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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 13A
Sports Stories of the Year
2009 sporting year was a memorable one
THE PAST year provided
many surprises and lots of
exciting moments in the local
sports scene.
From triumphs on the foot
ball field to long overdue vic
tories, sports fans in Jackson
County were treated to several
different types of sports mem
ories to keep from JCCHS,
Jefferson and East Jackson, as
well as from Park and Rec and
other area sporting events.
Here's a look at five of the
biggest sports stories of 2009,
in no particular order.
“BACKYARD BRAWL”
FOR TITLE
An estimated crowd of
5,500 people were on hand at
Memorial Stadium in Jefferson
on Nov. 6 to see which county
team, the Jefferson Dragons
or the East Jackson Eagles,
would come away as the 8-AA
region champs.
Both teams entered the game
with undefeated records, and
right from the start, it proved
to be an exciting game.
After both defenses stepped
up, the score stood at 0-0 at
the end of the first quarter.
Jefferson wasted no time
in the second quarter, as J.J.
Damons broke into the end
zone just 12 seconds into the
quarter.
East Jackson answered on
the following play, as C.J.
Allen returned the punt 99
yards to put the Eagles on the
board, tying the score at 7-7.
With less than 10 min
utes remaining in the half,
Jefferson’s Darius Minor con
nected with Tyler Porter on a
47-yard touchdown to retake
the lead. The Dragons then
padded that lead on a pass
from Minor to Lucas Reed to
give Jefferson a 21-7 advan
tage at the half.
Jefferson would again build
on their lead in the third quar
ter, with Minor scoring on a
keeper to move the score to
28-7.
But in the fourth quarter,
the Eagles came to life. First
Deon Sewell scored on a three-
yard run to move to within 14
points. The Eagles then pulled
off a successful on-side kick,
and took the opportunity to
score on a 33-yard pass from
quarterback Evan Williamson
to Cody Gibbs to make it a
28-21 ball game. The Eagles'
comeback attempt was halt
ed when J.J. Damons scored
again for the Dragons, giving
them the 35-21 advantage that
would make up the final score.
Jefferson would come away
BIG MOMENT
Jefferson’s J.J. Damons looks for a way through a host of Eagle defenders during
November’s “Backyard Brawl,” one of the biggest moments of 2009.
with their second region title
of the year, and make it all the
way to the second round of
post-season play, where their
season ended against Buford.
THE RISE OF EAST
JACKSON
After having a 3-7 over
all and 3-6 region outing in
their first season of 8-AA play
in 2008, most assumed 2009
would be a solid year for
the football Eagles of East
Jackson.
But few in the pre-season
would have predicted the
heights the Eagles rose to over
the course of the second sea
son of region play.
The Eagles started off their
year with a big win over West
Hall, then moved right into
region play, defeating Fannin
County and Oglethorpe
County. After defeating
Union County and Riverside
Military Academy, the Eagles
continued their undefeated run
over Banks County, Rabun
County, North Oconee and
Dawson County, holding the
four teams to only 22 points
scored over the four-week
span.
East Jackson saw their
undefeated season come to an
end in their showdown with
Jefferson for the region title,
which they lost 35-21.
The Eagles then went on to
defeat Manchester in the first
round of playoff action before
falling to Lovett on the road to
end their season.
East Jackson came away
from 2009 with an overall
record of 10-2, 8-1 in the
region and as region runners-
up. With a strong line-up
returning in 2010, the Eagles
are expected to be a top story
again next year.
MAT DRAGONS DO IT
AGAIN
2009 was another strong
year for the Jefferson wres
tling program.
First, the Mat Dragons
recorded their eighth straight
State Duals title, their 20th
overall title for the program.
Jefferson recorded the victory
with a solid win over Lovett,
48-19.
A few weeks later, Jefferson
added another chapter to their
history book, as the Mat
Dragons became 13-time
Traditional State Champs
by taking top honors in the
AA State Tournament at the
Gwinnett Arena.
Jefferson wracked up 225.5
points en route to the title.
Second place Lovett scored
133 points.
Two Mat Dragons came
home as state champs in
their weight classes. Cason
Thurmond brought home top
honors in the 103 lb. class,
while Zac Crosby came out
on top in the 171 lb. class.
SUCCESSFUL PANTHERS
The Jackson County Panthers were honored as the
team of the week by WAGA Fox 5 in Atlanta after win
ning their first two games of the season. Pictured are,
left to right, Jonathan Holton, Rob Williams, field main-
tainer James Leigh, coach Billy Kirk and Ryan Howe.
Photo by Brandon Reed
Of the 13 wrestlers that
Jefferson took to the state
competition, 11 placed.
During the off-season, the
Jefferson wrestling team was
inducted into the Northeast
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame,
while coach Doug Thurmond
was inducted into the Georgia
chapter of the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame.
PANTHERS HAVE
RESURGENT SEASON
It had been a long dry spell
for the Panther nation on the
football field at JCCHS.
Prior to the 2009 season,
the Panthers had won only
eight games since 2001.
But beginning with kick off
on Aug. 28, the Panther fans
had a lot to cheer about.
First, Jackson County picked
up a 44-0 victory over Our
Lady of Mercy. They would
go on to defeat Sonoraville
42-7 one week later, making
them 2-0 on a season for the
first time since 1981.
During the next off week,
the Panthers were honored
by WAGA, the Fox television
affiliate out of Atlanta, as the
sports team of the week.
Jackson County then picked
up their first homecoming vic
tory in about 20 years with a
13-3 win over Prince Avenue
Christian. The win marked
the first time in 28 years that
the Panthers had gone 3-0
going into the fourth game of
the season.
From there, unfortunately
things cooled for the Panthers
as they entered region play.
They came up just short
against Morgan County on
Sept. 25, as they lost 14-7.
Jackson County would con
tinue to look for that elusive
region victory over the next
three games, but would score
only 14 points against Hart
County, Franklin County and
Eastside.
The Panthers came oh so
close on Oct. 23 against Elbert
County, but was one point shy
as they lost 28-27.
After being shut out against
Oconee County, the Panthers
finally picked up their first
region victory since 2006.
Jackson County ended their
season with a 4-6 overall
record and 1-6 in the region.
See 2009 on page 14A
""MllVS
EXCITING SEASON
The East Jackson Eagles get fired up with defensive
line coach Wesley Wheeler. Photo by Ben Munro
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