The Magee Trojans remain undefeated after a roller coaster of a game last Friday at Trojan field against the Jefferson Davis County Jaguars. The Trojans defeated the Jaguars 35-32 for their eighth win of the season. The build up to this game was filled with much anticipation with both teams being undefeated in district play.
The Trojans jumped out to a fast start with big plays from Christian Hubbard, Jeremiah Cole, Ken Porter, and Kendal Middleton on offense. The defense, led by DeLarrius Hayes, Zykeriean Magee, and Quay Berkhalter, played sound and kept the speedy Jaguar offense in check through the first half.
The Trojans jumped out to a 21-13 lead at halftime. Both teams swapped possessions deep into the third quarter until a momentum shifting play by the Jaguars led to a touchdown. The Jaguars converted a 4th and 20 with a hook and lateral play. The drive ended with a touchdown to cut into the Trojans’ lead, making the score 21-19.
The Trojan offense started to press on the next drive but was a little out of sync leading to a short punt that the Jaguars’ return man caught on the run with no one in front of him, returning it for a touchdown to take a 26-21 lead.
Quarterback Kendal Middleton led the offense back onto the field in the fourth quarter and had success early connecting with Braden Gregory for a first down and swinging the ball to Ken Porter for another first down. With the Trojans trailing, Middleton dropped back to pass and threw a beautiful ball to Christian Hubbard along the left sideline. Hubbard corralled the pass for a 38-yard gain, setting up first and goal. Middleton called his own number, received good blocks up front and rushed for an 8-yard touchdown. He then powered his way forward for the 2-point conversion to return thelead to his team, 29-26, with 7:34 remaining in the game.
Zykerian Magee came up with two big sacks on the next drive for the defense. However, the Jaguars managed to make timely plays and moved the ball to the redzone. The Jaguars scored a touchdown to take a 32-29 lead.
Middleton led the offense onto the field again with 3:37 left in the game. The Trojans moved the ball to the Jags’ 42-yard line before the drive took a turn for the worst. Three incomplete passes due to some abnormal drops led to a turnover on downs. The unsuccessful drive took the air out of the crowd, but not the Trojan defense, who were ready to step up.
The Jaguar offense planned to keep the ball on the ground and run the clock. On the first play Jacob Price won at the line of scrimmage, and DeLarrius Hayes shot through a gap, making contact with the ball carrier. Hayes was able to knock the ball fre,e and the Trojans recovered the fumble to give their offense another shot.
With a fresh set of downs, Middleton led his offense onto the field for a game- winning drive. Needing 38 yards for a touchdown, Middleton dropped back to pass. He was flushed out of the pocket to his left. He evaded tacklers before lofting a pass to Jeremiah Cole, who secured the catch and made a defender miss before carrying the ball to the 5-yard line. Middleton finished the drive with a rushing touchdown to give the Trojans a 35-32 lead.
With 51 seconds remaining the Jaguars took some desperate heaves downfield. The Jag quarterback was under heavy pressure and had his pass tipped into the air. Quaylin Berkhalter made a diving catch to secure the game winning interception. The Trojans won the game 35-32.
Head Coach Chase Courtney said, “It was up and down. It really was a rollercoaster. It looked bleak there for a second then we got a fumble and were able to punch it in. JDC doesn’t have any quit, and they are a historic program. It was a big win for us.”
Defensive Coordinator Jarrod Milloy was asked about the Trojans defense and said, “The guys played hard as they’ve been playing all year. We work on these situations in practice where we’re backed up and have to have a stop. You don’t want to be in those situations in games, but they are used to it and know what to expect.”
Coach Courtney said, “We have a big one next week at Seminary for it all, for the district championship.”
The Trojans will travel to Seminary this Friday for their final game of the regular season.
