James Clemens was clinging to a seven-point lead and needed only one more first down to hold off Huntsville in a Class 7A, Region 4 showdown at Madison City Schools Stadium.

Speedy Jets wide receiver Ty Doughty, however, wanted one more trip to the end zone.

Doughty took an inside handoff, shook off a host of defenders and raced 68 yards with just over a minute remaining as James Clemens claimed a 45-31 win over the Panthers. Doughty accounted for three touchdowns as the Jets improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in region play.

Doughty caught a screen pass from Ty Marsh and sprinted 51 yards for the Jets’ first touchdown, turned another short pass from Marsh into an 80-yard TD to open the third quarter, then secured the win over Huntsville by breaking loose for his 68-yard score with the Jets were facing a third-and-12 situation as time ticked down.

Huntsville (1-2, 1-1), which trailed 31-14 early in the third quarter, drew to within 38-31 on Sims Bowman’s 42-yard field goal with 3:31 left.

The Panthers recovered the ensuing onside kick at the James Clemens 43, then failed to convert on fourth-and-2. Doughty broke loose for the game-clinching score three plays later.

Huntsville’s Marlin Jones Jr. scored three touchdowns on the ground (1, 57 and 14) and Jacks McClung added a 49-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to Ashton Caldwell.

Marsh had a 36-yard TD pass to Devon Cooper as the Jets carried a 24-14 lead to the locker room at halftime. Cam Berry came off the bench to add scoring runs of six and 63 yards.

Star of the game: Doughty, a junior, caught five passes for 104 yards and ran three times for 64 yards, accounting for three of James Clemens’ six touchdowns.

Play of the game: Momentum shifted late in the first half when Huntsville was whistled for a personal foul following a Jets’ punt return. The penalty gave James Clemens field position in Panthers’ territory and Marsh made the visitors pay by connecting with Cooper on a 36-yard TD pass with 15.2 seconds left.

Stat sheet: James Clemens – Marsh was 11-for-22 for 240 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Berry ran for 140 carries on 13 attempts with two TDs. Starting tailback DJ Williams added 52 yards on 12 carries. Huntsville – Richard Huskey partially blocked a punt and later recovered an onside kick as the Panthers tried to rally in the fourth quarter. McClung finished with 253 passing yards, completing 17 of 32 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. Jones contributed 112 yards on the ground on 18 carries.

By the numbers: 6 – The Jets extended their win streak vs. Huntsville to six in a row and now own an 8-2 lead in the all-time series. James Clemens has averaged 43.5 ppg against the Panthers over the last six meetings … 3 – James Clemens won despite committing three turnovers – an interception by Huntsville’s Ramon White Jr. and two fumble recoveries … 20 – total penalties in the game (12 against James Clemens, eight against Huntsville). The Panthers were not penalized in the second half after committing eight in the first two quarters.

Coachspeak: “Ty Doughty is a big-time player every week for us. You’ve got to get the ball in his hands.” – James Clemens coach Chad McGehee

They said it: “I can’t complain about the way our kids tonight. We played extremely hard. I’m proud of the way these guys played and we’ll only get better moving forward.” – Huntsville coach Mark Fleetwood

What’s next? Both teams continue 7A, Region 4 action next Friday as James Clemens travels to face Florence (2-2, 2-0) while Huntsville hosts Bob Jones.