Our Week 4 Game of the Week takes us to Jefferson for a HUGE litmus test for both the Dragons (#1 in 3A) and Stephens County (#2 in 2A).
RELATED Northeast Georgia Week 4 matchups
JEFFERSON
If you’re on the fence about whether this team is legit following a 23-7 loss in the opener to powerhouse Marist, consider a few things. For starters, that was a solid showing against a team that has not been tested like that in a regular season game since perhaps October of last year. The Dragons’ 7-point effort marks only the second regular season occurrence against Marist since September of last year. The 23 points allowed is also holding this team below average. Then came the 38-3 win over Jackson County and 42-14 win over Clarke Central. That shows where this team is at. For those concerned about an identity without Sammy Brown, well…Dallas Russell has emerged as a legit backfield threat, and Gavin Markey is playing on a different level than he was last year. The defense is insanely gifted, with Rett Hemphill, Kelan Butler, Jayden Yang, and Max Brown, among many others.
STEPHENS COUNTY
The Indians leave no doubt thus far with their 3-0 start. Javin Gordon continues to get targeted as the guy to stop, but Tripp Underwood has taken a natural step as a signal-caller. He has both Davon and Jonah Swinton and the Swiss Army Knife of Brock Tankersley at his disposal, too. The defense has been great, allowing just 34 points (11.3 per game). Against a bigger school (Habersham), a top-10 talent (Elbert), and an average team (Cedar Shoals), there’s not been a game that the Indians have played down or otherwise flat. They’re up for any opponent and talent level and are looking to prove it once again at Jefferson.
BY THE NUMBERS (2024)
JEFFERSON
- 2-1 (0-0 in 8-AAA)
- Region Standings: N/A
- 29.0 OFFENSE AVG
- 13.3 DEFENSE AVG
- #1 State Ranking
STEPHENS COUNTY
- 3-0 (0-0 in Region 8-AA)
- Region Standings: N/A
- 39.3 OFFENSE AVG
- 11.3 DEFENSE AVG
- #2 State Ranking
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Four. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Jefferson and Stephens County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).
OUR PREDICTION
We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s begin with the Dragons. They have a relentless defense, and you’ll see several blue jerseys on the ball at the whistle on every play. The offense is opportunistic. You can make the argument that Jefferson has yet to show its full bag of tricks. Being at home means something in this one, as both teams mirror each other in terms of offense and defensive output. If the Dragons can own the clock, they’ll win this one. Stephens County is fairly balanced on the run and pass, and sling it a bit more than the Dragons do. However, they have 5 turnovers on the season, and have had other near misses on fumbles out of bounds, etc. Taking care of the football is priority one here. If Javin Gordon has 150 or more yards and the Indians get 28 points, it’s hard to see them not in a position to win. OUR PICK: SEE HERE
DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP
TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Jefferson HS / Jefferson, GA / Memorial Stadium
LAST MEETING: 2017 (#7 Jefferson 27, Stephens County 24)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Jefferson leads 4-3 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #1 Jefferson Dragons (2-1; 0-0 in 8-AAA); #2 Stephens County Indians (3-0; 0-0 in 8-AA)
HEAD COACHES: Travis Noland (212-94; 27 Seasons); Wesley Tankersley (108-71; 17 Seasons)
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
While both teams are rich in history, this is not a game that’s been played too often or lately. The sides squared off first in 1948, a 7-6 win for Stephens County. They’d play again in 1949, 1950, 1954, and 1955. In those episodes, each team won two times. A gap of 61 years came before the next matchup. That came in 2016 when both teams were ranked. #4 Jefferson prevailed 35-7 against #9 Stephens County. The following season was much closer at 27-24, but still went to the Dragons. This is the first meeting since then.
TEAM LEADERS (2024 Stats)
*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from last season; returning players only
JEFFERSON
PASSING
Gavin Markey – 349 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 70% completion
Colton Grant – 60 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 57% completion
RUSHING
Dallas Russell – 183 yds, 3 TD, 4.9 YPC
Gavin Markey – 135 yds, 2 TD, 10.4 YPC
Mickell Pittman – 108 yds, 0 TD, 3.9 YPC
Rett Hemphill – 74 yds, 1 TD, 10.6 YPC
RECEIVING
Dalton Dye – 164 yds, 1 TD, 8 rec
Talan Childress – 109 yds, 1 TD, 5 rec
RJ Hinton – 57 yds, 1 TD, 5 rec
Dallas Russell – 27 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec
Joshua Causey – 9 yds, 0 TD, 1 rec
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Max Brown – 28 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR, 1 FF
Jayden Yang – 26 TKL
Rett Hemphill – 26 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 INT
Darren Pinkard – 23 TKL, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks
Kelan Butler – 17 TKL, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks
Dashaun Keith – 13 TKL, 1 INT
STEPHENS COUNTY
PASSING
Tripp Underwood – 642 yds, 8 TD, 2 INT, 70% completion
RUSHING
Javin Gordon – 277 yds, 4 TD, 5.4 YPC
Jasiah Wiley – 56 yds, 0 TD, 4.7 YPC
Brock Tankersley – 52 yds, 2 TD, 7.4 YPC
Zykemian Durham – 20 yds, 1 TD, 3.3 YPC
RECEIVING
Davon Swinton – 240 yds, 3 TD, 11 rec
Javin Gordon – 185 yds, 0 TD, 15 rec
Jonah Swinton – 105 yds, 2 TD, 4 rec
Brock Tankersley – 57 yds, 2 TD, 5 rec
Duke Collins – 31 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec
Zykemian Durham – 11 yds, 1 TD, 1 rec
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Brock Tankersley – 31 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FF
Jakob Lunsford – 25 TKL, 5 TFL, 1 Sack
Garrett Addison – 24 TKL, 0.5 TFL, 1 FR
Morris Perkins – 17 TKL, 4 TFL
Kymani Colbert – 16 TKL, 6 TFL
Jonah Swinton – 11 TKL, 3 INT, 1 FF
Conner Holtzclaw – 10 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks
Kamari McCarter – 8 TKL, 6 TFL, 2 Sacks
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