(VIDEO) Game of the Week: Resilient Jefferson set for huge showdown with No. 3 Monroe Area

JEFFERSON — "If you had told us a few weeks ago when I was visiting the infirmary and the hospital and all that other sort of stuff that you’ll be playing Monroe Area for the region championship at home, I’d have said sign us up. Sign us up, and for one game we’ll certainly take our shot."

Coach Gene Cathcart's Jefferson football team is battered and bruised, and yet the Dragons can still win the Region 8-3A crown on Friday night.

Cathcart and company know it will take something special to do it -- the Purple Hurricanes enter this week's showdown ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, leading the classification in scoring, having pitched four straight shutouts in 8-3A play, and sparked by an All-American type of season by senior quarterback Chandler Byron -- but a resilient Jefferson squad is amped for the challenge.

After all, Jefferson is still ranked No. 7 and features plenty of veterans used to marquee match-ups such as this.

"It’s like any other game to me or most of us because we’ve all played in those big games, like big playoff games," said Jefferson senior tight end/defensive end Garmon Randolph, who, along his fellow seniors, has been part of one region title and compete in the state semifinals and quarterfinals while posting a 39-8 record to date. "It’s just like playing a regular Friday night."

Randolph and his teammates have stepped up to fill the void left by injury to starter and back-up alike, as standouts like quarterback/linebacker Colby Clark and running back/linebacker Kade McNally left the line-up. Young players too have filled key roles, including sophomore linebackers Rem Maxwell (team-high 52 tackles) and Paxton Corkery (51 tackles), as well as sophomore quarterback Carter Stephenson (241 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 15 of 29), and Jefferson is still the seventh-highest scoring team in Class 3A (291 total points, 36.3 ppg), while allowing the sixth fewest points (74 total, 9.25 ppg).

"We lost our two leading rushers, our leading passer, our two leading tacklers, our two leading scorers, and two of our captains, so that’s a lot of production in a lot of ways," said Cathcart, whose team is still rushing for 280 yards per game. "Both lines of scrimmage have stepped up big time and allowed us to continue to play good run defense and continue to run the ball."

The ground game will again be key for the Dragons against a Monroe Area team that has run most opponents off the field in 2018. 

Led by Byron (1,632 yards rushing, 23 TDs), the Purple Hurricanes (8-0, 4-0 Region 8-3A) average 362 rush yards per game. Yet Byron is not alone and is also a dual threat, having passed for 898 yards and 12 TDs against just 3 interceptions for a team scoring 44.1 points per game.

"Everybody tends to say, ‘boy there’s a lot of pressure on coach Parker and your defensive staff,’ and certainly there is because I think (Byron has) started over 30 games, and I think he’s rushed for under 100 yards maybe twice," Cathcart said. "To put that into context for Jefferson fans, (Monroe Area's) quarterback has out-rushed (graduated Dragons star running back) Colby Wood. That’s pretty unbelievable when Colby was such a great player for us. And it happens to be their quarterback, who obviously throws very well."

Meanwhile, the Monroe Area defense is equally impressive with 45 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and 16 QB hurries, and 14 turnovers forced (9 interceptions, 5 fumbles recovered). 

"We’re just incredibly impressed with them. We certainly know it’ll be a great challenge," Cathcart said. "I’d love to face them fully healthy, but there again I’m sure they’ve had some adversity along the way too, every team does. We’ve got tremendous respect for them, and we're excited about the atmosphere we’ll have here on Friday night.

"All three phases will have to come together in this one. And it’s certainly going to take a great effort. We’re very excited to be where we are."