A safety proved to be the deciding two-points for Junction City in a 22-21 win over Washburn Rural Friday night in Topeka.

The Blue Jay defense stopped the Junior Blues in the fourth quarter and forced a punt. A low snap sent the ball through the legs of the punter down near the Junction City goal line. Rather than fall on the ball deep in Washburn Rural territory, the punter kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone. It gave Junction City two points and the lead instead of the ball first and goal deep inside Junior Blues territory.

The win for Junction City capped off a major rally from a 21-7 deficit early in the fourth quarter and kept the Blue Jays 4-0 on the season, while Washburn Rural fell to 2-2.

Junction City Coach Randall Zimmerman said he was proud of the grit his team showed. “I’m very proud of the way Washburn Rural played. They played extremely well \. They’re extremely well coached, we said that all week long, they played very hard and our kids showed a tremendous grit, especially in  that fourth quarter.

The Blue Jays got two touchdown passes from quarterback in the win.

Junction City hosts Highland Park next Friday night.