Johnson County jumps on Jenkins County to finish another perfect season, secure fifth-straight region title

MILLEN – The Johnson County Trojans had a giant Friday night as they capped a perfect regular season with a 42–7 victory over Jenkins County, and their fifth consecutive region championship.

The victory in Millen completed a historic regular season for the Trojans, who finished 10–0 for the second consecutive year – a first in the school’s football history. 

Johnson County also captured its fifth consecutive region championship, an extraordinary accomplishment for a program that had won only eight region titles in all the years preceding the start of this streak in 2022. 

For head coach Don Norton, the accomplishments were worth celebrating, but so was the way his team handled the final challenge of the regular season.

“I thought it was a great team effort,” Norton said. “I was super proud of our offensive line and our defense.”

The Trojans dominated the statistical categories, piling up 376 yards of offense while limiting Jenkins County to just 74. JoCo rushed for 292 yards and six touchdowns, recorded 20 first downs to Jenkins County’s three and forced three turnovers.

The War Eagles’ only points came on special teams, when Brannon Reed returned a first-quarter kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.

Johnson County had opened the game with a methodical 12-play, 59-yard drive that consumed more than six minutes. Jeremiah Taylor finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run, and Grayson Jackson added the extra point.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Reed took the ensuing kickoff the distance to tie the game at 7.

Taylor said the kickoff return got the Trojans’ attention.

“It was a great team win,” he said. “We started off kind of fast, but it was kind of a little bit slow on the offensive side of the ball.”

He said surrendering the kickoff return made the players realize they needed to take care of business, and the Trojans responded with another sustained drive, traveling 54 yards in 10 plays. A 36-yard fourth-down completion from Chance Wombles to Jeremiah Scott moved the ball to the Jenkins County 1-yard line, and Scott carried it across on the next play.

Jackson’s extra point gave Johnson County a 14–7 advantage.

The Trojans added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, both courtesy of Taylor. His nine-yard scoring run completed a 62-yard drive before a defensive takeaway provided another opportunity just before halftime.

Kelsey Waters recovered a Jenkins County fumble and returned it 45 yards to the War Eagles’ 10-yard line. Two offensive plays later, Taylor scored from a yard out to send JoCo into the locker room leading 28–7.

Taylor finished the night with 77 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns.

Scott matched Taylor’s three-touchdown effort, rushing for a game-high 119 yards on 14 carries while adding a 36-yard reception. His performance was especially encouraging considering that his availability had been uncertain.

“Jeremiah Scott came in and didn’t know if he was going to play, and he was pretty good tonight too,” Norton said.

Jenkins County threatened early in the third quarter when Kwmaine Shingleton broke loose for a 46-yard run. But penalties pushed the War Eagles backward, and Daezon Devero intercepted a pass from Leroy Mozee, returning it 48 yards to the Jenkins County 22.

Scott scored on an eight-yard run three plays later, extending the advantage to 35–7.

The Trojans’ defense struck again on Jenkins County’s next possession when Scott intercepted another Mozee pass, returning it 16 yards.

Johnson County then marched 60 yards in five plays, with Scott scoring his third touchdown on a 14-yard run to make it 42–7.

The Trojans had scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters, leaving little doubt about the outcome heading into the fourth.

Wombles completed four of seven passes for 84 yards without an interception. Devero caught two passes for 31 yards, while Jacaden Webb contributed 21 rushing yards and a 17-yard reception. Waters added 35 yards on the ground, and Kris Siren contributed an 18-yard run.

Jackson was perfect on all six extra-point attempts in the victory.

Defensively, Johnson County held Jenkins County to 68 rushing yards and just six passing yards. The War Eagles completed only one of six passes, threw two interceptions and failed to convert any of their six third-down opportunities.

The Trojans were not without mistakes, committing 10 penalties for 117 yards, but their dominance on both sides of the football more than offset those setbacks.

Norton was particularly pleased with his players’ composure throughout the contest.

“I saw a lot of class and character,” Norton said.

He praised his players for refusing to respond to situations that might have distracted them from the game.

For Siren, the evening was about more than another victory or another championship. It was about the relationships that have developed among the players.

“This game was amazing,” Siren said. “It felt great. I love watching my team. I love the vibe.”

He described his teammates as family, saying there was nothing better than being part of a group of players who genuinely care about one another.

That sense of togetherness has accompanied a remarkable stretch of football for Johnson County.

The back-to-back perfect regular seasons represent another milestone, but Norton pointed to several other measures of the program’s success.

According to Norton, Johnson County will finish the regular season ranked No. 1 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, something he said had never happened before, even during the school’s memorable 1979 season when the Trojans never regained their top preseason spot in the polls after a midseason loss.

He also said that JoCo ranks first in both offense and defense among Georgia teams in its classification, an unusual combination that reflects the team’s balance.

Norton further noted that Johnson County ranks third in the state in region victories across all classifications, placing the small-school program among some of Georgia’s most prominent football powers.

“We’ve got a pretty good program, good things going,” Norton said.

Following the game, the Trojans brought out the region championship trophy and gathered at midfield for a brief celebration before heading home to an even bigger welcome.

The celebration continued when the Trojans returned to Wrightsville, where fire trucks and police cars escorted the team buses into town. Band members, cheerleaders and football players leaned out the bus windows, waving to the people gathered around the courthouse square to welcome home the undefeated region champions.

But the coach was equally quick to remind everyone that regular-season success offers no guarantees once postseason play begins.

Johnson County will return to Herschel Walker Field Friday to host the Greene County Tigers, who finished 2–8, in the opening round of the GHSA Class A playoffs.

The Trojans will enter that contest undefeated, riding the momentum of a historic regular season and hoping to carry their success deep into the state playoffs.

Still, Norton made it clear that the celebrations would have an expiration date.

“After midnight tonight, none of it’ll matter, because the playoffs start next week, and everyone’s 0–0,” he said.