seconds, but this one had extended drama with overtime after Brandon Rogers' 13-yard TD pass to Tracy Moore with 17 seconds left. Jeremy Smith's 5-yard TD run and Tress Way's extra-point kick won it in OT. Fifty-four points were scored after the third period.
2. Jenks 48, Union 44 (2005): A near-replay of the 2000 game as Jenks' Isaac Norman scored on a 63-yard TD from Jake Strain with 18 seconds left - only 16 seconds after Union had taken the lead. This one, which had 42 points in the fourth quarter, included more twists as Jenks trailed three times after taking a 14-0 lead. In 2000, Union led all the way until the last two minutes.
3. Jenks 41, Union 37 (2000): Kejuan Jones' fifth TD of the game came when he took a short pass from Scott McCoy and raced to glory down the sideline on an 80-yard play with 8 seconds left - only 13 seconds after Union took the lead.
4. Jenks 20, Union 16 (2013): With 2:44 left, it appeared Jenks would probably not even get the ball back for a chance at a winning TD as the Trojans were out of time outs after Union picked up a first down on a penalty.
5. Union 27, Jenks 24 (1999): Jay Felker caught a 10-yard TD pass from Tyler Gooch to win it in OT before an overflow crowd at Union. Gooch's 6-yard TD run tied the game in the last minute.
Best of the rest: Smith's overtime TD run gave Union a 24-17 win in 2008, Richie Calmus' 2-yard TD run with 29 seconds left gave Jenks a 37-30 win in 1994 and Danny Morris' six TDs keyed Union's 55-45 win in '98.
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Barry Lewis
Jenks Senior Steven Parker is widely regarded by major college football recruiters as one of the top safeties in the nation.
Week 1 can often set the tone for a high school football team's season.
