FOOTBALL: Johnson County resilient on road, re-starts season with region-opening win at Wilco

IRWINTON – After a monthlong break in the season, the Johnson County Trojans took control of their region with a 20-12 road win over the Wilkinson County Warriors Friday at Bud Dupree Field. 

Head coach Don Norton said his team had to “start over” after their last game against Treutlen. There was an off week, followed by two weeks of games delayed by Hurricane Helene and its damage. Practice didn’t happen for a while. Neither did school.  

“It felt like the first day of summer,” Norton said of the Trojans’ return to the field. “It was really bad Monday. We couldn’t remember a play. We hadn’t seen them in 12 days. I would call a play and they’d look at me like they’d never heard it before. So, they came a long way. I’m really proud of our coaches getting them together.” 

Wilkinson County was coming off a win against Hancock Central the previous week, and had hopes of winning the region. But the Warriors would have to become 5-Low A’s first team to hand JoCo a loss since the league, as currently constituted, was formed in 2022. 

Assisted by a personal foul on the kickoff, Wilco took the ball and went to work on its own 47.

Moving it down the field came easy on the Warriors’ first drive. The Trojans seemed shell-shocked, and Wilco scored in eight plays.  

Quenterrion Sanford had four completions and one rush. The Trojans gave up two penalties on the drive. Terrelle Blount had 21 yards on three carries, including the 11-yard touchdown run.

The snap on the point-after try got bobbled, then fumbled, and the kick never happened.

At 7:34 In the first, the Warriors led 6-0. 

“I was worried after that first drive, but our kids showed up as they always do,” Norton said. 

After the kickoff, JoCo took the ball on the 30 and made it seven plays before Will Peebles punted from the Trojan 48.

When Wilco ran its next play on the 28, it fumbled. J.J. Huff  recovered for JoCo on its 19.

Tashawn Norris scored a touchdown on the next play. The Trojan point-after attempt was blocked, and at 3:40 in the first, the score was 6-6. 

Near the middle of the second quarter, the Warriors stopped the Trojans on their own 33, and had a quick, five-play touchdown drive. It included a 19-yard rush by Jatavius Hill, a 26-yard Sanford pass and a 10-yard touchdown by Blount. 

The Trojans kept the game closer by blocking the point-after attempt. With 5:02 in the half, the score was 12-6.

Due to penalties, Wilco kicked off from its 30. Jeremiah Scott returned the ball 16 yards, so the the Trojans began on their own 33.

Norris rushed for 13 yards, then three. Cory King caught an 11-yard Billy Turberville pass. Norris ran for another 10, then Scott ran for 15. After a seven-yard Wilco penalty, King had two more runs.

He ran for four, and then scored with a three-yard carry at 3:13. The conversion attempt failed, and the game was tied again.

At the half, Wilkinson County had 116 yards total offense, compared to 183 by Johnson County. 

The Trojans received to start the second half, and began on their own 42. 

Jeremiah Scott rushed for 42 yards to the Warrior 15. A Wilco personal foul got the Trojans to the 8. It took three plays for them to score from there, with yardage from Norris and King. Turberville got the three-yard touchdown. The conversion by Carswell added extra protection for the lead. It was 20-12 with 9:17 in the third.

The game had see-sawed in the first half, but Coach Brett Bishop and the JoCo defense tightened the screws, shutting down the very same offense that moved well in the first half.

Turnovers and tackling changed the game.

Tailyn Norris recovered a fumble. Tashawn Norris had an interception, and late in the game as Wilco threatened, Cory King rose to the occasion, picking one off in the end zone to help seal the deal. 

Carswell led JoCo in tackling with five solo stops, and two assists. 

Tashawn Norris led rushing for the Trojans with 14 carries for 134 yards. Cory King had 19 for 83. 

“We struggled in the first half,” King said. “In the second half, we picked up as a team to carry out the victory.” 

The Trojans had 331 yards total offense on 54 carries, coupled with one 11-yard reception on Turberville’s only completion on three tries. 

Wilco had 54 yards rushing, and 104 passing. 

Next week, the Warriors (3-4, 1-1 region) will play Glascock County. 

Johnson County (4-2, 1-0 region) will travel to Hancock County for a game that, before Helene, would have been a home game.

“Our kids are just resilient,” Norton said. “They embody what Wrightsville and Johnson County stands for. They’re tough as crap. They love one another and they come up big for one another in times when someone’s down. Just like with the storm that came through, Johnson County came together as well as anything in the world, and these kids emulated that tonight. They really wanted to win for all the people hurting and everything this past week.”