COMMERCE, Ga. — East Jackson's playoff chances were dealt a big blow Friday night as the Eagles could not hold a halftime lead in a 55-31 loss to Stephens County to close out the regular season at home.
The Eagles (4-6, 1-4 Region 8-2A) rallied from a 13-7 first quarter deficit with 17 unanswered in the second quarter. Jayden Gibson found Branturan Callahan for a 25-yard TD pass to give the Eagles a 14-13 lead midway through the period.
They added on in the final two minutes as Drew Richardson connected on a 30-yard scoring pass to Brady Saunders and then Phillip Gray Albritton booted a 24-yard field goal to push East Jackson to a 24-13 lead at halftime.
But they could hold it. The Indians (6-4, 3-2 Region 8-2A) exploded for 28 points in the third quarter, capped by a 20-yard pick-6 from Morris Perkins for a 41-24 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The loss dropped the Eagles to fifth place in the region standings. However, they could still get into the playoffs with an at-large bid once the final Power Rankings System (PRSS) ratings are released at the end of the regular season on Nov. 8.
