In battle of northeast Georgia heavyweights, Jackson County takes the win

HOSCHTON — In more ways than one, Friday was the culmination of Korey Mobbs’ time as the Jackson County football coach. 

Responding to early adversity. Being physical on defense. Trusting one another on offense.

These were pillars Mobbs has been building since his arrival in 2023.

And the pillars proved sound as the Panthers, ranked No. 10 in Class 6A, defeated 5A’s No. 4 North Oconee in a battle of unbeaten teams, 20-14. It’s Jackson County’s first ever win against the Titans after losing all four meetings in the 2010s.

“It’s big because of who they are,” Mobbs said. “They’ve kind of created the standard in this area for how you do it.”

Mobbs and North Oconee coach Tyler Aurandt both played high school ball in Gwinnett County before coaching. And Mobbs has seen what Aurandt has built in Bogart, taking the Titans from a 1-9 record to five-straight 10-win seasons.

Mobbs said he modeled his program after North Oconee, working to get better each season. Jackson County proved Friday that Mobbs has his team on the right track.

Though Mobbs tries to keep his team treating every game the same, his players understood what a win against a team like North Oconee meant for Jackson County’s trajectory.

Most of the first half did not go the home team’s way. The opening drive for Jackson County ended with Ben Musser throwing an interception to Clemson commit Nicholas Pollack. On first-and-five from the Jackson County 14, Brooks Benton hit Eli Fincher for a touchdown followed by a two-point conversion to make it 8-0 just over two minutes into the game.

Penalties stalled the Panthers’ efforts on offense. They had eight penalties on offense in the first half, one of them negating a two-point conversion which would have tied the game midway through the second quarter.

Despite early setbacks though, the Jackson County defense was tough against the Titans, who came in averaging 32 points per game.

North Oconee started the second half with a three-and-out, but then forced a fumble as Jackson County neared the end zone. 

With 1:25 left in the third quarter, still down 8-6, the Panthers defense stripped the ball out of Benton’s hands. Jayson Lee fell on the ball and handed it to his quarterback in Titan territory.

“Our defense played as a team today,” Lee said. “We got the calls, communicated and played well overall.” 

After a couple more penalties slowed down Jackson County’s offense, Daylan Maxwell carried the ball six yards up the middle for his second touchdown of the night. Musser, a three-star prospect and transfer from Prince Avenue, connected with tight end Owen Anderson on the two-point conversion to give the home team a 14-8 lead with seconds remaining in the third.

The Titans responded with a solid drive of their own, but had to settle for a 33-yard Oliver Buckley field goal to cut into the deficit. 

Looking to put the game away, Maxwell took the first handoff on the ensuing drive and shifted in between his blockers for a 63-yard carry down to the North Oconee 17-yard line. Jackson County rotated offensive linemen as cramps started to attack on the humid September night. 

From five-yards out, Musser hit Anderson on a rollout to extend the Panthers lead with eight minutes to play.

“That felt awesome,” Anderson said of the game-winning touchdown. “I don’t experience (scoring) often, but I felt it. I was hype. I got excited with my boys and we kept pushing to the final whistle.”

Aurandt’s squad hit a long field goal, but Maxwell converted a couple third downs to ice the game. Musser was able to kneel out the final minute and a half to give his team a win, and give himself bragging rights.

Musser knew a lot of the players on North Oconee from his baseball days at Prince Avenue.

“I wouldn’t say this game was extra personal for me,” said Musser, who is committed to Appalachian State, “but it was a game where I wanted to make a statement for this community. A lot of guys from Bogart were chirping at me all week.”

A regular season loss and a loss to a northeast Georgia team is unfamiliar territory for North Oconee, who until Friday had won 49-straight regular season games. Their last loss to a team from northeast Georgia was in the Hog Mountain Bowl against Oconee County on Aug. 20, 2021. 

Aurandt is eager to see how his team responds next week against Calhoun in a final tune-up before region play.

“We haven’t been put in this situation in several years,” Aurandt said. “We have won a lot of regular season ball games. It’ll be interesting to see how we come back to work. I feel like I know our kids and they’re going to come back on Monday ready to roll.”