JEFFERSON — Nobody will officially say it’s a team on a mission, but the Jefferson Dragons sure look like one.
For the second straight week, the Dragons stared down a fellow unbeaten in Region 8-3A behind a punishing ground game and an opportunistic defense.
The Dragons dominated Morgan County, taking a 47-12 victory at Memorial Stadium Friday night to take over sole possession of first place in the region. That came one week after they held off Hart County in a nail-biter on the road.
Jefferson pounded out 435 yards on the ground while forcing three turnovers and stopping a Bulldogs drive on a goal-line stand late in the first half.
Diminutive junior running back Kolton Jones, who scored on a 25-yard run in the second quarter to give the Dragons the ultimate lead, was all smiles when talking about where the Dragons (6-1, 4-0 Region 8-3A) stand heading into the final two weeks of the season.
“This is the best team I’ve ever been on,” Jones said. “The leadership and the talent on this team is amazing. We’re just playing so well as a team right now.”
Colby Clark churned out 193 yards rushing and scored four times while also tossing a touchdown pass to Dawson Crawley in the third quarter. Jones had 91 yards rushing.
The win gave Jefferson a one-game lead over the Bulldogs (6-2, 3-1) and tiebreakers now over both Morgan County and Hart County. They can wrap up their first region title since 2016 with a win next week against Monroe Area.
But Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart said they won’t be resting on their laurels.
“I thought we played a good game on offense and defense but this thing isn’t over yet,” Cathcart said. “Monroe won the region last year and we have to go to their place so there is still a lot of work left to do. We’re just going to get to work next week.”
The two ground-oriented teams did not disappoint in the first half as both teams put together long drives in the first quarter. But the Jefferson defense was the difference in the Dragons taking a 14-6 lead into halftime.
The Bulldogs took the opening drive into Jefferson territory but a Malaki Starks pass breakup and then a tackle for loss on a run blitz on third down forced a Morgan County punt.
The Dragons responded with an 80-yard drive, all on the ground, capped by a 5-yard touchdown run from Clark late in the first quarter. Morgan County answered with a quick short drive, highlighted by a 45-yard pass from Trenton Folds to Jerrit Wyatt to the Jefferson 5. Keirreon Farley scored two plays later on a 1-yard run with 18 seconds left but the extra point was wide as Jefferson clung to a 7-6 lead
After a solid return and a Morgan County penalty, the Dragons answered that with a short 54-yard drive of their own, with Jones sprinting 24 yards around right end for a score and a 14-6 lead.
The Jefferson defense then buckled but did not break stopping the Bulldogs at the Dragons 1 on three consecutive run plays inside the 3 -yard line with 2:47 left in the half.
The Dragons wasted little time in adding on to start the second half as Clark capped a 57-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run following a 26-yard run to the Morgan 1 after he dropped the snap, scooped up the loose ball, hurdled the line, and took off in a race to the end zone.
Jefferson added another third-quarter score after Rem Maxwell intercepted a Folds pass and returned it to the Bulldogs 24. On the next play, Clark found Crawley on a 24-yard TD pass.
The fourth opened with the two teams combining for three touchdowns in just 49 seconds. Malaki Starks would pick off Folds on the Bulldogs’ next possession and Jones serpentined 51 yards on the Dragons’ ensuing possession to set up Clark’s third score from 3-yards out. Morgan County fumbled the kickoff and Paxton Corkery scored two plays later on a 22-yard run for a 41-6. The Bulldogs ended the Dragons’ 34-point streak with an 81-yard kickoff return by Keirreon Farley.
Later, Jefferson finished it on Clark’s fourth TD run midway through the fourth quarter.
“We knew they would be physical but I really thought our offensive line dominated their line,” Cathcart said. “The defense stopping them in the first half was huge because we only had the ball three times in the first half and one of those was at the end. We’re playing well right now.”
SCORING SUMMARY
| Morgan County | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | |
| Jefferson | 7 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 47 |
First Quarter
J -- Clark 5 run (L. Jones kick) 7-0, 2:03
M -- Keirreon Farley 1 run (kick failed) 7-6, 0:18
Second Quarter
J -- K. Jones 24 run (L. Jones kick) 14-6, 9:13
Third Quarter
J -- Clark 1 run (L. Jones kick) 21-6, 7:31
J -- Crawley 24 pass from Clark (kick failed) 27-7, 5:38
Fourth Quarter
J -- Clark 3 run (L. Jones kick) 34-6, 11:19
J -- Corkery 22 run (L. Jones kick) 41-6, 10:48
M -- Keirreon Farley 81 KO ret (pass failed) 41-12, 10:30
J -- Clark 5 run (kick failed) 47-12, 6:43
