A longtime local attorney practicing journalism on the side, Ralph covers the football beat for his hometown Johnson County Trojans each fall. The Wrightsville native, co-founder of the Johnson Journal and owner of Dublin’s Jackson Law Firm, has contributed to The Courier Herald for years as a sports stringer and movie critic.
The Trojans made an impression not only running the ball, but also throwing it for two touchdowns as their defense scored once, and kept the Eagles silent until late.
The Trojans took a four-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter, but still only narrowly survived a turnover-fueled 21-point Falcon rally in the final minutes of another memorable rivalry meeting.
A tight first half gave way to a one-sided game Friday at Falcon Field, where Clinch County ended Johnson County's season in the second round of the state playoffs.
The game lasted just two and a half quarters before being cut short by law enforcement over repeated on-field disruptions, but the Trojans took home their eighth win of the season from Friday's season-finale at Twiggs County.
Displaced from Lovett Stadium by damage from Hurricane Helene, Johnson County was without a home field for its upcoming playoff games until a neighboring high school stepped up to offer theirs.
The Trojans kept up their strong defensive work, holding a high-scoring attack to only one score, on their way to another region win at a home away from home in Sparta.