Jefferson rolls into postseason with 28-6 win
Jefferson Middle School’s football team is playoff-bound as the calendar turns to October.
The Eagles (5-2 overall, 4-2 in the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference) all but locked up the No. 3 seed with a 28-6 victory over Clinton on Thursday night. That likely sets up a first-round trip to face Norris.
But Jefferson still has one more order of business before the postseason. The Eagles will close the regular season against crosstown rival Robertsville on Thursday at Blankenship Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Coach Sean Jesse said his team can’t afford to look past the Rams, who have yet to win this year but are the defending conference champions.
“We’ve talked to them about that,” Jesse said. “We don’t want to be the team to make somebody else’s season. We know Robertsville will be ready, and my first year at Jefferson the roles were reversed and there was an upset.”
Quarterback Easton Knipp powered the Eagles past Clinton. He went 11-for-18 passing for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Nic Fletcher scored twice — once on a 6-yard reception and again on the ground — while rushing for 67 yards on six carries.
Adrian Gomez and Gabriel Mugnier also hauled in touchdown passes for Jefferson, which overcame a sluggish start.
“We didn’t start well, and a lot of credit for that goes to them,” Jesse said. “They’ve got some big guys and some good athletes. On film they don’t look that big, but up close, they’re big.”
Clinton (2-5, 2-4) scored its lone touchdown on a 22-yard pass from Westin Glandon to Uriah Pickett. The Hawks forced one turnover — a fumble recovery by Braden Bunch — but gave the ball away eight times.
Clinton closes its regular season Thursday against Norris.
