LEEDS — Junior Jonathan Rose says he calls himself a “big-play guy.”

Friday night at Homer Smiles Field, what his team needed, he delivered.

The 5-10 junior receiver and defensive back turned in a 68-yard punt return touchdown, a 71-yard reception for a touchdown and an interception return to set up another score in the third quarter. Rose’s big-play abilities, combined with the efforts of quarterback Rush Perkins, added up to a 34-14 victory over the Yellow Jackets in Friday’s second-round playoff matchup, and a third-round date with undefeated Madison Academy tomorrow at the Jefferson-St. Clair county line.

“Jonathan is just a kid who makes big plays,” LHS head coach Keith Etheredge said after the game. “That’s what we expect out of him.”

The first of Rose’s big plays gave the Green Wave (10-2) the lead for good midway through the second quarter. After Leeds’ defense held Glencoe in its own territory with the score tied at 7, Rose fielded a Yellow Jacket punt on his own 32 and took off up the home sideline.

He didn’t stop running until he’d reached the Glencoe end zone – the 68-yard touchdown made the score 13-7 with 8:24 left in the first half.

“We needed to get our momentum up,” he said. “We needed to jump-start our team. A big play was all I think of.”

A Keaton Glass field goal made the score 16-7 later in the quarter, and that score stood at halftime. Early in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets (9-3) were on the move in Leeds territory when Rose struck again – this time, a pass from quarterback William Hill wound up in his hands.

Rose’s return of that pick set up another field goal from Glass, to make the score 19-7.

“Leeds is a heck of a football team,” Glencoe head coach Lee Ozmint said afterward. “They’re the defending champs and they played like it tonight.”

Ozmint’s team actually struck first to take the lead on its first possession – Hill hit fellow senior Evan Kirby down the sideline for a 64-yard score on the Jackets’ third play from scrimmage. After the PAT, Glencoe led 7-0 with less than two minutes off the clock.

“We’re really not very talented,” Ozmint said. “Our kids have a lot of heart and give a lot of effort, every play. I’ll tell you this: I’d go to war with this bunch – I’d go to Afghanistan with them, and we could do some damage.”

Leeds didn’t answer the Glencoe score until its second possession, driving from its own 24-yard line in 16 plays. Junior back Dedrick Forsythe capped it off with a one-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter – Glass’ PAT tied the game at 7.

Forsythe was the focal point for the Glencoe defense, which bottled him up most of the night. That focus, however, opened things up for the rest of the Green Wave offense – specifically quarterback Rush Perkins, who finished with 11 rushes for 65 yards and threw for another 94, with a touchdown.

“That’s the good thing about our offense,” Etheredge said. “We have a lot of weapons, and our coaching staff did a fantastic job of making adjustments.”

Etheredge’s defense was the real star of the second half, however, forcing four Yellow Jacket turnovers. LHS defensive tackle Blake English set up the touchdown that broke things open midway through the third quarter, intercepting Hill and returning the football to the Yellow Jacket five-yard line.

Samuel Johnson scored one play later, and a PAT pass from Perkins to Rose made the score 27-7.

Perkins found Rose one more time, this time for a 71-yard score, to ice the game. A two-yard run by Hill capped the scoring with 28 seconds remaining.

The defending 3A champs can now turn their attention to MA (12-0), a team they faced in the 2006 and 2007 playoffs (both wins).

“Who would’ve thought we’d be here?” Etheredge said. “After graduating all the seniors we did (from the ’08 team) … we’re not satisfied, though. We have one goal, and that’s to win the state championship.

“MA is 12-0, and we put them out a couple years, so I’m sure they’ll have a mad-on when they come over here. We’ve got to be ready.”