FERRIDAY — It wasn’t defense or offense that brought the Ferriday season to an end Friday night.

The Trojans learned the hard way that special teams play can win football games.

Pope John Paul II kicker Teddy Macke nailed a 45-yard field goal midway through the third quarter that proved to be the difference in a 17-14 Jaguars victory.

The game began with a scoring frenzy, with 20 points in seven minutes. However, the Jaguars defense shut out the Trojans after the first quarter.

Ferriday managed two touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game, scoring easily on the Jaguars’ defense.

Jarvis Brooks managed to score on the game’s opening drive with a 4-yard run, and Alfred Brown scored a 71-yard bomb on the Trojans’ second drive.

De’Vante Scott seemed unstoppable at times. He rushed for 165 yards on 21 carries; however, he did not manage to reach the end zone. Scott also made some key stops on defense, especially on third down

After the two first quarter touchdowns, Ferriday’s offense stalled and the defense could not get off the field. Pope John Paul II maintained possession of the ball throughout most of the game with many third and fourth down conversions.

The Jaguars had a game plan that Ferriday could not seem to stop. A fourth down conversion on the ground and a fourth down conversion through the air, both from punt formations, were key to the outcome of the game. Both conversions lead to eventual touchdowns by the Jaguars.

“We talked about (the tricky plays) all week long,” Ferriday head coach Chad Harkins said. “We knew they were going to pull some tricks (on us).”

The Jaguars’ first possession of the game stalled on third down, but a fake punt for a first kept the drive alive, leading to an eventual 3-yard run by quarterback Clyde Perkins.

The second fake punt of the game came on a 21-yard pass from Perkins to Sean Bruhn, leading to Perkins’ second rushing touchdown of the game from 11 yards out.

Perkins had a better game than what his stats indicated. Had he not fallen on a high snap that resulted in an 18-yard loss, he would have had almost 100 yards. Instead, the elusive quarterback settled for 64 yards and two scores.

The defense of Ferriday seemed unprepared for what the Jaguars threw at them. Misdirection plays led to Perkins scrambling and making would-be tacklers miss, and Quinn Fiore pounded the ball between the tackles for 79 yards on 16 carries.

“I don’t know what our story was. We didn’t show up tonight,” Harkins said. “Pope John Paul was prepared. They did a better job. We were out-coached and out-played.”

Despite giving up more yardage, PJP II made play when it mattered, too.

Near the end of the first half, Guy Sergi intercepted a pass from Zu’Raine Thompson on a drive that the Trojans were threatening to score on. Thompson’s next pass in the second half was intercepted by Michael Waller. That interception led to the Macke’s eventual game-winning field goal.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, The Trojans’ defense forced a punt by the Jaguars, giving their offense another shot at taking the lead.

However, Thompson’s pass was once again intercepted, this time by Michael Calongne. The interception and a failed fourth down conversion with 30 seconds left ended Ferriday’s chances of advancing in the playoffs.