“We faced some adversity there,” Houseman said. “I’m just proud of my team. We didn’t complain. We made things happen. It was a great football game right there.”
Houseman went 34-for-48 for 358 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 83 yards and two TDs on the ground as the Jets improved to 3-0.
The Jets were able to hang on for the victory despite five turnovers and 16 penalties for 180 yards.
“Our kids just kept on driving,” said Jets coach Jake Buchholtz. “I couldn’t be prouder of how they finished off that game tonight. It’s going to be a learning tool. … I wouldn’t be surprised if we see (Greeneview) later on in the year. When we needed a play, we made one and we got out of here with a win.”
Rams senior Cole DeHaven rushed for 96 yards and two TDs and sophomore Cooper Payton added another rushing TD, Greeneview fell to 2-1.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” said Greeneview coach Ryan Haines. “Those games are fun. Obviously, the disappointing thing is that someone’s got to lose.”
Payton scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter to give the Rams a 7-0. A few minutes later, Houseman scored on a 2-yard run to tie the game 7-7 at the half.
The Jets took the lead early in the fourth quarter when Houseman hit senior Dylan Haggy on a 16-yard TD pass to make it 14-7. Haggy caught eight passes for 169 yards in the game, most of which came as Houseman found his way out of the pocket.
“He always seemed to find the opening,” Houseman said. “I was scrambling and he’d find me. When that happens, it’s hard to beat that. When somebody’s open, I’m going to find them.”
The Rams tied the game on a 30-yard TD run by DeHaven with 3:32 remaining.
In the final three minutes, each team threw two interceptions as they were driving to win the game.
After Houseman’s TD in overtime, Greeneview responded with an 8-yard TD run by DeHaven. The Rams opted to attempt the 2-point conversion to win the game, but DeHaven’s pass to senior Ashtan Hendricks was broken up by junior Johnny Jones to seal the victory for the Jets.
“I thought we had the home crowd behind us so I went ahead and rolled the dice,” Haines said. “I’d do it again. I told our guys after the game that they’ve had warrior mentalities for months with me. I’d do it again in a heartbeat because I have so much faith in them.”
While the Jets were disappointed with their miscues, Houseman was proud of his teammates for coming up big in the overtime.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a couple times,” Houseman said. “We had faith in our defense and the defense stepped up when needed. The defense just clutched the game up and I couldn’t be prouder.”
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