Stephenson defense thwarts M.L. King

By Glennis Curry

For the AJC

M.L. King won the pre-game shouting match at midfield before its nationally televised game against No. 7 Stephenson, but the 8th-ranked Lions seemingly lost every other matchup in a 20-0 loss to the Jaguars on Friday night.

Stephenson channeled its energy into containing running back Mack Brown, a Florida commit, and allowed only 45 yards passing, to shut out its neighborhood rival and remain among the leaders in Region 2-AAAAA. The Lithonia schools played in front of 7,000 chilly fans at Hallford Stadium in Clarkston in a game televised on ESPNU.

Stephenson’s seniors beat M.L. King for the third time in four meetings, none as dominating as Friday’s showing. The Lions (6-1, 3-1 in Region 2-AAAAA) failed on four of five fourth-down conversions and never moved the ball inside the Stephenson 20 after an early fumble at the Jaguars 19.

“It was all business,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said while giving a thumbs-up to fans. “I told the players you can’t get all excited about what’s going on around you. You look for an even temper, to be excited but focused. We played under control and focused, and it shows on the scoreboard.”

Stephenson running back Raymond Sanders, a Kentucky commitment, ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and despite losing three fumbles, quarterback Jordan Tarver completed 7 of 9 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars (7-0, 4-0).

“He played so big for us,” Sanders said of Tarver’s performance. “He’s a young guy, but he kept his cool and played great.”

Stephenson also spoiled M.L. King’s homecoming activities with 294 yards on offense, 168 from Sanders alone. He bounced off two tacklers and scored from 21 yards out to put the Jaguars ahead 7-0 in the first quarter. He ran four times for 53 yards and caught a 19-yard pass from Tarver in the 9-play, 81-yard drive.

The Jaguars spoiled an opportunity to take a commanding lead when Tarver lost his second fumble at the Lions 10 with 2:20 to play before halftime. Stephenson held on defense, and Sanders put up his second score early in the third quarter. He was tackled by the collar on the second-half kickoff, and the penalty put the offense on the M.L. King 41 to start the drive. Sanders’ 29-yard run set up first-and-goal, and he scored from 1 yard out on third down.

Tarver’s 36-yard strike to Nathan Benford early in the fourth quarter salted away the win. Benford coasted under Tarver’s pass after breaking free into the secondary.

“I told [Tarver] all week this was his opportunity to showcase his talent,” Gartrell said.

Brown never seemed to find his stride against a defense that allowed him 103 yards on 19 carries. Mike Thornton and the Jaguars defensive line harassed quarterback Cameron Myers all evening and allowed just five completions.

“Fifteen games a year are what we’re aiming for,” Sanders said. “This is the biggest game of the year so far. We just treated it like another game and came out ready to play.”