JEFFERSON CITY - Jefferson City quarterback Brad Allen left school Friday afternoon feeling sick.
He must have gotten better quickly. Allen led the Jays (3-1) to a 49-12 victory over the Rock Bridge Bruins (1-3) on Friday. He ran for 164 yards on 12 carries and was 9-for-12 with 104 passing yards.
The Bruins are now 3-12 all-time against Jefferson City.
"Brad came into the game sick to his stomach," Jays' coach Ted LePage said. "He played his heart out."
The Jays, who entered the game ranked the No. 4 team in Class 6A , scored first with a six-yard touchdown pass from Allen to wide receiver Eric Holzbierlein with 54 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Bruins' Stuart Eiken rushed for a one-yard touchdown to cut the Jays' lead to 7-6 early in the second quarter. The Bruins managed to keep the game close - until the last minute of the first half. The two teams traded touchdowns to raise the score to 14-12, but Jefferson City ran away with the game from there.
Fifteen seconds made all the difference for Jefferson City.
Kody Walker rushed for a four-yard touchdown for the Jays with 56 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Bruins then gave Jefferson City prime field position after a muffed a kickoff return, setting up a C.J. Vaughan touchdown run with 41 seconds left until the break.
Jefferson City running back Aaron Terrill added two touchdowns of his own and Walker added another for the Jays, who rushed for 331 yards.
Rock Bridge coach A.J. Ofodile had a positive assessment of his team's performance after the game, despite the lopsided score.
"I don't think our physical capabilities were ever in question," he said. "I think we improved today. We gave some easy mistakes away."
Bruins' quarterback Darryn Hill posted his best performance of the season, going 14-for-25 for 198 passing yards and continuing a stretch of improved outings.
"Darryn made some good throws," Ofodile said. "He played well, and I can't fault him. He made some mistakes that a normal first-year quarterback makes."
Hill's biggest target was wide receiver Mack Cooper, who had six catches for 140 yards and a touchdown with a little less than two minutes left in the second quarter.
"We want to get the ball in his hands," Ofodile said of Cooper. "We want to get the ball in the hands of guys who make plays."
The Bruins play archrival Hickman at 7 p.m. Friday in the Providence Bowl at MU's Faurot Field.