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o o PAGE 2B THE JACKSON HERALD - CLASS AAAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 MARIST 30, JEFFERSON 14 DRAGONS' ROAD TO THE FINALS Jefferson captain Carter Stephenson (left) meets with Marist’s Henry Clark for the coin toss for the Class AAAA state championship game Tuesday (Dec. 29). m '■—’*" W- ■I * ■ 4 *iw«rtTi»iU ' v jp* ■ \ pg Sk w Jefferson’s Malaki Starks turns upfield against Marist Tuesday (Dec. 29) in the Class AAAA state finals. Jefferson 61, Central Gwinnett 7 — Sept. 11 Malaki Starks scored on touchdown runs of 65,20 and 71 yards, as Jeffer son steamrolled Class AAAAAAA Central Gwinnett 61 -7 in its season opener. Jefferson 28, Rabun Co. 14— Sept. 18 The Dragon defense held Rabun County's Gunner Stockton, a South Caroli na commit, to 8-of-20 passing for 127 yards and one touchdown and 19 yards rushing on nine attempts in a 28-14 victory. Jefferson 40, Mountain View 7—Sept. 25 Starks rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, including a 73-yard touchdown run, and also threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Kolton Jones in the Dragons' 40-7 rout of Class AAAAAAA Mountain View. Jefferson 26, Hart Co. 19—Oct. 2 Starks threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Neese with 26 seconds to win a close one in Hartwell, 26-19. Jefferson 40, Flowery Branch 10 — Oct. 9 Starks ran for 131 yards on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 40- 10 rout of No. 6-ranked Flowery Branch. The dominant performance included a third-quarter field goal block from Nick Evans-Cofer that was returned by Kam Robinson 70 yards for a touchdown. Jefferson, East Hall — Oct. 16 (forfeit) East Hall forfeited its mid-October region matchup with Jefferson due to COVID-19 issues. Jefferson 49, Cedar Shoals 0—Oct. 23 Jefferson's dominant defense posted its first shutout of the year in a 49-0 region win over Cedar Shoals. The Dragons, who led 42-0 at the half, limited the Jaguars to 105 total yards and forced two turnovers on homecoming night. Jefferson 67, Chestatee 12—Nov. 5 Jefferson rushed for 477 yards on just 47 carries and posted a season-high for points score in a 67-12 rout of winless Chestatee. Jefferson, North Oconee — Nov. 13 North Oconee forfeited against Jefferson due to COVID-19 issues. The win clinched the Region 8-AAAA title for Jefferson. Jefferson 47, Madison Co. 0 — Nov. 20 Kam Robinson enjoyed a career night, scoring on three first-half punt return and once in the second half on an option pitch in Jefferson's 47-0 win over Madison County. He finished with 326 all-purpose yards. Hound I, state playoffs Jefferson 65, Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 0— Nov. 28 The Dragons built leads of 28-0 after a quarter and 56-0 at the half in an easy 65-0 win over the outmatched Bulldogs. Hound 2, state playoffs Jefferson 35, Hapeville Charter 0 — Dec. 4 The Dragons posted theirthird-straight shutout, dominating No. 9-ranked Hapeville Charter 35-0 in the second round of the state playoffs. The Dragons limited Hapeville Charter to just 126 yards of total offense. Quarterfinals, state playoffs Jefferson 28, Carver-Columbus22—Dec. 11 The Dragons outlasted No. 3-ranked Carver-Columbus 28-22, overcoming a high-powered Carver-Columbus team that threw for 219 yards and outgained them by nearly 100 yards (380-287). Semifinals, state playoffs Jefferson 42, Benedictine 35—Dec. 18 In a performance that will go down in Dragon lore, Starks rushed 30 times for 321 yards and four touchdowns, threw for another touchdown and secured the game-sealing interception in a 42-35 Dragon win over Benedictine in Savannah to advance the team to the Class AAAA state finals. Starks' final touchdown of the night — a 65 yarder—tipped the scales in a 35-35 game. Finals continued from IB Photos by Ben Munro Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart discusses a call with an official during Tuesday’s state finals. The Dragons were also hurt by an uncharacteristic slow start. A Marist punt return to the Dragon 12-yard line set up the War Eagles’ first score — a 3-yard touchdown run from George Parker — to put Marist up 7-0 with 8:45 left in the first quarter. The War Eagles scored again just over four min utes later when quarterback Champ Davis went 12 yards for a touchdown on a mid line play, pushing the lead to 14-0 at the 4:09 mark. “There was a moment where it looked like we were getting the doors blown off and ‘crank the buses early,’” Cathcart said. “(But) I never expected them not to fight their way back in.” Jefferson rallied with a 70-yard touchdown drive, capped with a 9-yard scor ing run from Jordan Perry with 11:22 left in the second quarter. Perry added a sec ond touchdown at the 5:23 mark in the second quarter with a 4-yard run after elud ing three tacklers behind the line of scrimmage. His score was set up by a 67-yard run from Kam Robinson on a third-and-nine. But Marist turned the game in the third quarter with a punt at the 7:44 mark that pinned the Dragons at their own 8. Two plays later. Robinson was taken down in the end zone for a safety. “The second half was such a story of field posi tion.” Cathcart said. “That’s just football. That’s not an excuse. That’s not taking anything away from Marist because they made that hap pen.” Disaster then struck the Dragons on the first play of the fourth quarter as a Rob inson fumble set up the War Eagles on the Dragon 3. Marist — after a penalty— cashed in two plays later with 6-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 23-14 with 10:58 left in the game. Marist essentially put the game out of reach with an 18-yard touchdown run from Andrew Mannelly, who bounced off a pair of tacklers en route to the score, putting the War Eagles up by 16 points with just 5:45 re maining. While Corkery, who had 8 tackles in the game, said he felt the defense played well, “we gave up some late touchdowns that we wouldn’t have given up.” The Dragons’ finals ap pearance came eight years after Jefferson won its first state title. They were domi nant in their run to the cham pionship game, winning eight games by 30 points or more, and had enjoyed a 14-0 start for the first time in school history before falling to Marist. Jefferson’s senior class finishes with a 42-9 record with two trips to the quarterfinals and this year’s state finals appearance. “I think I’ll be proud, not just of myself, but all these boys,” Corkery said when asked to reflect on the sea son. “They came out here and fought, and they fought all season. 14-1 isn’t any thing to shrug at. Great memories were made this season, and it’s something I’ll hold dearly for the rest of my life.” While the Dragons missed out on a title this year. Jef ferson will return a number of top-line players next year, including Starks, Perry and Kadin Bailey, as it hopes to be one of the top teams in Class AAAA again in 2021. This year’s team, however, will hold a special place with Cathcart. “They made me want my feet to hit the floor ev ery morning and come to work,” said Cathcart, who took a moment to gather his thoughts when asked about this year’s team. “... And share in their life and their football season, and I don’t know that there’s a greater gift to give a coach than to be the kind of team you dream about coaching. “Ring or no ring, they’re champions, and I love them with all my heart.” Congratulations, Dragons! You Make Us Smile! Thank you for all your hard work this year, Dragons - what a FANTASTIC season! Your season and run through the playoffs is inspiring. We are proud of you and wish you all the best in your future. ••• Jefferson • # • Dental Care Jefferson Dental Care 1689 Old Pendergrass Road Suite 310 • Jefferson GA, 30549 JeffersonDental.net 706.367.0010 Our office is open for normal business hours and we are following all ADA/CDC guidelines to ensure staff and patient safety.