FLOWERY BRANCH — Jefferson football had a week to think over its first loss of the season -- but instead of trotting out some new-fangled style of play, the Dragons responded by sticking with their bread and butter on Friday night.
And it worked to near perfection.
Relying on stout defense and a punishing rush attack, Jefferson blanked Flowery Branch 33-0 in Flowery Branch.
The Class AAAA eighth-ranked Dragons (3-1) stonewalled the Falcons (1-3), allowing just 32 total yards on the night. Meanwhile, Jefferson rolled up 33 yards -- 268 of that on the ground, as Colby Wood led the way with 19 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Jefferson also took advantage of five Flowery Branch turnovers, including on the Dragons' first punt of the night -- in the third quarter. The muffed return gave the Dragons a short field that yielded a 2-yard touchdown run from Zack Boobas to make it 31-0 with 6:54 left in the quarter and put the game out of reach.
Hayden Kilgore and Wood combined to give the visitors a 17-0 lead with 10:09 left in the first half. Kilgore booted a 39-yard field goal on the Dragons' first possession, while Wood added touchdown runs of 12 and 17 yards on the ensuing possessions. Freshman quarterback Colby Clark -- who got his first start and passed for 65 yards and rushed for 57 -- tossed a 29-yard scoring strike to Sammy Elgreet just before the half to give Jefferson a 24-0 lead.
The Dragons will play host to Gainesville next week, with the Red Elephants coming off back-to-back byes.
The Falcons, meanwhile, will look to regroup against Johnson next week, as they begin play in Region 8-AAAAA.
