JEFFERSON, Ga. – Saturday’s matchup between the Alcovy Tigers and Jackson County Panthers was largely one-sided as the Panthers defeated the Tigers 48-10.
The game was held on Saturday as a result of a cancellation of all Newton County Schools football games for Friday due to Hurricane Helene.
The contest between the two region foes was widely one-sided, as Jackson County quarterback RJ Knapp III accounted for six total touchdowns in the first half to put the Panthers up 41-0 going into the intermission.
As the second team came in for the Panthers, a late score by the Tigers’ receiver Ashton Hawkins gave the Tigers their lone touchdown of the afternoon.
Tigers fail to garner momentum in first half
The Panthers started the game on offense and quickly scored with a Knapp touchdown pass to wide receiver Caden Daniels. The pair connected a second time just minutes later to put the Panthers up 13-0 after a failed two-point conversion.
With less than two minutes to go in the first quarter, Knapp connected on another passing touchdown, this time to Daylan Maxwell to put the Panthers up 20-0.
A long pass from Kavion Sutton to Ashton Hawkins gave the Tigers some life in the beginning of the second quarter. But the momentum was short lived as Sutton threw an interception in the red zone to Maher Magness.
This led to another Panther drive to Tigers territory, where Knapp delivered his fourth passing touchdown of the day. This came as a result of a tipped pass by Alcovy which was caught one-handed by Jacob Coombs.
The Tigers were unable to respond the following possession, going three and out once more.
This time, Knapp took to the ground with two big rushing plays resulting in a rushing touchdown for the junior quarterback and his fifth overall touchdown of the day.
As Sutton attempted to garner any sort of positive momentum for the Tigers, his pass was picked off by Cooper Galley for Sutton’s second interception of the day.
This led to Knapp’s fifth passing touchdown and sixth overall score to Robert Spry to put the Panthers up 41-0.
Tigers show flashes in second half, but fall short
The second half saw an immediate opportunity for the Tigers as the Panthers’ second team fumbled on Alcovy’s 35-yard line, which was recovered by Zavier Smith.
The Tigers made a quarterback change to Cam Scott, but it did not result in any offensive momentum immediately as the Tigers went three and out again.
Alcovy got the ball back late in the third quarter following an interception by Zyiare Kendrick. This led to the Tigers’ first points of the night with a 28-yard Destin Cohran field goal to make the score 41-3.
In another offensive possession in the fourth quarter, Scott’s pass was picked off by Jacob Vang and returned all the way to the house for a Panthers touchdown.
In a last ditch effort to put points on the board, Scott aired it out to Hawkins for the Tigers’ lone touchdown of the night with 1:10 to play.
The Panthers got the ball back with seconds to go in the game, but opted to run out the clock with the victory formation.
Tigers fall to 1-5
With the loss, Alcovy moves to 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in AAAAA Region 8 play. The Tigers are off next weekend and will return to action at Sharp Stadium on Oct. 11 against the Habersham Tigers (2-4; 1-1 AAAAA Region 8 play). Kickoff will commence at 7:30 p.m.
