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o o ^ The Jackson Herald Sports \aaaaa/ mains trp.p.tnfi wssnnrfs mm www. mamstreetnewssports. com INSIDE MainStreet Newspapers’ all-area volleyball team announced PAGE 7B December30,2020 Phone:(706)367-5233 Fax:(706)387-5417 sports@mainstreetnews.com Section B CLASS AAAA STATE FINALS r u V eff: Era _ / G )} m i r - ■ i A w Li 1 r* \ Photo by Ben Munro Jefferson’s Jordan Perry (left) and Rem Maxwell walk off the field Tuesday (Dec. 29) after the Dragons’ 30-14 loss in the Class AAAA finals to Marist. Tough end to a memorable year Dragons come up short in second half against Marist, finish as Class AAAA runners-up Marist 30, Jefferson 14 12 3 4 F JHS 0 14 0 0 14 MS 14 0 2 14 30 Rushing: Starks 23-80, Robinson 6-69, Perry 4-29,2 TDs Passing: Starks 1-4,27 yds, 1 INT Receiving: Perry 1-27 By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com ATLANTA — Jefferson had plenty to celebrate and remember during a most unusual 2020. Unfortu nately for the Dragons, they were denied the ulti mate memory. The No. 2-ranked Drag ons were shut out 16-0 in the second half in a 30-14 loss to No. 1-ranked Marist at Center Parc Stadium Tues day (Dec. 29) in Atlanta in the Class AAAA finals. Jefferson was attempting to win the school's second state championship and complete the program’s first-ever 15-0 season. “It's a special group, and it always will be.” Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart said. “They don’t need a ring on their finger to know that.” Jefferson reached the state finals in a highly-un- conventional year, working its way through its first 14 games (the Dragons were awarded two forfeit wins) without a blemish amid the threat of the COVID pandemic. But perennial powerhouse Marist proved too much to overcome in Game 15. “Obviously, I'm upset that we lost, but I felt like that we played our best game out there, and Marist just came out on top,” Jef ferson senior defensive lineman/fullback Paxton Corkery said. “It’s heart breaking knowing that's the last experience I’ll have as a Jefferson Dragon.” In a battle of run-heavy, triple-option teams. Marist jumped out to a 14-0 lead — Jefferson's largest defi cit of the year — before the Dragons rallied for two touchdowns to go into the locker room tied 14-14. But Marist picked up a safety and two touchdowns in the second half to pull away from the Dragons and finish off a 13-0 season. “I genuinely feel like — I'm sure some people may disagree — we’re the sec ond-best team in (Class) 4A in the state ... If we had to lose, I think we lost to the very best team in the state.” Cathcart said. The War Eagles’ top- ranked defense — which came into the finals allow ing just 2.83 points per game — hemmed up the Dragons’ explosive offense for the most part, allowing just 217 total yards and holding the Dragons to a season-low 14 points. Jefferson star Malaki Starks, who scored four touchdowns in the semifi nals against Benedictine, was held out of the end zone by the War Eagles. Starks finished with 80 yards but needed 23 carries to do it. Marist actually gained fewer yards (203) than Jefferson but field position weighed heavily. Marist went just 3 and 12 yards on two of its touchdown drives. Meanwhile. Jefferson's offense started on its 8-yard line three times in the sec ond half. See Finals, page 2B Photo by Kyle Funderburk Jefferson’s Austin Redmon (No. 15) and Carson Woodward (No. 62) pressure Marist quarterback Champ Davis during the Dragons’ 30-14 loss to the War Ea gles Tuesday (Dec. 29) in the Class AAAA state finals in Atlanta.