The Magee Trojans traveled nearly two hours for the second week in a row to leave the fans with only a taste of what is to come.
On August 11, the Trojans made the two hour trek to Starkville for a game scheduled to only be one half of football in what was perfect conditions for the high powered Magee offense.
Friday night, however, Magee made yet another two hour trip, this time for their season opener against the Jefferson County Tigers that I'll simply call a "teaser" for the fact that it was called at halftime. To this point, the Trojans have only played four full quarters of football, but they have been an impressive four quarters, to say the least.
Magee’s offense and defense exchanged control of the game between the first and second quarters, as both put on a clinic of dominance in each. The offense showed glimpses of their big play potential in a dominant first quarter that saw the team put 12 points on the board that could have easily been more if not for a few dropped passes that are typical for a first game of the season.
The Trojans won the coin flip and decided to take the ball first to set the pace for the game and that pace was fast! On the first two plays from scrimmage, Chandler Pittman picked up where he left off last season with two runs for 6 and 9 yards respectively. On the next series of downs, Senior quarterback Javo Thurman found Jalyn Lee for a 25 yard strike that got the Magee offense into Tiger territory. The offense seemed to grind to a stop after failing to convert on third down, but Thurman had other plans on 4th and 5. Coach Teddy Dyess called for the offense to remain on the field and put the ball in the hands of the gutsy Thurman to get the team a new set of downs. Thurman dropped back on 4th and 5, only to find every receiver and check down covered. Thurman remained poised and scrambled, finding a hole in the Jefferson County defense that he exploited by dragging a handful of Tiger defenders over the first down marker. The tough run by the senior leader kept the drive alive and swung momentum heavily to the side of the Trojans. The talented Magee backfield then took over the drive. After punishing runs from senior Ross Lee and Pittman, the Trojans faced first and goal. Ross capped off the drive with a 3 yard run with 6:44 remaining in the first quarter. After a failed 2-point conversion, Magee found themselves ahead 6-0 after a lengthy opening drive.
The defense now took the stage, holding the Tigers to a short drive and a punt that was fielded by Magee's Josh Sanders at the Magee 35 yard line. If you blinked your eyes for a second, there's a good chance you missed the next Magee drive. After a short run on first down, the Trojans set up for second and long at their own 34. Dyess' offense dialed up a long distance connection from Thurman to Sanders that ended with Josh Sanders looking more like "Primetime" Deion Sanders as he high stepped into the endzone for a quick 66 yard touchdown. Magee again decided to forgo the PAT and go for 2 but again they came up just short. The Trojans now held a commanding 12-0 lead over the home standing Tigers. On the following Tiger drive, Daryious Collins made the first of two Trojan interceptions on the day giving Magee the ball deep in the Jefferson County side of the field.
After the INT, Magee started just outside the Tiger redzone with a strong opportunity to go for the jugular early in the game. The first two plays of the drive barely made it back to the line of scrimmage, leaving Thurman and the Trojan offense facing 3rd and long. Thurman's feet proved to be just as important as his arm as he forged ahead for a 7-yard run leaving a tough call for the Magee coaching staff on 4th and 3. Dyess rolled the dice again on fourth, but a delay of game penalty changed the situation from a manageable 4th and 3 to a long 4th and 8. Thurman made one of his few errant passes on 4th down as the ball sailed just out of reach of his intended receiver.
The teams now changed sides of the field as the second quarter got underway. Magee's defense was the story of this quarter of the game as they formed a brick wall in front of the Tiger offense and refused to budge. The Trojan defensive line anchored by junior nose tackle Cassius Walker manhandled the big boys up front for the Tigers and consistently found themselves in the Jefferson County backfield. The Trojan DBs were not to be outdone by the men up front as they locked down the Tiger passing game. After exchanging short drives, Jefferson County looked to put some points on the board as the game inched towards halftime. The Tigers took control of the ball with 4:37 left until intermission on their own side of the 50. After a promising 8 yard run from the Tiger signal caller, Jefferson County faced a 2nd and short situation. The Tiger coaching staff decided to test the Trojan secondary and take a shot deep down the left side of the field. However, the Tigers must not have called long distance as Jalyn Lee made a spectacular interception, high-pointing the ball and plucking it from the air before the Tiger receiver could make a play.
On the following drive, Pittman flashed his ability to pick up chunks of yards for the Magee offense with a 20-yard screen pass from Thurman. The drive then stalled out leading to a Magee punt, then another 3 and out by the Jefferson County offense. The Trojan coaching staff was content to run the clock out and head into halftime with a 12-0 lead with plans of coming out after the break and raining more points on the opposition.
However, Mother Nature had other ideas and the only thing that rained down was...rain. After nearly an hour of waiting for the storm to pass, the game was called after the persistent thunderstorm refused to disperse in order for the game to resume.
The Trojans start off the season on the right side of the win column with a rain shortened 12-0 victory over the Jefferson County Tigers. This Friday, Magee will travel to North Forrest to face the Eagles at their nest at 7 p.m. Make sure to flood the stands in red when you come out to support the Trojans as they continue their journey this week.
