Football: Jefferson to battle Clarke Central for region lead

JEFFERSON, Ga. — If Jefferson is going to defend its Region 8-5A title, the Dragons will have to get past a strong Clarke Central squad. 

The fourth-ranked Dragons (4-0, 0-0 Region 8-5A) will most likely face their stiffest test of the season when the Gladiators (3-1, 0-0 Region 8-5A) roll into Memorial Stadium on Friday for the Region 8-5A opener. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. You can hear the game live on WDUN FM 102.9 or stream it at accesswdun.com. 

Jefferson head coach Travis Noland knows the test his team has in front of them, saying Clarke Central is a well-rounded football team. 

"They're a very tough defensive football team," he said. "They're very explosive on offense as well. So, you know, it's gonna be a tough matchup for us, and, hopefully, we'll be prepared and be able to make a few plays when the opportunity presents itself."

The Gladiators' only loss this season is to Class 6A No. 1 Gainesville, a 24-7 loss in a game they led 7-0, but in the end, against the Red Elephants, they could only muster 82 total yards of offense. 

Regardless, the Gladiators held Gainesville below its average points scored, and in the three wins, they've dominated their opponents in the trenches. 

Friday night's battle could come down to who wins upfront. Both programs pride themselves on the play of the lines of scrimmage, and both match up well. Noland also believes the game could be won in the trenches. 

"I feel like the Clarke Central's lines of scrimmage is their strength on both sides of the ball," he said. "So, we're gonna find out a lot about who we are and what we are, and because it's going to be a physical game in the trenches. It's going to be a huge challenge for us."

The calculator supports Noland's analysis of Clarke Central's lines, as the average weight is more than 15 points heavier. 

Although the Clarke Central offense only averages 23.5 points per game and the Dragons' defense is giving up just 11.5 ppg, fourth best in Class 5A, Noland says the Glads can be explosive on offense. The Glads will look to quarterback Chase Berrong (21-for-39, 229 yards, 3 TDs), running backs Corey Watkins Jr. (68-460 yards rushing, 4 TDs) and Kendrick Curry (31-268 yards rushing, 3 TDs), wide receiver Jaylen Jackson (7-157 yards rec., 1 TD) and tight end Jamarion Davis (11-107 yards rec, 2 TDs). 

"When you play a team like Clarke Central, who has so many offensive weapons, they have two wideouts that can beat you deep, a big strong tight end that's a huge threat in passing game. They've got to tailbacks are as good as anybody could ever want in high school football. And then their offensive line is by far the biggest unit that we've played this season. So, our defense is going to find out a lot about themselves against Clarke Central."

Nevertheless, the Dragons have a roster full of playmakers as well, especially in Clemson-commit Sammy Brown (59-491 yards rushing, 12 TDs), who's averaging 122 rushing yards per game, 11 tackles per game at linebacker and is averaging 53.4 yards per punt. 

Although Noland said Brown's number of snaps on Friday will be based on an as-needed basis, most likely, No. 1 will get very few minutes standing on the Jefferson sideline. 

"We've been fortunate not to have to play him or give him the ball as many times early in the season as we did a season ago," Noland said. "I think that's helped him stay fresh and more productive, but it's just a game by game, feel by feel, and what's working as to how big of a role he plays on the offense."

The expectation is the Gladiators will key on Brown out of the backfield, which means quarterback Gavin Markey will be called on to make plays downfield. The Dragons have only passed the ball 58 times this season for 369 yards, less than half of the team's total yards. Markey has completed 30 of those attempts, tossed four touchdowns and has been intercepted five times. 

If the Dragons go downfield, Markey's favorite target has been Rodney Hinton, who's hauled in five catches for 138 yards and one touchdown. Chris Law leads the team in receiving touchdowns with two. He has six catches for 82 yards. 

On defense, alongside Brown, junior linebackers Ryan Hemphill and Jaden Yang are tied for second in tackles on the team. Upfront, senior defensive end Skylar Zimmerman is third with 33, leading the team in tackles for a loss. Also, upfront Kelan Butler (DE) and defensive tackles Tito Moon and Hunter Walker will have their hands full against a bigger Clarke Central O-line. 

"I don't think we have a list of things that are critical to winning a game," Noland said. "We just got to play good football, and when you do that, then some of those keys that other people like to preach might come into factor, but we just got to be the best Jefferson thing that we can be and try to limit their big plays and just see what happens as the game goes."