Class AAA blog: Jefferson’s stats do not lie, the Dragons can run

Jefferson entered the AJC's Class AAA top 10 at No. 10 after it defeated Class AAAAA Gainesville 41-7 in Week 6, and it has been smooth sailing for the Dragons since.

The statement-making 28-23 victory against then-No. 5 Hart County last week thrust the Dragons to the top of the 8-AAA standings, tied with Morgan County at 3-0 in the region with victories against East Jackson, Franklin County and Hart. The victory moved Jefferson up one spot to No. 9 in the latest AJC poll. Hart County fell from No. 5 to No. 10.

The victory was a needed step toward a region championship and a No. 1 seed, which would put Jefferson in the top-right quadrant of the AAA bracket, a desirable location entering the playoffs with – assuming each wins its region – No. 1 Peach County (Region 4) and No. 2 Cedar Grove (Region 5) on the other side of the bracket. Jefferson has momentum, but a lot of key games remain.

The Dragons are outscoring opponents 254-64 through six games with one loss, 21-20 to Class AAAA Oconee County in the season-opener. With the playoffs looming, Jefferson is in a prime position to extend its postseason longer than last season's first-round exit after a 35-7 loss to No. 10 Westminster. Jefferson was ranked No. 8 then.

So let's look under the hood to see what makes Jefferson's motor run:

The Dragons lean heavily on a solid running game, averaging 327.8 rushing yards per game, 58.2 passing. Jefferson has five passing touchdowns and 27 rushing touchdowns. Senior quarterback Colby Clark and sophomore back Malaki Starks combine for 16 of the team's 37 total touchdowns.

Quarterback: Clark is 17-of-33 passing for 349 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He passed for two touchdowns in the loss to Oconee County when he was 7-of-14 passing for 114 yards. Against Gainesville, he was a very efficient 5-of-6 passing for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He has 65 carries for 241 yards and a team-leading seven rushing touchdowns.

Backfield: Jefferson has rushed for eight touchdowns in two different games – a 70-6 victory against East Jackson and a 62-7 victory against West Hall. Starks has 31 carries for 416 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore Jordan Perry has 18 carries for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Tre Reece has six carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Kolton Jones has 19 carries for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Kade McNally has 17 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Carter Stephenson, Isaiah Copeland, Hyson Porter and Levin Jones each have one rushing touchdown.

Receivers: Clark has passed to three different receivers for touchdowns. Starks has six catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Josh Cochran has four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Donsha Gaither has two catches for 18 yards and one touchdown.

Defense: Junior Rem Maxwell leads the Dragons with 32 solo tackles and 10 assists with 3.5 tackles for loss and one interception. McNally has four tackles for loss with 23 solo tackles, 14 assists and one interception. Sophomore Kadin Bailey has 20 solo tackles, 11 assists, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Junior Kam Robinson has 17 solo tackles and four assists, and one fumble returned for a touchdown. Perry has 17 solo tackles and six assists. Starks has 16 solo tackles, four assists, 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. He also leads the team with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Junior Hunter Blayton has 14 solo tackles with six assists and one tackle for loss. Junior Paxton Corkery has 12 solo tackles with six assists and one tackle for loss. Sophomore Austin Redmon has 12 solo tackles with two assists and two tackles for loss. Junior Nick Evans has 10 solo tackles with three assists.

Special teams: Eli Ivey is 29-for-32 in point-after attempts, and Levin Jones is 3-for-4 in point-after attempts. Robinson has Jefferson's only punt return for a touchdown in the 70-6 victory against East Jackson.

See the AAA Top 10 below