Bogalusa pulled off one of the longer offensive plays of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Lumberjacks fell to visiting Jewel Sumner 14-12 Friday night.

Trailing 14-6 with a little more than three minutes left in the game, Bogalusa faced third-and-2 from its own 9-yard-line. Quarterback Jay Baham completed a short pass to Javon Tate, and two Jewel Sumner defenders collided with each other trying to tackle Tate on the play. Tate broke away and eluded one last-ditch diving tackle by the Cowboys, ultimately scoring on a 91-yard touchdown reception.

O’Trevious Gatlin’s two-point conversion run came up short, but the Lumberjacks were still able to cut the lead to two points. However, the Cowboys converted a fourth-and-1 on their next possession and were eventually able to run the clock out.

Tate’s long reception was one bright spot in an otherwise rough night for the offense. Bogalusa lost three fumbles and had multiple penalties that stalled drives.

“The offense played like crap all night,” a frustrated Bogalusa coach Dave Roberts said after the game. “We just couldn’t get anything going. We didn’t block very well and we had way too many penalties.”

However, Roberts did credit the play of his defense. Both of Jewel Sumner’s scoring drives started after Bogalusa lost fumbles.

“It’s been the same all season,” he said. “Our defense has played great and kept us in game, but the offense lets us down.”

The Lumberjacks fell to 1-8 overall and finished District 7-3A play with a record of 1-3.

Jewel Sumner broke out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, after Bogalusa fumbled on the fourth play of its opening drive. The Cowboys took over at their own 36 and drove the ball down the field, as Jaquan Lee scored a 13-yard touchdown run with 7:08 remaining in the first. Dave Bryant added the extra point.

Bogalusa cut into the Cowboys’ lead in the second quarter. Baham completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Tillman with 9:23 on the clock. Baham failed on a two-point conversion pass, making it 7-6.

The game remained a one-point lead until the third quarter, when Jewel Sumner added a 7-yard touchdown run. Bryant’s extra point made it 14-6 with 3:04 left in the third.

Roberts said that it is too late in the season for his team to make the kinds of mistakes they made Friday.

“We are a young, immature football team,” he said. “It’s near the end of the season and we’re still making the same silly mistakes. There’s no excuse for that.”

Bogalusa will close out its regular season next Friday night, hosting Holy Cross in a non-district game.