Jefferson rolls past Dodge Co. back into quarterfinals <b> (VIDEO) </b>

JEFFERSON -- Sammy Williams had heard enough about Dodge County's rushing attack.<br /> <br /> The Jefferson senior showed on Friday that the Dragons know a thing or two about the run game themselves.<br /> <br /> Williams exploded for three first half touchdowns and finished with 147 yards on the ground to help Jefferson to a 27-7 win over the Indians in the Class AAA playoffs.<br /> <br /> "We wanted to come out and prove a point to the opposition," Williams said. "We did what we had to do all night. We took their momentum and carried it."<br /> <br /> That momentum carried the Dragons into the state quarterfinals for a third straight season, where they will face Blessed Trinity at home after winning a coin toss between the two No. 1 seeds.<br /> <br /> The Titans will be wary of Jefferson's offense -- and defense for that matter.<br /> <br /> Jefferson finished with 472 total yards (234 through the air) on Friday, while the Jefferson defense stoned the normally-potent Dodge County ground attack, yielding just 111 yards -- leading the Dragons moved to their first ever 12-0 record.<br /> <br /> "That was a bit of a surprise for us; Dodge County has been tough to run against, and has run all over a lot of people," Jefferson coach Ben Hall said. "That wasn't the case tonight. Sammy ran the ball hard, and so did Colby Wood. The offensive line also played really well.<br /> <br /> "Our kids were resilient in the first quarter and then pulled away a little bit in the second quarter there."<br /> <br /> Jefferson looked set to dominate from the outset, marching 85 yards on 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead on Williams' 8-yard scoring run.<br /> <br /> It was a start that got even better for the Dragons when Trent Sorrells snagged an interception on Dodge County's opening possession. Yet the Indians were not ready to roll over and forced their own turnover -- a fumble that Dodge County used to spark its only score of the first half. Gerald Davis ripped off a 59-yard run to set up a 13-yard scoring run from Kyle Glover, as Dodge pulled even at 7-7.<br /> <br /> The Dragons were only warming up, however, and began to pull away in the second quarter -- Williams continuing his blistering pace.<br /> <br /> The senior back added touchdown runs of 12 and 2 yards to cap a 125-yard effort in the opening half. His scores -- combined with an electric 19-yard jaunt from Colby Wood (78 yards rushing), one that saw the freshman spin away from tacklers en route to the end zone -- helped Jefferson to a 27-7 halftime advantage.<br /> <br /> The Dragons defense also held up against Dodge County's pounding ground attack, allowing just 94 yards. Sorrells also gobbled up a second quarter fumble from the Indians -- the turnover helping Jefferson to its final score of the second quarter -- giving each team two early takeaways.<br /> <br /> "We need to work on ball security and get that fixed, and we will," Hall said. "We can't do that in the playoffs, especially at this point in the playoffs."<br /> <br /> Jefferson largely played it safe down the stretch, letting its defense do the work -- work that it did with aplomb, as Dodge County never truly threatened. The Indians managed 133 total yards on the night -- much of that coming on Davis' long run. Davis finished with 79 yards to lead Dodge County.<br /> <br /> Jefferson also got plenty of balance on offense, as Even Shirreffs completed 12 of 22 passes -- 6 to TJ Skelton for 97 yards and 4 to Dalton Hill for 102 yards.<br /> <br /> And now the Dragons can focus on another big home contest -- the biggest of the season so far.<br /> <br /> "It's huge to be at home, not having to deal with the distractions of a road trip, especially on a holiday week" Hall said. "The kids know what's coming, and they'll be ready for it."<br /> <br /> <b>SCORING SUMMARY</b><br /> <b>DODGE CO</b>.....7....0....0....0 -- 7<br /> <b>JEFFERSON</b>....7...20....0....0 -- 27<br /> <br /> <b>First Quarter</b><br /> JHS -- Williams 8 run (Lawson kick) 8:10, 7-0<br /> DCHS -- Glover 13 run (Tanner kick) 3:26, 7-7<br /> <br /> <b>Second Quarter</b><br /> JHS -- Williams 12 run (Lawson kick) 9:29, 14-7<br /> JHS -- Wood 19 run (kick failed) 6:05, 20-7<br /> JHS -- Williams 2 run (Lawson kick) :38, 27-7