Jefferson opens season with dominant win
The Sean Jesse era at Jefferson Middle School opened with a statement win.
The Eagles rolled past Lenoir City 43-14 Thursday night in the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference football opener for both teams in Loudon County.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” said Jesse, a former Jefferson assistant who took over after Rodney Ellison left to join the staff at West High School in Knoxville. “The biggest thing for us was that these kids were able to build some confidence.
“We scored in three plays, and then they got the ball and held it for the rest of the first quarter,” he said. “We started pretty well.”
The Eagles (1-0) and Panthers (0-1) traded early punches before Jefferson took control.
“Something happened in that game,” Jesse said. “I don’t know how, I don’t know what, and I don’t know when. But something happened. Our kids started playing with confidence. We just got better as the game went on. We blocked well and tackled well.”
Jefferson has been among the youngest teams in the TVAC the past two seasons, relying heavily on sixth- and seventh-graders.
The experience appears to be paying off.
Quarterback Easton Knipp powered the offense, going 6-for-6 for 151 yards and a touchdown, while adding 39 rushing yards and another score on five carries.
He had plenty of help. Nic Fletcher rushed eight times for 82 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Zamora scored twice on four carries, and Declan McMahon averaged five yards per attempt with a rushing touchdown.
Overall, the Eagles gained 125 rushing yards on 25 attempts.
Brogan Helle caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Knipp, while Adrian Gomez hauled in two receptions for 78 yards.
Defensively, Zamora had six tackles and forced a fumble recovered by Kingston Parrott. Helle had four tackles and scored a safety.
Gomez added four stops, and Aidan Laughridge had three tackles, including one for a loss. Fletcher and Liam Brumfield also made three tackles each. Eli Moore had an interception and one tackle.
Jefferson will seek to surpass its win total from each of the last two seasons when it hosts Christian Academy of Knoxville on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Blankenship Field.
The Eagles have beaten CAK in each of the past two years.
