DURHAM — Jordan’s celebration of homecoming and its conference-opening 35-12 win over Apex came to a solemn end Friday.

With a little over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, an Apex football player suffered an injury that required on-field medical attention for an extended period of time. Coaches Rob Fronk of Apex and Antonio King of Jordan agreed to end the game early. An ambulance later arrived to transport the injured player.

“I really didn’t see a lot,” King, who also serves as Jordan’s athletic director, said. “I just saw the kid go down after the play was over, so I didn’t know what was happening.”

Said King, “We had already made the decision to go running clock before that happened. So after that, knowing we’re going to have to wait on an ambulance and all that with a running clock, we just said, ‘let’s call it.’”

Both teams gathered on the field and shared a moment of solidarity as training staff tended to the player.

“Just happy the kid wasn’t hurt too seriously and wish him the best,” King said.

Leading up to the game’s abrupt end, the Falcons, ahead 14-12 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, scored 21 unanswered points to pull away from the Cougars.

After a 4-yard touchdown pass from Apex junior Brayden Tyler to senior receiver Mack Bandi late in the second quarter, Jordan senior Jaleel Griffin set the Falcons up in plus territory on the ensuing kick off return. Jordan drove the ball to within Apex’s 10-yard line, and junior quarterback Jonah Witherspoon rewarded Griffin with a 7-yard touchdown pass as he was running to the back right corner of the end zone. The score gave the Falcons a 21-12 lead before halftime.

Coming out of the break, Jordan junior Nicholas Rogers ended a lengthy Apex drive with an interception near the goal line. The turnover resulted in Witherspoon’s third touchdown pass of the night, which went to senior Jacob Taylor for 9 yards and a 27-12 advantage.

Tyler left the game in the third quarter and did not return following a hard hit that was penalized for roughing the passer. From there, Apex’s offense struggled as a poor handoff resulted in a fumble recovered by the Jordan defense at the Cougars’ 11-yard line. The Falcons failed to cash in by turning the ball over on downs, but on the ensuing possession, senior defensive tackle Sebastian Zamora Beto made it ok with a tackle in the end zone for a safety.

Beto and the defensive line were in on multiple tackles for loss throughout the night.

“They came and got the big plays with the tackles for losses, but we also didn’t get the right pressures,” King said. “We were out our gap a couple of times early. (Apex’s) two touchdowns were aided by questionable calls on late hits or personal fouls or whatever that helped them move the ball, and when we were able to not play with penalties, we played a lot better.”

Senior running back Ja’Cori Douglas put the finishing touches on the Falcons’ offensive efforts with a 19-yard run followed by a 1-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter. Douglas scored on a short run halfway through the second quarter that put Jordan ahead 14-6. He joined two other Jordan rushers, Witherspoon and senior Devon Taylor, with multiple rushes of at least 10 yards.

“Douglas was much better with his pads and tracks this week, and his eyes were great,” King said.

Junior receiver Tre Thomas reached above a defender to catch a 15-yard pass from Witherspoon for the Falcons’ first score of the night in the opening quarter.

With its third win in a row, Jordan moved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in Quad City Seven 8A conference play. It has outscored its last three opponents 133-18.

King feels that his team’s ability to have two normal weeks of practice without any weather restrictions has helped his team “hit a stride.” The Falcons will look to keep their win streak alive as they’ll play at undefeated Apex Friendship next week.