Clarke County Democrat

JA Eagles soar in 52-0 region victory






A Jackson Academy runner races through the Sumter defense. Photo by Rick Couch

A Jackson Academy runner races through the Sumter defense. Photo by Rick Couch

The Jackson Academy football team left plenty of smiles on the faces of the homecoming crowd after Friday night’s 52-0 win against Sumter Academy.

The Eagles were solid in every aspect of a game that meant plenty in the standings. The victory gave Jackson Academy a 5-2 record overall and, most importantly, a 4-2 record in their region. The final results are still up in the air with several teams still competing, but the Eagles could finish anywhere from a first-place tie to third in the standings. A first or second-place finish would assure them of a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

The dominant win was exactly what Head Coach Bill McNair said his team needed to build confidence heading into a tough stretch that includes Clarke Prep and Marengo Academy. The blowout win allowed him to build depth for the future as well.

“Anybody that wanted to get in got in tonight,” he said. “We got to play a lot of guys.”

Offense was the story for most of the game. The Eagles rolled up 472 rushing yards and more than 500 overall, but it was a defensive play that ignited the blowout.

On the third play from scrimmage, defensive back John David Pritchett snagged a Sumter pass and returned it to the 40-yard line to give the offense a short field.

They quickly took advantage of the field position. Jackson Academy pushed the ball deep into Sumter territory, and Taylor Roberts capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Sumter stopped the two-point attempt giving the Eagles a 6-0 lead with 8:15 left in the first quarter.

The Eagles found the end zone quickly on their next possession. Anferney Trotter took the ball 49 yards down the left sideline on the second play of the possession to extend the lead to 12-0.

Quarterback Luke Lankford, who finished 2-for-3 for 13 yards, hit Roberts for a short pass and the two-point play to give the Eagles a 14-0 edge with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The Eagles needed even fewer plays to light up the scoreboard on their next possession. After a Sumter punt, Grayson Todd, who led the team with 129 yards, broke free for a 67-yard touchdown on first down to make the score 20-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter.

Roberts broke through for the two-point play to extend the lead to 22-0.

The Eagles forced another turnover to put the offense in scoring position. Wesley Brooks recovered a Sumter fumble with 1:48 to give Jackson Academy the ball at the 32-yard line and set the Eagles up in great position to add to the lead.

Lankford and Roberts again connected in the flat for a short touchdown pass early in the second quarter to put the Eagles ahead 28-0.

Roberts came back for the twopoint play to give Jackson Academy a 30-0 lead with 11:43 left in the half.

The next possession brought similar results. This time it was Scott Trujillo, who rushed for 112 yards, breaking free for a 39-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 36-0 with 5:30 left in the second quarter.

Roberts added the two-point play to give Jackson Academy a 38-0 lead that held through the half.

The second half was more of the same. On the Eagles’ first possession, Trujillo took the ball to the Sumter 5-yard line, and Grayson Todd finished the drive on the next play.

Lankford nailed the extra point to give Jackson Academy a 45-0 lead with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter.

The Eagles substituted heavily on their next possession but still found the end zone. This time, the Eagles used much more of the running clock to grind out a 12-play, 82-yard scoring march.

Hunter Petrie added to the lead with a 10-yard score, and Lankford hit the extra point to give Jackson Academy a 52-0 edge and its final points with 4:41 left in the game.

The Eagles face another tough test this week when they travel to Clarke Prep for a rivalry game. The Gators have rolled off five straight wins after starting the season 0-2.

Tuscaloosa Academy defeated the Gators 37-18 to open the year, and Marengo Academy escaped with a 28-13 lead.

Since then, the Gators have reeled off a 28-21 win at Pickens, 36- 18 win at Patrician, 46-6 win against Russell Christian, 47-6 victory at Wilcox and a 39-6 throttling of South Choctaw.


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