Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3B
Football
Dragons return to region action against Titans
BACK AT IT
Jefferson quarterback Bryce Moore awaits a
snap in the Dragons’ Sept. 29 win over Madison
County. Photo by Zach Mitcham
By Ben Munro
At first glance, a 1-5
North Oconee team
wouldn't appear to be
much of a departure from
last year's
0-10
squad.
But a
closer
look at
this year's
Titans reveals a different
picture.
“They're playing a
good bit harder with more
effort.” Jefferson coach
Gene Cathcart said. “Their
scores are much closer
this year. They’re playing
very good defense for the
most part ... We've been
very impressed with them.
They’re very well coached,
and they're very sound on
defense.”
Jefferson (5-1, 1-0) will
host North Oconee Friday
at 7:30 as Region 8-AAA
play resumes.
Cathcart, whose team is
coming off an off week,
said the Titans — who also
didn’t play last week — do
a good job of spreading the
ball to their playmakers.
particularly running back
Jermaine Browner.
Browner is an all-pur
pose back, who amassed
over 500 yards rushing,
500 yards receiving and
600 yards in returns a year
ago.
“He’s very quick,” Cath
cart said. “He's not the
largest player on the field,
but we certainly have to
know where he is every
play because of his speed
and quickness.”
On the other side of the
ball, Cathcart is wary of
the North Oconee defen
sive front.
“Their entire defensive
front plays exceptionally
hard ... they try to be very
physical and establish a
new line of scrimmage,”
Cathcart said.
The coach noted that the
strength of the Titans’ team
is to stop the run, some
thing that the Jefferson
offense does quite well.
“That will be a challenge
for us up front.” Cathcart
said.
The game against North
Oconee will mark the
beginning of a four-game
stretch to close out region
play as the Dragons aim to
repeat as Region 8-AAAA
champions. Cathcart
believes his team is focused
on the task at hand.
“I hope so,” he said.
“Certainly, they’ve put
themselves in a position
to where they should be.
They’re all are equal
ly important. No one of
these four (games) is more
important than any of the
other four. A loss in any of
them counts the same, and
a win in any of them counts
the same.”
Jefferson is returning to
action after taking the past
week to heal some injured
players. That includes
defensive end Aaron Hall,
as well as star tailback
Colby Wood, who suffered
a high-ankle injury Sept.
22 against Gainesville.
Cathcart is hopeful that
Wood will play this week.
“We’ll see,” Cathcart
said. “ ... He certainly is
moving better. We're very
encouraged. I know he’s a
competitor, and it's killing
him not being on the field,
but we want to make sure
we do what's best for him
first.”
Friday’s game will also
mark homecoming for the
Dragons, which provides
plenty of buzz and excite
ment, according to Cath
cart, but “you’ve just got
to make sure your kids are
mature and focused.”
Cathcart said he hopes
a large home contingent at
Memorial Stadium will be
on hand.
“It would be helpful to
have that typical Jefferson,
outstanding crowd, and
rocking stadium to help
energize our guys, ” Cath
cart said.
•What: North
Oconee at
Jefferson
•When: Friday,
7:30 p.m.
Football
Eagles, Lions both vying for first region win
By Ben Munro
There should be no lack
of motivation Friday when
a pair of
•What: Franklin teams both
Co. at East desperate-
Jackson ly needing
•When: Friday, a region
7:30 p.m. win meet
at Eagle
Stadium.
East Jackson (1-5. 0-2)
will host the Lions (1-6,
0-2) Friday at 7:30 p.m.
as the 8-AAA schedule
reaches its mid-point.
“It’s crucial,” East Jack-
son coach Scott Wilkins
said. “It's huge because it's
the next one, but it’s the
next one in region play.”
Franklin County, which
fell to Jackson County
28-21 last week, is off to a
1-6 start and has dealt with
injury problems.
“They play hard,”
Wilkins said. “They're
snake bit right now. If they
had any luck it would be
bad.”
Notably, starting quar
terback Titian Wells has
been sidelined and did
not play last week against
Jackson County. Wilkins
said he expects Wells will
be back this week.
“If he can, I'm sure he
will ... they’re just as anx
ious to get in the region
win column as we are,”
Wilkins said.
The Eagles will have
to be wary of other Lion
weapons as Franklin Coun
ty possesses a pair of run
ning backs with breakaway
ability. Myrian Craft ran
for a 64-yard touchdown
last week against Jackson
County and Cale Swift
scored on a 54-yard run. If
Wells plays, that adds yet
another threat to the Lion
offensive backfield.
“If No. 5 (Wells) plays,
that gives you three guys
who can score from any
where on the field on any
snap.” Wilkins said.
Adding to the defensive
challenges for East Jack-
son is facing the Lions’ tri
ple-option offense, which
requires defenders to play
assignment football.
“If you play an option
team, you’ve got to make
sure someone has the dive,
someone has the quarter
back and someone has the
pitch .... You have to be
very disciplined when you
play an option football
team,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins' Eagle team is
coming off a 55-0 loss
to seventh-ranked Mon
roe Area last week. The
coach said his team has
already played the top two
teams in the region (Mor
gan County and Monroe
Area), leaving the final
two spots as a four-team
race between East Jack-
son, Jackson County,
Franklin County and Hart
County.
“So there's no time like
the present than to play
with a sense of urgency
and to play your best foot
ball of the year,” Wilkins
said.
