Jacks improve to 2-1 after defeating Salmen, 39-20

Talyn Williams scores a rushing touchdown against Franklinton High School on September 1, 2023. Shacarra Ishman/The Bogalusa Tribune.

SLIDELL, Louisiana - The Jacks traveled to Slidell for a second consecutive week to take on the Salmen Spartans and walked away with a 39-20 victory to improve their record to 2-1.

On the first offensive play for the Lumberjacks, quarterback Ashon Levi, connected with Desmond Ramirez Jr. for an 81-yard touchdown and Bogalusa took an early 7-0 lead. Levi finished the game with five total touchdowns and 409 all-purpose yards.

Levi finished the game with 185 rushing yards with four touchdowns on 22 carries and 224 yards in the air with one score on 12-of-27 passing. "We came in with a plan, and we made some adjustments at halftime and we never took our foot off the gas," Levi said. "It feels good to get our first road win on the road.

Bogalusa’s Dyron Jackson, who also had an interception, muffed the kick but scooped up the ball and returned it 80 yards to set the halftime score.

At the half, Bogalusa led 27-14 but the Spartan defense kept the Salmen in the game by stopping Bogalusa on fourth down twice in Salmen territory to give their offense great field position. However, the Spartan offense could not capitalize and get things going.

Salmen fumbled a hand-off that Bogalusa's Tivon Jerry recovered, it was the beginning of another episode of the Ashton Levi Show. Levi found Lance Jackson for a 48-yard completion that set up the Jacks for a 4-yard touchdown run by Levi.

Ayden Sampson kept things going for the Lumberjack defense after he intercepted a pass setting up Levi for his fifth touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter. “We’ve been preaching about finishing, and I think they did a good job of finishing tonight,” Bogalusa coach Cyril Crutchfield said. “We’ve got some things to clean up, but it was a good win. Ashton (Levi) is our Thomas the Tank engine. He makes the train go, and we feed off of him. Everything he does is not a surprise, and he made some plays tonight.”

The Lumberjacks (2-1) took advantage of every Salmen mistake to build a 27-14 halftime lead. First, Bogalusa scored on its first offensive play for a 7-0 lead. Then, after Sampson recovered a fumbled Salmen handoff, Levi scored his first rushing touchdown on a 6-yard run. The Spartans answered with a one-play drive as Cameron Dorsey found Kaileb Rayford in the flat, and he outran the defense for a 49-yard score to cut the lead to 14-7. But once again, Levi took over as Bogalusa drove 73 yards in nearly five minutes, capped by a 7-yard Levi scoring run.

After a three-game road stretch to open the season, the Jacks will host John Ehret for their home opener on Friday, September 22nd at 7:00 PM.

SCORE BY QUARTERS Bogalusa | 7 | 20 | 0 | 12 — 39 Salmen | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 — 20

SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter BOG: Desmond Ramirez 81 pass from Ashton Levi (Dyron Jackson kick), 9:31, 7-0

Second Quarter BOG: Levi 6 run (pass failed), 10:28, 13-0 SAL: Kaileb Rayford 49 pass from Cameron Dorsey (Baha Barakat kick), 8:13, 13-7 BOG: Levi 7 run (Dyron Jackson run), 3:25, 21-7 SAL: Jacobi Jefferson 5 run (Barakat kick), 1:10, 21-14 BOG: Jackson 80 kickoff return (run failed), 56.6, 27-14

Third Quarter No scoring.

Fourth Quarter BOG: Levi 4 run (run failed), 9:56, 33-14 BOG: Levi 6 run (kicked failed), 8:54, 39-14 SAL: Jaylun Robinson 36 pass from Dorsey (pass failed), 7:46, 39-20