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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 THE JACKSON HERALD PAGE 3B o o CLASS AAAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP A DEEPER LOOK Photo by Kyle Funderburk Jefferson’s Kadin Bailey (left) and Paxton Corkery combine for a tackle in Tuesday’s (Dec. 29) finals loss to Marist. Defense keeps Dragons in the game By Kyle Funderburk Though Jefferson allowed 30 points in its 4A State Championship Game loss to Marist, the defense had a game it could be proud of. The scoreboard fails to tell the whole story. The highlight of the game was a marvelous second and third quarter which saw the Dragon defense pitch a shut out, force a fumble and give the offense a chance to take a lead into halftime. Early on, Jefferson’s defense was anything but marvelous. Aided by great field position, Marist moved the ball at will on its first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead. The Drag ons’ offense responded with a scoring drive to cut the score to 14-7. The complexion of the game changed for Jefferson’s defense its next time out on the field. Austin Redmond and Car- son Woodward burst through the line to rush Marist quar terback Champ Davis. They didn’t sack Davis, they did force an inaccurate throw. From that point on. Jefferson did a much better job of get ting into Marist’s backfield, which Cathcart credits for his defense having a great game. “It wasn’t really so much a scheme adjustment as we just had some great individual ef forts,” said head coach Gene Cathcart. “We got some of our athletes in space finally. We really had to get penetra tion because they’re so dang big. “We had to make sure our quickness gave us some kind of advantage. We were able to get in the backfield and gum some things up. That started our comeback.” The third quarter was the most impressive quarter for Jefferson. Marist had posses sion for all but three minutes and had great field position each time, yet the Dragon de fense didn’t allow any points and forced three punts. A safety scored by the Marist defense were the only points the Eagles scored in the quar ter. The Dragon defense finally broke in the fourth quarter, but it took a Jefferson fum ble and Marist recovery near the goal line to break them. Marist scored once more against a wom-out defense to extend the lead to 30-14. Jefferson held Marist to just 203 yards on offense despite losing the time of possession battle by five minutes. The Dragons stuffed Marist six times on third down. Paxton Corkery had a huge game with eight tackles, two of which were sacks deep in the backfield. Kadin Bailey added four tackles with a one-half tackle for a loss. Jor dan Perry had six tackles and Redmond finished with 4.5. -JILL W ™ JU0 tEjaii '5U ijinj surd HMD an aandl afQ aim aitogjn ateia ncadtnopo. TfOasaa uPn S3 uMiaii) maps hhpDi^hi, 'StfosoQ suauaa sLali oasm a 'aODQQn Irjjjjijliedj - For an entertaining and terrific football season this year. Through a tough and challenging season, you never gave up and accomplished a championship season. We at Stop & Ride are proud of you all! StopAndRide.com 706-367-4182 803 Lee Street Jefferson, GA 30549 " COR POR ATION " 50N, GEORGIA ' 883791 GA ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP From our linemen to yours, congratulations Jackson EMC would like to congratulate Jefferson Football on one of the most successful seasons in Dragon history. Jackson EMC. Your Power. Your Community. jacksonemc.com