Softball
Eagles looking at different playoff path this year
By Charles Phelps
The defending Class
AAA state champions face
a different set of circum
stances entering the Class
AAA
•What: East state
Jackson at East Hall p 1 a y -
•When: offs,
today (Wed), Last
doubleheader, season,
5 p.m., Game 3 t h e
Thursday, 2 p.m. if East
needed Jack-
son
Eagles
won the region champi
onship and were at home
until their triumph in
Columbus. Last week, the
team entered the Region
8-AAA tournament as the
No. 2 seed. After two loss
es, they find themselves
as the No. 4 seed, having
to play on the road at East
Hall today to open the state
playoffs.
The games are at 5 p.m.
and 7 p.m., respectively.
The Eagles defeated the
Vikings twice in the reg
ular season: 10-4 and 5-4.
“Our kids did not play to
their potential in the region
tournament,” head coach
Donnie Byrom said.
Franklin County defeat
ed the Eagles 10-5 in
Game 1 and Morgan won
the Eagles’ second game
14-2.
“We have had a lot of
issues to deal with and
it showed.” Byrom said.
“Our hope is to play to our
potential vs. East Hall.
“They are a good team.
They lead us 4-0 in both
games but we battled
back.”
Byrom added he
“expected” Jackson Coun
ty to win the region, which
it did. So at that point, his
team was playing for seed
and trying to find a way to
make it back to Columbus.
“In softball, a season is
often judged on making
it (to Columbus),” Byrom
said. “I like our draw.
“One thing to remember
is if you beat a one, then
you take their spot in the
bracket, so we can make
up for our poor showing
at region by winning the
series.”
Byrom explained the
experience of the past two
seasons gives the team
an idea of what they’re
“working towards.”
The key to winning the
Panther softball... continued from Page IB
ment to the hard work the
team put in. dating all the
way back to weight training
in June.
“They deserve it,” he said.
“They're a great bunch of
kids, and it’s all about them,
and it was a good game, too.”
Several Panthers contrib
uted offensively as Jackson
County beat Franklin County
(19-13) for the fourth time
this season. Serina Bergeron
went 3-for-4 for the Panthers
while Joni Lott was 2-for-3
with two RBIs and Logan
Wright was l-for-3 with a
double and two RBIs. Others
driving in runs were Sara
Beth Allen (l-for-4, double)
and Brooke Simmons (1-for-
4).
Jackson County trailed 1-0
heading into the bottom of
the fourth before Lott tied
the game with an RBI sin
gle. Wright put the Panthers
ahead later in the inning with
a ground out that brought
Lott home from third.
Then the floodgates
opened in the fifth when
Jackson County brought
nine batters to the plate and
scored five runs to pull ahead
7-1.
“We’re good at making
adjustments the second time
through the lineup,” Bran
non said. “That’s a lot of
what it is. We have so many
seasoned kids. They're good
hitters.”
The Panthers ended the
game with four runs in the
sixth inning. Allen doubled
home a run and then three
more runs scored off an
error on a Meghan Sorrells
grounder, bringing the mercy
rule into effect.
“I guess that we see that
we're struggling at first and
then we finally just get it
together.” Lott said of the
team's offense. “The (sixth)
inning rolls around and we’re
scoring eight runs, 10 runs,
run-ruling them.”
Jackson County again
benefited from another qual
ity start in the circle from the
highly-consistent Kibbe.
The senior improved to
17-1 with a complete-game
two-hitter, surrendering an
earned run and one walk
while striking out two.
Kibbe kept the Franklin
County bats at bay while
the game was close, giving
up her only run when Jaden
Cheek singled home Peyton
Rivers in the fourth inning
to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
The pitcher said she knew
the team’s offense would
eventually give her the run
support she needed.
“Oh yeah, they always do,
especially like the fourth,
fifth inning,” Kibbe said.
“We always come back and
it relieves a lot of stress for
me out there — a whole lot.”
Jackson County will move
on to face Region 7-AAA
No. 4 seed Lumpkin County
in a Wednesday doublehead
er at home to start the state
playoffs. Game 3 is sched
uled for Thursday if needed.
Brannon said his team would
enjoy the region title victory
and then move on.
“This is just turning the
page on the postseason,”
Brannon said. “That's really
what it’s about.”
series is winning the battle
in the circle, he added.
“We have to throw strikes
and work ahead in the
count and let our defense
do its job and our defense
has to make the plays they
are capable of making,”
Byrom said. “East Hall is
strong in the circle. Their
pitcher has good speed
and hits her spots. We will
have to adjust to the speed
she brings and put pressure
on their defense.”
•Morgan County 14,
East Jackson 2: The
Eagles were run-ruled
after five innings. Morgan
County scored one run in
the second inning, three
runs in the third, four runs
in the fourth and six in the
fifth. The Eagles racked up
five hits: Lauren Barrett,
Mattie Brooks, Hannah
Poole, Kate Woodall and
Mackenzie Arnold. The
team also committed five
errors. Both Eagle runs
came in the bottom of the
third on a Brooks single
and a Woodall double.
•Franklin County 10,
East Jackson 5: The
Eagles led 3-2 after two
innings. Franklin scored
two runs in the third
inning and three in the
fourth to put the game out
of reach. The Eagles con
nected for nine hits in the
game led by Barrett, who
had three hits. Brooks,
Poole and Woodall con
nected for two hits apiece.
Barrett and Brooks also
finished with two RBIs
apiece. The defense com
mitted five errors as well.
The Eagles scored their
final two runs in the sev
enth inning to cut the defi
cit to five.
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And Managers:
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11:45 am at Jefferson Clubhouse, 320 Longview
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stapler.stephanie@gmail.com for more information.
Come join the networking and learn about the
Jefferson area as well as other beneficial topics.
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