MACON, Ga. — Jones County leaned on its stars to pull out a gritty win in the first game of the season against Northside in a 27-21 victory in the Macon Touchdown Club Kickoff Classic at Mercer University.
The Eagles struggled out of the gate with a fumble on the first drive following a bad snap over quarterback Damien Dee’s head.
Jones County didn’t take long to get on the board as running back Javious Bond took a screen pass to the house for a 21-yard touchdown from quarterback Judd Anderson.
Northside would respond on a touchdown run from Michael McClendon. The Eagles went for two and got it to take an 8-7 lead. Northside was unable to capitalize on an interception on the ensuing drive.
Judd Anderson, the Greyhounds' new starting quarterback, quickly found a groove following the early interception. Anderson found Tyler Stewart for a 40-yard touchdown to grab the lead back at the start of the second quarter.
The story of the first half was Northside’s turnovers. They had a pair of fumbles and an interception. Despite the turnovers, the Eagles managed to head into halftime up 15-14 following a late touchdown run from Dee.
But coming out of the break, Zion Ragins announced his presence at the game with a one-handed grab, a nasty juke move and a sprint to the end zone to give Jones County a 21-15 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
On the following drive Ragins would extend the lead with a touchdown run to give the Greyhounds a 27-15 lead with 8:37 left in the game.
Both he and Bond were the stars of the game for Jones County. Bond finished with an interception, a touchdown and a fumble recovery.
Ragins finished with 12 rushes for 70 yards, three catches for 44 yards and a pair of scores. He also had a 73-yard touchdown called back following a holding call.
“He is a stud. There ain’t nothing he can’t do,” Jones County head coach Mike Chastain said. “Just got to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. When you get the ball in his hands, good things happen.”
The Eagles would not go away, though, as they battled back to within six points after wide receiver Duke McClinton hauled a touchdown in the back of the end zone on fourth and goal.
But it was too late for Northside as the Greyhounds ran out the clock on the next drive, with Bond and Ragins breaking big gains to ice the game.
Chastain said he was happy with how his team battled, especially in the second half. He was glad to be able to get the win a showcase game on Mercer’s campus.
“You can’t ask for a better atmosphere,” Chastain said. “The Macon Touchdown Club does a phenomenal job. Just excited about the whole atmosphere. It was a good crowd. It was good stuff.”
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