HAMILTON, Ga. – After a back-and-forth first half, the Jefferson football team did what they have done all postseason so far.
Buckle down defensively and run away from their opponents.
The Dragons didn't allow a single point in the second half while Sammy Brown ran for four touchdowns in a 35-12 win over Harris County in the Class 5A quarterfinals Friday night.
"Our defense has played well all season long," said head coach Travis Noland. "Our coaches have done a great job each week of taking away what the opponent does best, and our players are able to adjust and play very hard."
And the defense didn't just shut out the Tiger offense from the endzone, they forced three turnovers, including a pair of interceptions from Justin Beatty that did the trick.
"Those turnovers were a critical part of our win tonight," said Noland.
The Dragons were first to the scoreboard as Brown sprinted in midway through the first quarter from 31 yards out, but Harris County answered back immediately on the ensuing kickoff. The PAT was blocked, though, keeping the Dragons in front, 7-6.
After Brown found the endzone for a second time midway through the second quarter, the Tigers scored with under a minute left in the half on a pass from Levi Watson to Randavious Ogletree, but the two-point try failed to allow Jefferson to go to the half up, 14-12.
From there, it was all Dragons as Gavin Markey found Zay Minish to cash in on a Beatty interception at the 6:16 mark of the third to extend the lead to 21-12. Brown then scored two touchdowns in under a minute in the fourth, one from three yards away and another from 36 yards out to clinch the semifinal berth.
Brown rushed for 261 yards on 39 touches, while Markey needed just nine passes on the night with all five completions going to Minish.
The Dragons will now travel to Creekside next week for the semifinal round after they defeated Warner Robins Friday night.
