Stephenson 49, Creekside 12
If Stephenson was out to make a statement in Region 6-AAAAA, then mission accomplished.
The Jaguars got 177 yards and 5 touchdowns from Jaylen Marson-Knight and dominated after a shaky start to stun 7th-ranked, defending region champ Creekside 49-12.
After losing twice to the Seminoles (4-1, 0-1) last season – including once in the region championship game – this was the Jaguars’ shot at a measure of redemption, and to show they have the weapons to win their first region title since 2009.
“We’re kind of under the radar,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said. “I don’t pay any attention to things like rankings, never have. But we’re unknown right now, and that’s the first time we’ve been that way in a long time.”
It’s safe to say they’re unknown no more.
It wasn’t clear that was going to be the case at the outset, though, as Creekside opened the game by marching 62 yards with ease for a touchdown, with quarterback Felix Harper throwing the ball all over the Stephenson defense.
And when Stephenson’s offense went out fairly meekly and the Seminoles followed by again marching deep into Jaguar territory, it looked like this could turn into a blowout.
It did – for Stephenson.
When the Jaguars (3-1, 1-0) recovered a Creekside fumble at their own 35-yard line, the game turned on a dime. Seven plays later, Stephenson was in the end zone. When the PAT gave the Jags a 7-6 lead, they never looked back.
The biggest blow, though, may have come on the first play from scrimmage of the second half, when Marson-Knight turned the right corner, made one man miss and scampered 64 yards for a touchdown that made it a 21-6 game.
“I wasn’t looking to break it; I was just looking for a first down,” Marson-Knight said. “I wasn’t going to run out of bounds, so I just cut. I cut, and he fell. When he fell, it was just like, ‘Keep going.’”
And when Stephenson returned a deflected punt 51 yards for a score at the end of Creekside’s next series, the rout was on.
The domination wasn’t just on offense; the Jaguars were equally tough on the defensive side, adjusting to ground the Seminoles’ passing with a nickel package and never letting the ground game get going in the first place.
After starting 11 of 15 for 139 yards and a touchdown, Harper was 3 of 14 for 30 yards and 2 interceptions the rest of the way. In the second half, they experimented with receiver Khalil McClain as a running quarterback to some success, but it was too little, too late.
Stephenson’s 49 points are tied for the most Creekside has surrendered since the program was launched in 1990.
