HOSCHTON, Ga. — Any frustration Jefferson had after last week's loss to Marist was taken out on Jackson County Friday night at Panther Stadium.
The Dragons (1-1) used a stingy defense and an explosive offense to blow past Jackson County, 38-3, in the first meeting between the two in-county foes since 2019. Jefferson also extends its lead to 11-0 in the series.
"It was a nice way to bounce back," Jefferson coach Travis Noland said. "I'm very happy for our kids. But we played a great team last week. It wasn't like we were feeling sorry for ourselves. There are a lot of people in the state of Georgia who don't want to play Marist. I feel like we have a chance to have a very good football team, and tonight we took a step forward."
The Dragons' defense set the tone early, led by linebackers Max Brown, Rett Hemphill, and Jayden Yang. They held the Panthers (1-1) to a field goal and 184 total yards of offense and forced two interceptions, including a Deshaun Keith Pick 6, to push the Dragons ahead 14-3 in the second quarter.
"Our defense was pretty solid," Noland said. "It started slow, but when you go from spending two weeks trying to prepare for the triple options, then all of sudden you're playing a passing offense, it's a high adjustment. I was pleased."
The offense, led by senior QB Gavin Markey, was sometimes explosive, tallying 383 yards and scoring four TDs. Markey was on target and showed off his speed, rushing 99 yards for a touchdown with 5:02 left in the third quarter and a 31-3 lead. He also was efficient in the passing game, completing 11 of 13 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, one to Dallas Russell and Talan Childress.
"Gavin made some plays for us tonight," Noland said. "He's a really good quarterback, but people don't realize how fast he is."
Russell finished the night with 85 yards on 15 rushes and two TDs.
The Dragons will host Clarke Central in their home opener at Memorial Stadium next week. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
“We'll enjoy this one tonight and start getting ready for next week," Noland said.
