NO DOUBT, North Oconee is an offensive juggernaut — very much in the same mold that Jefferson is this year. In fact, this Watkinsville-based team is averaging 40.5 points a game this fall. But when asked about the Titans, the first thing Jefferson offensive tackle Kevin Selleck mentioned was North Oconee’s defense.
“They’ve got a pretty good defensive team,” Selleck said. “They’re pretty big and fast. We’ve just got to work hard and keep focus.”
When North Oconee’s offense isn’t ringing up points, the Titan defense is equally adept at preventing them. North Oconee (4-0, 1-0) is only allowing 8.25 points a year. And even that number is skewed as the Titans gave up a special teams touchdown in last week’s 28-20 win over Hart County.
This comes after a 2010 season during which North Oconee gave up a scant six points a game and posted five shutouts.
Selleck is the most experienced player along a Jefferson offensive front that must go up against the Titans defensive line. He explains why North Oconee’s defensive front is so tough to handle.
“They twist and move and they’re really good at what they do,” said Selleck, who was Jefferson’s offensive player of the week in the Dragons’ win over Hart County. “We’ve just been practicing it hard the past two weeks. That’s the advantage of our off week. We get time to prepare more for what they do, which is a lot different from what everybody else does.”
Of course, North Oconee’s defense has yet to face an offense nearly as potent as Jefferson’s pass-happy attack, which adds to the intrigue of Friday’s matchup.
The 4-0 Dragons are averaging a staggering 44.5 point five points a game and produced a 57-point performance the last time it took the field, Sept. 16, in its rout of Hart County.
Jefferson has been buoyed by talent at the skill positions, starting with quarterback Bryant Shirreffs, who’s thrown for 863 yards in just four games. Meanwhile, the Dragon offense has been anchored all year long by a veteran offensive line that’s been the model of consistency so far.
Jefferson’s offense, however, will be without a major contributor though in the passing game Friday when it goes up against that stingy Titan defense. Jefferson coach T. McFerrin said Monday that leading receiver Cole Givens (419 yards on 22 catches) is no longer with the team. He declined to comment further on the situation.
While the Dragon offense has that obstacle to overcome, Jefferson’s defense will have its hands full with all the weapons the North Oconee offense has at its disposal. For starters, McFerrin is particularly worried with what he describes as a mammoth Titan offensive front equipped with three players over 275-lb. The coach said that North Oconee is loaded with skill players, too.
“No. 12 (Nick) Colvin is a heck of a playmaker, and their tailback (David) Pinkerton is an outstanding tailback,” McFerrin said. “They’ve got a big fullback and the quarterback is good. They’re really a solid football team.”
With both teams rolling into Memorial Stadium undefeated, this is easily the biggest game of the year so far for Jefferson in its quest to win a region title. The winner of this game continues to control their own destiny in the ultra competitive 8-AA South, which includes powerhouse Elbert County. A loss complicates things. So it remains to be seen if Jefferson’s high scorin
g attack can continue to produce points against what’s maybe the toughest defense in the region.
The stakes are high riding on Friday’s game.
“It’s exciting,” Selleck said. “This is one step into winning region, so we’ve got this step and we’ve just got to focus one week at a time. It’s fun.”
