STEVENSON, Ala. - It was the same blueprint North Jackson has followed for more than two decades to become one of the most successful prep football programs in the tri-state area.
A solid defense and a power running game wore down visiting DAR and led the Chiefs to a 41-13 Region 7-4A win Thursday at R.D. Hicks Stadium.
"Our defense kept us in it for the first half, other than one long run early, and the offense finally woke up after we got after them pretty good at halftime," Chiefs coach Mark Rose said. "We played terrible in the first half and really stopped ourselves. But we started to pound it at them in the second half and wore on them.
"This is a huge region win for us."
The Chiefs (2-2, 2-1) were coming off a loss at Priceville last week, a shootout in which the teams combined for 83 points and 160 snaps. Leg weariness could have been a factor as the Chiefs struggled with offensive execution in the first half, something that hadn't been a problem for a team that entered Thursday averaging 39 points per game.
The Patriots (2-2, 1-2) struck first on their second snap of the game, scoring on an 83-yard run by Jimmy Parks, but North Jackson answered on its next possession, driving 60 yards in eight plays. Tre Harris hit tight end Austin Cummins, a Louisville commitment, for a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-nine.
The next seven first-half possessions by the two teams came up empty, but not before the Chiefs held DAR on downs at the North Jackson 18. They used the momentum from that stop to cover 92 yards in eight plays, capped by Omar Brown's 2-yard scoring run.
Defense helped the Chiefs begin to pull away midway through the third quarter, beginning with a fumble recovery in the end zone by Brody Grider to push the lead to 20-7. Grider and Dylan Davis also had interceptions later in the second half, and the Chiefs held the Patriots to just 36 rushing yards in the final two quarters.
Junior running back Omar Brown had 82 of his 125 rushing yards in the second half, using his 190 pounds to wear on the Patriots and pick up much of that total after contact. He also finished with three touchdowns.
"I wanted to help lead my team tonight and bounce back from a bad loss," said Brown, who now has more than 600 rushing yards through four games. "All I really wanted was to do whatever it took to help my team win."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.