J.Z. George took one on the chin in its last outing as Walnut High School claimed a 55-28 win last Friday night in Walnut.
The Jaguars could not stop the potent Wildcat offense, as Walnut built a 28-8 lead by halftime and led 42-20 by the end of the third period.
“Walnut took its opening drive and went down the field and scored,” said J.Z. George head coach Rusty Smith. “We made some mistakes in the secondary, and we couldn’t stop them. They had a very good offensive line and some good skill guys. Walnut has a complete team. I look for them to go far in the playoffs.
“I think he has 17 seniors. They are sound on defense. I felt like we played much better in the second half. I finally saw the physicality I’ve been wanting to see. We brought the thump to them. I was happy to see that. At the end of the game, they wanted to shake our hands out of respect. Our guys could have laid down and got beat 60-0, but I’m proud of the way they fought and never gave up.”
The Jaguars’ first touchdown of the night was a 62-yard run by fullback Wil’Tavious Williams. He had 68 yards rushing and completed 2-of-2 passes for 18 yards on gadget plays. He also had one reception for nine yards and chipped in four tackles from his middle linebacker position.
Trailing 35-14 early in the third period, J.Z. George got its second touchdown when junior quarterback Jordun Normal hit junior receiver Alexander Criss for a 59-yard scoring strike to make it 35-14.
“Alexander is really coming on for us,” said Smith. “He’s never played football before. I don’t think he knows how good he can be just yet. He’s becoming a good receiver for us.”
In the fourth frame, the Jaguars got two scores as senior tailback Jacob Johnson had a TD run, and junior D’Anthony McGlothan returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.
“On D’Anthony’s kickoff return, I told him to go straight up the middle,” Smith said. “We had been returning to both sides, but the middle was open. As soon as it opened up, he was gone.”
McGlothan finished with 37 yards receiving, 24 yards rushing, the kickoff return for a touchdown, and eight solos tackles, five assists and a forced fumble on defense.
Johnson only had 15 yards rushing for the game, something he says he will have to improve on.
“I’ve got to be more physical and explosive when I’m running with the ball,” said Johnson, who also had five tackles and one assist on defense. “I’ve got to show that I’m a threat when I have the ball in my hands.”
Smith feels with the weapons they have on offense, they can put the ball in the end zone.
“We have the ability to score at any point. If everybody is doing their job and making plays, we can have a very good offense,” said Smith.
Normal finished 6-of-13 for 121 yards with a TD and one interception. He also had seven tackles and two assists on defense. Criss had two receptions for 63 yards, and junior Ja’Ravion Seals had 29 yards receiving.
Ken Head had seven tackles and one assist, and Lake Shute had two tackles and three assists. Seals chipped in with four total tackles, and Alan Busby had a fumble recovery. Ja’Darius Fluker had two solos and one assist, and Criss had two solos and an assist. Josh Newman finished with three tackles.
J.Z. George’s scheduled game Friday against East Webster High School has been canceled and ruled a forfeit win for the Jaguars. That makes them 4-2 overall and 1-0 in Region 2-2A play.
Instead of having Friday night off, the Jaguars will travel to Greenwood to take on the Pillow Academy Mustangs.
“Our kids are fired up about this opportunity to play Pillow,” said Smith. “Pillow is going to run the ball 95 percent of the time, and they will give you different looks on defense. We need to be prepared to stop their run game and play solid football. It’s going to be a good matchup.”
McGlothan and his teammates are ready for the challenge.
“We’re ready to come out and do what it takes to win and spoil their homecoming,” said the junior safety. “We need to get going early. We had a rough start last week. We need to come out with a chip on our shoulder to win this game.”
‘We are feeling good about this game,” said Williams. “We are excited to be playing someone because of the game against East Webster getting canceled.”
