Panthers on the road, travel to Hart County Friday night

And that’s the game the Panthers have looming ahead, as they prepare for a road trip north to face another set of Bulldogs, those of Hart County.

Hart County is also having their problems. After an initial victory in their season opener, the Bulldogs have lost three in a row, including their region opener last week to Stephens County, 21-17.

On paper, Hart County appears to have the edge over Jackson County in points scored, with 58 to the Panthers’ 48. But the Bulldogs have also allowed more points to be scored against them, with 89 points, while the Panthers have allowed only 72.

In their last two meetings, Hart County has been the victor. Last year, they blanked Jackson County 20-0. Their most recent meeting prior to that was back in 2001, when the Bulldogs won 51-3.

Kick off in Hartwell Friday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Bulldogs Bite

Morgan County came out of the box swinging, scoring on their first drive to move out to a 6 point lead. While the Panthers worked hard to get their legs under them, the Bulldogs broke into the end zone again just before the end of the first quarter to move ahead 12-0 after a second failed PAT.

Things fared no better for Jackson County in the second quarter, as Morgan County made another touchdown, giving them a 20-0 lead at the end of the first half. The Panthers gained only 21 yards offensively in the first half of the game, but came out fighting for the second half, blocking a Morgan County punt on the Bulldog’s 24 yard line. But they were unable to break into the end zone, as the Bulldogs pushed the Panthers back, and took control of the ball four plays later.

After the loss of Crawford, the Panthers were more determined than ever not to be shut out, and with three minutes remaining in the third quarter, quarterback Nick Oney flipped a pass to Marquice Gillespie, who ran it in 77 yards for the lone Jackson County touchdown.

Morgan County responded on their first play of the next drive with a touchdown pass from 55 yards out. The Bulldogs would score again in the fourth quarter for the final nail in the coffin, leaving the score 34-6
The Bulldogs held Jackson County to 104 offensive yards, with 34 rushing yards among them.

Individual stats were not available at press time.