HOSCHTON, Ga. — It's been 12 years since last Jackson County produced a winning season. Scratch that off the list of things to accomplish for the Panthers in 2024.
Jackson County rode a tenacious effort Friday night by the defense to beat Winder-Barrow, 27-10, at Panther Stadium.
Not only did the win for the Panthers (6-2, 3-1 Region 8-5A) clinch a winning season -- just their fourth ever in program history -- it gave them their longest win streak (now at 3) since opening 2017 with three straight wins. And there's more...
The win moved them into second place in Region 8-5A and puts them back in the region title picture. They would need to win out and have Winder-Barrow beat Clarke Central by an exact amount of points, assuming all three teams continue to win.
Jackson County jumped out to a 10-0 lead by halftime while the defense staged a pair of goal line stands. Twice the Bulldoggs (5-3, 3-1 Region 8-5A) got inside the 10-yard line on long runs by Class 5A leading rusher MJ Dowdy. But the Panthers denied Winder-Barrow both times, forcing a missed field goal and picking off a pass in the end zone.
Winder-Barrow pulled within 10-3 early in the third quarter but Jackson County's Cooper Galley followed with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to push the lead to 17-3. Eventually the Panthers built a 24-3 lead by the end of the third quarter and then held off a late surge by the Bulldoggs for the victory.
The defense forced four turnovers and held Dowdy, who came in averaging nearly 200 yards/game rushing, to just over 100 yards for the game and no rushing touchdowns. Dowdy did catch a touchdown for the their only score.
Mason Allen recovered two fumbles and Ty Mobbs and Silas McDaniel each had one interception for the Panthers.
Meanwhile, Daylan Maxwell had a huge day on the ground for Jackson County, rushing 28 times for 163 yards. Jayson Lee had a rushing touchdown as the Panthers ran for 202 yards on the night.
RJ Knapp III was 10-of-18 for 162 yards passing with 1 TD and a pair of interceptions. Jacob Coombs had 5 catches for 49 yards and Robert Spry caught 2 passes for 62 yards, including a touchdown. Carson Odom kicked a pair of field goals.
Next up for Jackson County is winless Loganville (0-7, 0-3 Region 8-5A) on the road next week. They will close out the season in two weeks at Habersham Central.
