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Jefferson 57, Hart County 29
Difference maker: Bryant Shirreffs’ 302 passing yards and four touchdowns separated Jefferson from Hart County.
Stat that matters: The Dragons rolled up 519 yards of offense.
Turning point: Jefferson stopped Hart County on the opening drive of the third quarter. It took away all the momentum Hart County had a halftime and allowed Jefferson to go up by three scores.
Who’s next: Hart County travels to North Oconee. Jefferson hosts North Oconee on Sept. 30 at Memorial Stadium.
JEFFERSON — Jefferson High quarterback Bryant Shirreffs threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns in a 57-29 win against Hart County on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
“It was a great game, the best game I’ve every played,” said Shirreffs. “We’re just clicking on all cylinders, and it was an experience that I’ll always remember.”
Dragons (4-0, 1-0 Region 8-AA South) running back Drequn Sewell added three touchdowns and rushed for 139 yards.
Jefferson scored the first three touchdowns of the game. Shirreffs threw for 148-yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. Sewell scored Jefferson’s third touchdown on a 4-yard run.
In the second quarter, Hart County (2-2, 0-1) responded with 15 unanswered points. Hart County running back Stephon Eades lead the charge for Hart County running in for a score and throwing a 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Barber.
The Hart County defense found new life forcing Jefferson to attempt two punts during the second quarter. One of them was snapped out of the back of the end zone giving Hart County a safety. The lead was down to 21-15.
Jefferson would respond when Shirreffs lead a scoring drive which included a 45-yard pass to Tristen Jackson, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run for Jackson. The score was Jackson’s second of the game. The score at halftime was 29-15.
Sewell started the third quarter off with his second score of the game. Hart County responded when quarterback Chris Ayers connected with Darren Craft on a 30-yard pass play with 7:05 left in the quarter. Shirreffs responded with a touchdown throw of his own to senior wide receiver Will Puckett on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 left. Ayers responded fast with a 50-yard pass to Eades for a touchdown and just :32 left in the third. This would be last score for Hart County.
In the fourth quarter, Shirreffs found Puckett for their second consecutive score on another 4-yard pass play. Sewell put the game away with a 4-yard touchdown run with :27 left in the game.
“Great first quarter, then they came back. They have great athletes,” Jefferson coach T McFerrin said. “That was crucial, stopping them to get the ball back (after halftime). I sure am proud, they made some big plays, but our guys kept fighting.”
Jefferson plays host to North Oconee on Sept. 30 at Memorial Stadium