Jefferson football lacks offensive fire, gets burnt in GHSA 3A finals
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ATLANTA — For the second year in a row, and lacking their own offensive fire, Jefferson football got burnt by another tough opponent in Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The Dragons fell 27-7 to Sandy Creek in the GHSA Class 3A state championship game in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
“Great accomplishment to get back here, very disappointed in how we played at certain times in the game,” Jefferson coach Travis Noland said. “We played really hard at times, just made too many mistakes. It’s very disappointing when we make those mistakes in this setting.
“We couldn’t develop any kind of offensive rhythm. And on defense we were worn down and tired. … We expected to (get back here) but I don’t think a lot of people did. All we heard all off season is what we’d lost, when we had a lot of great guys coming back.”
The first quarter ended with nothing on the board, even after a long offensive struggle for the Patriots that saw them situated on first-and-35 after two false starts pushed them back 10 yards and then another 15-yard penalty.
Sandy Creek senior running back Amari Latimer, the second leading rusher in the GHSA, got the Patriots on the board first with 8:01 remaining in the second quarter.
Jefferson continued not to convert on third down, sending out senior kicker Taylor McCall. One punt he was overthrown by the long snapper, and due to the slight miscalculation, Sandy Creek senior defensive end Evan Harvey was able to get in for the block.
The Patriots scored again shortly after, with 2:53 remaining in the second quarter, off a keeper by junior quarterback Caleb Hill.
Jefferson found some oxygen on the very next play when senior wide receiver/cornerback Chance Payne turned on the jets and returned the kickoff 82 yards to the house to put the Dragons on the board with 2:39 remaining.
Junior defensive back Shyne Parham forced and recovered a fumble on Sandy Creek's final drive of the half, the Dragons trailing by only one score headed into the locker room.
Hill opened the third quarter with another keeper for Sandy Creek, extending the Patriots lead to 21-7 with 9:41 remaining.
Latimer added six more to Sandy Creek’s total with 6:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Jefferson called it at that when junior wide receiver Zekiah Elder blocked the point after attempt.
Latimer and Hill combined for more rushing yards than Jefferson had total yards. Jefferson only had nine offensive snaps in the first half, Noland added.
“I love these boys more than a lot of things,” Jefferson senior quarterback Colton Grant said. “To make this journey back to December, to make this journey back to where we’re at right now, it was great and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Nobody expected us to be here, so being here was a blessing. We’ve already won.”
“This is what life’s about. Putting the work in, going through the ebbs and flows, batting adversity. We did that all season. We’re built as men.”
Jefferson again falls runner up in the GHSA Class 3A competition, finishing the season 13-2 overall.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Jefferson football falls runner up second year in a row at GHSA finals
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