JEFFERSON, Ga. — A defensive Battle Royale was expected at Memorial Stadium on Friday between Jefferson and Jackson County. Fans got one -- finally.
When the smoke cleared, the Class 3A second-ranked Dragons narrowly escaped with a 10-3 win over the Class 5A Panthers, keeping their all-time unbeaten streak against them, now at 12-0, alive.
The game-winning score came one play after the Panthers fumbled a punt at their own 32. It was that close.
In a series where the Dragons (2-0) had dominated by winning the first 11 meetings by nearly 35 points/game, many came to see if a rising Jackson County program could finally put a scare into their cross-county rivals.
“In order for it to be a rivalry, you've got to be in the ball game, right? And for four quarters, our kids absolutely laid it on the line,” Jackson County coach Korey Mobbs said. “(Jefferson) executed one more play than we did.”
Call it maybe three plays, but the Panthers were that close to getting their first-ever win in the series that will come to an end this season. The two school systems agreed not to play each other in any other sports this season...and probably beyond.
Colton Grant connected with Logan Edmunds on a 27-yard TD pass late in the third quarter for the only touchdown of the game. On Jackson County’s final in the waning seconds, Darren Pinkard sacked Panthers’ quarterback RJ Knapp and then Chance Payne intercepted Knapp on a 4th-and-13 from their own 5 to seal it.
Jefferson coach Travis Noland said good teams find a way when nothing is going their way.
“Jackson County’s got a good football team,” Noland said. “We had to overcome a lot of adversity, and we found a way to win the game. The sack there at the end was huge, and then the interception at the end.
“The defense played great all night. Offensively, we couldn't sustain drives, whether it was penalties or just making mistakes. But again, sometimes you gotta win tough games early.”
Missed opportunities, penalties, and solid defense dictated the first half, especially for the Panthers (1-1).
Jackson County took the opening kickoff straight down the field to get a Chris Burrows 27-yard field goal for a quick 3-0 lead. But a Knapp overthrow to a wide-open Silas McDaniel and then a tipped ball by the Dragons' defense at the last second on another throw into the end zone could have had bigger results for the Panthers.
On the Panthers' second drive of the game, they marched down to the Dragons' 13. However, another tipped ball by the Jefferson defense at the last second denied another possible touchdown, and then the Dragons stopped them on downs on the next play.
Overall, the Panthers moved into Jefferson territory on four of their five first-half drives but could not add on.
Jefferson, meanwhile, did not register a first down on its first two drives, and Max Brown was stripped on the Dragons’ third drive for a fumble at the Panthers’ 41.
But the Dragons finally had some success on their fourth drive, driving into Jackson County territory before it stalled at the 26. Taylor McCall tied the game at 3 with 1:29 left on a 42-yard field goal.
In the second half, the Panthers got deep in Jefferson territory early in the fourth quarter as they tried to answer Jefferson’s score. But Knapp overthrew a wide-open receiver down the middle, and then his fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
It was the story of the game as the Panthers six times got into Dragons territory. But they managed just the one field goal on their opening drive.
“It was a good football game, you know,” Mobbs said. “We had chances, but we just gotta do better. But, man, what a battle. I was proud of every single guy laying it all out for the entire game.”
The key was the Jefferson defense, which held Jackson County to just 51 yards in the second half, including yielding just 6 yards to Maxwell, who finished with 71 yards rushing for the game.
The Dragons managed just 100 yards on the ground, but Grant was 13-of-16 for 150 yards through the air. Edmunds had 3 catches for 66 yards and the TD. Carter Perrin had 6 catches for 32 yards for Jefferson.
Knapp was just 11-for-24 for 103 yards and the one INT.
