JEFFERSON — Earning playoff appearances each of the last two seasons, Jackson County coach Brandon Worley and his staff have helped bring a Panthers program often lacking invitations to the postseason party.
Now, they are looking for a spot at the main table.
During the summer months Worley hoped that 2018 could be the year Jackson County finally made the move. And, if they do, the Panthers defense may well be the catalyst.
It may be early but the Jackson County defense has yet to allow a point through a scrimmage against North Oconee (16-0) and last week’s season-opening win over Banks County (23-0). Last year the Panthers were pushed to the end in a 21-17 win over the Leopards. And consider that North Oconee racked up 58 against Putnam County last week in its opener.
“I was encouraged by last week and in the scrimmage,” Worley said. “The unit has played hard. But there is still a lot to work on.”
The Panthers’ front-seven, led by senior linemen Justin Key and Pete Parker and sophomore defensive tackle Andrew King, combined with senior linebackers Rayshun Dorsey, Elijah Pierce, and Nate Vincent could well be a force and one of the best defensive groups in what is likely to be a rugged Region 8-3A.
Worley said there weren’t any gimmicks or trick defenses employed against the Banks County wing-T, just old-fashioned, hard-nosed play.
“We really just played our base defense and tried to stay on our assignments,” Worley said. “They did a good job overall, but Banks still ran a lot of clock. That is something we’re addressing for this week.”
Up next? The Trojans (1-0), running the wing-T, at Panthers Stadium in what could one of the better matchups in the state on Friday.
Worley knows that what happened in Homer, however, stays in Homer.
“Banks did a nice job, but you could tell they were still learning the offense. North Hall is a whole other animal,” he said. “What happened last week doesn’t really have a bearing on this week other than the fact that we saw the basic schemes. (The Trojans) are bigger than they were last year and they have a ton of guys they can run in and out.”
The Trojans are experienced along the line and are led by senior QB David Seavey, a wing-T veteran with the ability to stretch defenses with his arm -- a factor North Hall coach David Bishop says could be a feature for the 2018 Trojans. Senior running back Daniel Jackson also had a huge game last week, rushing for four touchdowns and 138 yards on just four carries, while also catching two passes for 80 yards and a score and taking a 90-yard kickoff return into the end zone in a 63-7 win over Chestatee.
“They have a some big playmakers over there so limiting those explosive plays will be key,” Worley said.
With the strength of both teams going head-to-head, Worley said the minutiae may carry the biggest weight.
The Jackson County offense was efficient last week in generating three touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns by junior quarterback Tyler Wester, who also tossed a touchdown pass to sophomore running back Bo Reeves.
“The lines of scrimmage are the most important part of any game,” he said. “It should be a tremendous battle on both sides for both teams the entire game. They could negate each other a little bit. We’ll need to see more assignment football on defense and see a little more execution on offense.
“Turnovers and special teams I think will be huge. You can’t make key mistakes. Justin (Key) and Elijah (Pierce) will have to have big games for us. I was pleased with how Tyler played. He was composed for the most part.”
After Banks County and North Hall, the Panthers face wishbone-oriented Lumpkin County next week and another wing-T offense in Apalachee the following week. While it seems unusual to face that many power running teams in succession in the era of pass-happy spread offenses, Worley said they welcome it.
“It will certainly help us learn to be physical, which is what we’re also trying to build, especially on defense,” he said. “I already like our toughness, and I think all these run teams will only make us better, and tougher.”
It also may be early to get any true measurement on any team just two Fridays in. But with both teams residing in Class 3A and expected to make playoff runs in their respective regions -- Jackson County in 8-3A and North Hall in 7-3A -- the outcome will draw attention.
“I think this is a great test in Class 3A for both teams,” Worley said. “We’ll get to see where we’re at. Hopefully we’ll find out what our strengths are and find out what our weaknesses are.
“A win for us over a team like North Hall would be huge for the program. We’re at a stage where we need to start getting some wins against teams that are expecting to make the playoffs. One game won’t necessarily tell us everything, but it will go a long way to help the confidence that we’re ready to take that step.”
