STEVENSON, Ala. — One thing North Jackson’s hasn’t needed this football season is help scoring points. But the third-ranked Chiefs got plenty of it in the opening minutes of Friday’s game, leading to three quick touchdowns and yet another blowout win.
They whipped Alabama Region 7-4A foe Crossville 56-21.
The Lions turned the ball over three times in their first six offensive plays, and North Jackson turned each into a touchdown. The Chiefs (8-0, 6-0), who have won 72 of 77 region games this decade, host seventh-ranked Fairview (8-0, 6-0) next Friday with the region title on the line.
“That game next week is the one our kids have been thinking about for a while now,” Chiefs coach Shawn Peek said. “Now we can all finally start thinking about it.
“One thing our defense has been good at all year is forcing turnovers, and that definitely jump-started us tonight.”
One year after finishing third in their region, the second-worst finish in program history, the Chiefs are leaving no doubt this year, outscoring league foes by an average of 39 points. The Chiefs also are wasting no time in establishing dominance, outscoring opponents 261-39 in the first half and no opponent has come within three touchdowns of North Jackson this season.
After the Chiefs jumped to the 21-0 first-quarter lead, Crossville methodically climbed back into the game, closing within seven early in the second before the Chiefs countered with 21 consecutive points before halftime.
Crossville (4-4, 2-4), which came within two points of upsetting Fairview last week, was never able to slow the Chiefs’ balanced offense. North Jackson, which averages a staggering 400 yards per game (188 rushing, 212 passing) and more than 9 yards per play, rolled up 441 yards of total offense (226 rushing, 215 passing).
Montel Hale scored two first-quarter TDs and finished the game with four scores. Quarterback Zac Barnard completed 10 of 15 passes and two TDs and has still only thrown one interception this season.
“Any time you can get turnovers early in the game you want to make them hurt,” Hale said. “Even when they scored a couple of times, we were still confident because of how well our offense is playing. We’re doing a good job of taking away people’s hope by scoring so quickly.”
Stephen has covered high school sports in the tri-state area since the early 1990s, starting at the News-Free Press as a 19-year-old reporter. He has been with the Times Free Press since its inception and has been an assistant sports editor for more than seven years. Stephen is among the most decorated writers in the TFP’s newsroom, winning numerous state and regional awards for his writing on high school athletics. He has two children, Riley ...
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