J.Z. George will play in its final tune-up game before region play starts next week as the Jaguars entertain Walnut High School Friday.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.at Farris Jenkins Field in North Carrollton.
The Jaguars snapped a three-game slide with a 26-0 homecoming victory over Leake County last week to improve to 3-3 overall.
The first quarter ended tied at 0-0, but the Jags took a 14-0 lead into the break. After a scoreless third period, J.Z. George tacked on two scores in the fourth.
Leake County came out and controlled the first quarter. The Gators received the opening kickoff and held the ball for 10:49. Leake got down near the goal line, but the Jaguars' defense stiffened and held the Gators out of the end zone on four straight plays.
"They held the ball by running stuff right at us, and they were able to convert on third down twice. We made a couple of adjustments when they got down in scoring position, and we were able to keep them from scoring. We finally got the ball with 1:11 left on the clock," said JZG head coach Ben Burton.
"We weren't very successful with our first drive. We were forced to punt, and our defense held them in check on their second drive. We scored on our second drive."
However, on the possession, sophomore tailback Deriaun Townsend rolled his left ankle and did not come back into the game. He had four rushes for 34 yards before leaving the game.
"We've held Deriaun out of contact drills this week. He'll be a game-time decision," said Burton.
Townsend sits just 29 yards shy of eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. He has 971 yards on 103 carries through the first six games.
With Townsend out, Burton used three different backs, plus his sophomore quarterback, to carry the load in the backfield. Junior Jacob Johnson led the way with 51 yards and a down on 11 carries, while senior Quientirus Purnell had 43 yards on five totes.
Sophomores Jordun Normal and D'Anthony McGlothan had 41 yards each on four and three carries, respectively. Both also scored a touchdown.
The final score for the Jaguars came on a 20-yard pass from Normal to senior Malik Branch, who had three receptions for 48 yards.
Normal was 5 of 6 for 63 yards with no interceptions.
"Jordun's stats may not be flashy, but he is doing what we ask of him. He is managing the offense. There is going to come a time when he will have to throw the ball more. I want to be able to complete 70 percent of our passes," said Burton. "Jacob is obviously a better runner when we have success running the ball at tailback. He got a little banged up, but he will be ready to go Friday night."
The Jaguars' defense is coming around to the way the coaches are coaching them.
"It was a better night for our defense as far as getting to the ball. We were out of alignment a few times, but they responded to some of the adjustments we made as we went along," the Jaguar head coach said. "This week is another opportunity for them to execute what they have been taught in practice.
"Walnut has a couple of weapons on offense we have to stop. We've got to be able to tackle their primary ball carrier and not let them break any big plays."
The Jaguars' defense was spearheaded a week ago by junior end Wil'tavious Williams, who had six solo stops and 12 assists. McGlothan, a sophomore free safety, had 11 total tackles (five solos and six assists), and junior tackle Preston Clardy had 10 tackles (two solos, eight assists).
Senior Keyshawn Daniels and junior Thomas Perry chipped in with eight tackles apiece. Senior Antwon Granderson had six tackles.
Walnut, which is from Tippah County in North Mississippi, is 5-1 on the season. The Wildcats knocked off South Pontotoc 42-14 last week. They have won five straight after opening the season with a 41-19 loss to Scotts Hill (TN).
