After a game that seemed touch and go for a while, the Jefferson Dragons came away with their first road win of the 2009, defeating the Rebels of Fannin County.
With their record now 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the region, the Dragons will again be on the road this Friday, as they travel to Oglethorpe County to face the Patriots.
The Patriots are 1-2 overall, and have yet to pick up a region win this year. Last week, they fell 28-14 to the East Jackson Eagles.
On paper, Jefferson has the clear advantage going into Friday night. The Dragons have scored a total of 128 points so far in 2009, while Oglethorpe County has scored 67.
The stats are a little closer in the points allowed category. While the Patriots have allowed 69 points to be scored against them this year, an average of 23 per game, the Dragons have allowed 56 total, or 18.7 per game.
If history is any indicator, Jefferson holds the advantage there as well. Jefferson defeated Oglethorpe 48-20 last year, and has defeated the Patriots in their last five meetings.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Fannin County
The Dragons traveled north to Fannin County to face the Rebels in region play Friday night.
The Dragons got on the board first, just under seven minutes in the first quarter, when they broke into the Rebels’ end zone to take a 7-0 lead.
Fannin County went to work, and with just over two minutes left in the quarter, the Rebels scored their first touchdown of the night, and tied the game 7-7 with a successful extra point attempt.
The Rebels would take their only lead of the night six minutes into the second quarter, when a touchdown put them ahead 14-7.
But just seconds later, Cain Finch ran a kickoff back for a touchdown to tie the game again 14-14.
Jefferson would then retake the lead three minutes later on another touchdown, moving out to a 21-14 lead. The Dragons would add to that lead with 23 seconds remaining in the first half with another touchdown, making it a 28-14 game at the half.
In the second half, the Rebels began working on a comeback of their own.
Fannin County would force two turnovers in the third quarter, and with just under three minutes remaining, would break into the Dragons’ end zone to make it a 28-21 game. The Rebels then pulled to within a point with another touchdown, but a failed two-point conversion allowed Jefferson to hold a slim 28-27 lead.
Jefferson would flex their muscles in the fourth quarter, first scoring with just over five minutes remaining on the clock to pull out to a 35-27 advantage. Then, with just under two and a half minutes left to play, the Dragons slipped past the Rebels to score again, making it 42-27.
The score would stay unchanged until the final buzzer, giving the Dragons their third win of the year.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
