Jones County guts out win over Eagle’s Landing
Jones County got just about everything it could out of Teldrick Ross and Drake Bolus on Friday night against Eagle’s Landing.
And the Greyhounds needed every bit of it.
Led by its two dynamic seniors, fifth-ranked Jones County held off Eagle’s Landing 34-26 in GHSA Region 4-5A play. Ross and Bolus combined for 43 carries and 357 yards and four of Jones County’s five touchdowns as the Greyhounds improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in region play. In the second half, Bolus and Ross combined for 28 carries for 272 yards.
The Eagles, who put up a physical fight, fall to 3-2 and 2-1.
Three who mattered
Ross: Jones County’s senior quarterback rushed 16 times for 175 yards and a 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Bolus: Jones County’s senior running back had 27 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns.
Cameron Lewis: Eagle’s Landing’s senior quarterback completed 19-of-29 passes for 292 yards despite being harrassed by the Jones County defense all night.
Turning point
Trailing 17-14, Jones County took the opening drive of the second half and marched 80 yards in 17 plays to regain the lead. The drive took 7:30 off the clock, and Antonio Evans went in from 6 yards out to put the Greyhounds back on top. They didn’t give up that lead, although they almost did.
Observations
Slow start: Jones County ran just five plays for 17 yards in the first quarter, while Eagle’s Landing controlled the action with 20 plays. Still, the Greyhounds led 7-3 after the first quarter as Bolus’ first touchdown came after a bad punt snap gave the Greyhounds the ball at the Eagles’ 12.
Missed kick helps: Eagle’s Landing scored with 4:50 left on a 56-yard pass from Lewis to Bryce Dewberry and appeared ready to tie the game. But Eagles place-kicker Logan Friddell, who made two field goals, missed the extra point.
Big-time stop: Eagle’s Landing got the ball back with about two minutes to go trailing by eight, but the Greyhounds’ defense came up with the big stop when it needed it to seal the win.
Worth mentioning
Win No. 32: Jones County head coach Justin Rogers earned his 32nd win in his fourth season with the program. He is tied with Dwight Jones for second on the Greyhounds’ all-time list behind John Williams, who has 46 wins.
They said it
Rogers on the win: “That’s a very good football team, physical team, fast team, got a great quarterback, and when you have those things, you’re going to have a great team. So we’re glad to get away with a win.”
Rogers on the play of Ross and Bolus: “They’ve got a lot of heart, and they don’t mind putting us on their back, and they’ve played with that. We’ll be able to get some other things going, but when it gets like that, you go with your guys.”
Bolus on the play of his offensive line: “All the credit has go to our offensive line. They played great. Without them, we couldn’t do what we do.”
What’s next?
Jones County hosts Hampton on Friday.
This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 11:37 PM with the headline "Jones County guts out win over Eagle’s Landing."