During the offseason, Trojan Coach Teddy Dyess told me that the offense wanted to run a play every seven seconds. In the Jamboree game against Morton, fans were given a taste of the speed of the offense and how potent it could be. Against Jefferson County, fans were shown just how fast and efficient the offense can be.
Magee scored on the first drive of the game that lasted longer than the time it took fans to find their seats. Matthew Thurman took the opening kickoff to the Magee 30 to give the Trojans solid starting field position. Chandler Pittman got the drive started with a swing pass to Jawon Shaw for seven yards. Pittman then gashed the Tiger defense for 23-yards on a pass to Cayden Bridges, before putting the finishing stamp on the drive with a 35-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper to give Magee the early lead with 11:07 left in the first quarter.
Magee's defense took the field as the Tigers set up shop at their own 23 after a holding call backed up what was a solid return. The Trojan defense, lead by Kendarious "KD" Dampeer, kept Jefferson County from mounting any form of rebuttal and forced a three and out.
Magee's next drive began at the Tiger 35. After exchanging false start penalties, Magee found themselves 3rd and 2 and looking not to waste the great field position. Shaw barreled through the Jefferson County front for a first down to extend the drive. Pittman then found Xavier "X-Man" Franks on a slant for 15 to get deep into the Tiger redzone. Pittman finished off the drive by hitting Franks on a fade to push the lead to 13-0 still early in the first quarter.
Jefferson County again struggled to find traction against the Magee defense and was forced to punt the ball back to the scalding hot Trojan offense. After another solid return by Thurman, Pittman and crew took the field at the Tiger 30. Pittman connected with Franks for 10 to get inside the Jefferson County redzone. Pittman again found Franks for another Trojan touchdown to give Magee a 19-0 lead nearing the end of the first quarter.
After holding the Tigers to another three and out, Magee took control of the ball at the 50 looking to put more points on the board. Unfortunately, the drive came to an end after a sack of Pittman led to a Magee three and out and the first punt of the night. A short punt by Juan Morales gave Jefferson County the ball at their own 38. Marques Smith tossed a wide receiver screen to Elton Fitzgerald that went backwards for a six yard loss. Smith connected with Adrion Clark for four to set up 3rd and 12 and give the Tigers a legitimate chance to extend the drive. Smith found Joquon Green on a deep out route for 16 yards and Jefferson County's first first down of the night. Smith hit Green again for three yards as the Tigers moved into Magee territory. The opportunistic Magee defense put a swift end to a promising drive, as Bridges picked off Smith and returned the interception to the Magee 35. After coming up just short on fourth down, the Trojans gave the ball back to the Tigers deep in their own territory. Smith was unable to get things started on the drive and Jefferson County was forced to trot out the punt team yet again.
A high snap flew over the Tiger punter's head and was recovered by Magee at the Jefferson County 16. After just two plays, Pittman punched the ball in for another Trojan touchdown on a quarterback sweep to give Magee a 27-0 lead going into halftime.
Despite having a firm grasp on the game at the half, Coach Dyess would like to have seen his team put up a few more points in the first half, "We got up 19-0 and we put it on cruise control and we just have got to find a killer instinct, young team, not a lot of Seniors, but when you get blood in the water and go up 19-0 in the first quarter, then you've got to win 45-0 and then you can move on."
At halftime, the South State Champion Magee Trojans baseball team was recognized for their stellar performance in the 2019 season.
Jefferson County received the opening kickoff of the second half to their own 17, looking to claw their way back into the ballgame. The Tigers found success on the ground early in the drive, running the ball up the middle with Jaheime Herrington in as the Wildcat quarterback. Herrington's first carry of the drive went for nine, followed up by a 20 yard run to get near midfield. Just when Jefferson County appeared to have found something on offense, a bad snap nearly derailed the drive, causing a five yard loss rather than another turnover. Smith returned to quarterback and hit Clark for 25yards down to the Magee 28. Another bad snap once again cost the Tigers yards and backed the team up to the 39. After an offside penalty, Jefferson County found themselves all the way back at the Magee 44, where Jody Durr ended their hopes of scoring with a sac-strip-recovery to give Magee the ball near midfield.
Unfortunately, the Trojans' drive never gained steam and ended with an interception of Pittman's pass down at the Tiger 3 yard line. Another punt quickly ensued and Magee took over at the Jefferson County 36. Pittman got the drive started, finding Bridges for four then Franks for 23 to move the Trojans to the Tiger 19. Shaw busted through for what appeared to be a 14-yard run that would give Magee the ball at the 5 but was brought back on a holding penalty at the line of scrimmage to move Magee to the 40. Pittman connected with Franks for a 15-yard catch and run on a bubble screen to give the Trojans 2nd and 17. The drive stalled and ended with a Sam Rials 42-yard field goal to move the lead up to 30-0 with 10:12 left in the game. The score would remain 30-0 until the dying minutes of the game when the Trojans caught the Tigers in their own endzone for a safety to give Magee a 32-0 lead which would go on to be the final.
Next up for Magee is the Simpson County Super Bowl, played at Mendenhall this year at 7 pm. The Trojans look to exact revenge for last years loss in the second week of the season to what was a very strong Tigers team. Magee will have their Mr. Everything back on the field, as Josh Sanders, who did not play against Jefferson County, will be back against the county rival Mendenhall Tigers.
