JACKSON COUNTY continues to win and the games continue to get bigger. Perhaps none bigger than this week.
The Panthers (5-3, 3-2) face Elbert County (4-4, 3-2) Friday with a chance to fulfill their long-awaited state playoff dreams. Win against the Blue Devils and they’re in.
Add Senior Night into the mix and it makes this the biggest game thus far in the Benji Harrison era.
“This is why you play — for it to mean something late,” said Harrison, Jackson County’s first year coach. “We’ve played good enough for it to mean something late. We couldn’t ask for more that anything than that.”
Jackson County is coming off a 48-35 win over Oconee County in a game that featured points and yards a plenty. Dustin Scott ran for a staggering 318 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Daniel enjoyed another 300-yard passing game. Jackson County finished with a likely school record of 701 total yards.
So the Panthers carry a lot of momentum into their game with Elbert County.
“I think when we play like we’re capable of, we’re a pretty good football team,” Harrison said. “It’s a big game. We’re excited. Our kids are excited. And I hope the community is excited. I think they will be.”
Elbert County has weapons of its own — namely Tyshon Dye. Dye was limited due to injury last week in the Blue Devils’ 6-0 loss to Hart County but is considered one of the best running backs in the state.
Jackson County is preparing for Dye as if he’ll be full-strength.
“We’re preparing; he’s going to play,” Harrison said. “He’s a really good player so we definitely have to know where he’s at.”
When healthy, Dye — a Clemson commit — has terrorized offenses in Northeast Georgia.
“We’ve got to get hats around the ball to stop him,” Harrison said. “We’ve got to get more than one person there to the point of attack to tackle him because he can score from anywhere.”
Elbert County operates out of the Wing-T, which thrives on misdirection and ball-faking.
Naturally, it can present problems for a defense not accustomed to seeing such an offense.
“It’s so important to get them prepared in practice, and it’s so hard to simulate that when that’s not something we do,” Harrison said. “So it’s a big, big responsibility for our scout team to prepare our defense.”
Harrison said the Panther defense must read its keys and warns of the consequences of not staying fundamentally sound.
“It’s a game if you free-lance it at all, they’ll expose you and they’ll make you pay,” he said.
The Panther offense, which is coming off a season-high 48 points, will run into a solid Elbert County defense that is allowing 16 points a game.
“They don’t do a lot to make mistakes and give up big plays,” Harrison said.
This has the makings of a special season in Harrison’s first year with the program.
The Panthers have already won five games, a first since 1992. That assures Jackson County of at least a .500 finish.
“I’m definitely happy for the seniors because it’s something that hasn’t been accomplished in a long time,” Harrison said.
Of course, it will take at one more win to get to the playoffs, so the Panthers aren’t celebrating anything right now.
“It’s something (the five wins) that hasn’t been done (in a while),” he said. “But at the same time, if we end there, we’ll feel disappointed.”
