North Oconee enters this week undefeated after besting Jefferson 35-22 on Friday night. The teams have split the results in their previous two meetings, with North Oconee winning in 2008 while the Eagles won in 2009.
“Just like any other time we’ve played them, it’s always been a knock-down-drag-out,” said coach Frank Caputo. “I expect it to be the same again.”
Caputo said he thinks the bye week will help his team.
“We’ve got a week to get our wounds healed, and maybe we’ll have a chance to get some of the guys that are banged up back to feeling better,” he said.
Game time for the Oct. 15 match-up is 7:30 p.m.
Hart County
At the outset, it appeared that the Eagles had Hart County under control Friday night.
Less than three minutes in, C.J. Allen dashed 68 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
Just 10 seconds later, a Hart County fumble opened the door for East Jackson, which recovered on the Bulldogs’ 25-yard line.
With eight minutes left in the quarter, Allen again ran it in again, this time from 19 yards out, to make it a 14-0 game.
Who would have guessed that the Eagles would not score again ?
With just over four minutes into the second quarter, Hart County scored its first touchdown of the night to make it a 14-7 game.
The score would remain the same through the half, but it took only four and a half minutes of the third quarter for the Bulldogs to pull even as they tied the game 14-14.
The teams exchanged turnovers — an interception of an Eagle pass and a fumble recovery by Nick Fulks at the Eagle 37, but neither team could capitalize.
However, with 7:53 left to play in the game, Hart County scored its third touchdown of the night to take a 21-14 lead, which it held to the final buzzer.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Commerce News or The Jackson Herald.
