The Spalding Jaguars won their first game of the season as they defeated Fayette County 41-0. It was homecoming for the Jags as they came into the game locked in, as they knew they were playing a good team in Fayette. Head Coach Nick Davis knew that if the guys came out focused, they would play a great game and come out with a win.
“Just being focused as we came out and played a great game. Fayette County is in the same situation as we are, entering the game without having won a game. Those kids play hard, and I told our kids, ‘It’s not about Fayette County; it’s all about us, and are we going to be mature enough to go out and play well against a good team that we should beat, which is no knock on them.’ Those guys aren’t that experienced, as I coached a lot of those guys when they were ninth and tenth graders. They are a great group of guys that do a great job, but tonight was about us and growing, while playing the way we’re supposed to play, and I think we were able to do that tonight,” said Davis.
The offense was outstanding on the night as KJ Mitchell accounted for four touchdowns. It was the most points that the Jags have scored this season. The Jags had several players step up; however, wide receiver Xavier Byrd had a complete game, including scoring on a 35-yard touchdown.
“I hope we can get some confidence as we took our shots and executed tonight. Fayette County isn’t a bad team on defense, as they have a good defensive line and linebacker play. However, we knew they would have a young secondary, and I told the coach we had to take chances downfield and give our guys a chance in one-on-one situations. I knew we could do that. It was great to see our kids having fun and seeing all the work they put in while enjoying some success. Hopefully, that will build confidence for the rest of the season. I’m super proud of Xavier Byrd, a kid who has been in the program and works hard every day. I’m so glad to see him have some success, as that’s what it’s all about, as some of these kids don’t get any notoriety and they still come to work every day,” said Davis
The offense would not outdo the defense as they didn’t allow any points for the first time this season. The defense scored twice on turnovers as they held the Tigers under 150 yards of total offense.
“I’m also proud of the way the defense responded, as they responded well to an adverse situation. We had a fumble late and put them in the red zone, but the defense stepped up and stopped them from scoring. It was the first time all season that we didn’t punt the ball in a game, and I’m really excited about that, as it means less work for me this weekend on grading. The defense stood up as they came in, in the second half, with two tight ends to try and play big-boy football with us, but we stood the challenge. We are small in stature, but one thing we are going to do is run, hit, and play hard on defense,” said Davis.