Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Ridgeland’s Jeremiah Turner (35), gets past Heritage’s Logan Lowe (12), on a way to a Panther touchdown. The Heritage Generals visited the Ridgeland Panthers in a GHSA football game on October 16, 2020.At 0-5 and facing the start of region play, Ridgeland football coach Kip Klein and his staff knew the only way to salvage what was supposed to be a promising season was to shake some things up.
With Region 7-AAAA rival Heritage coming to Bowers & Painter Field to open league play there was no more time to keep doing what hadn’t worked. Not only were the Panthers winless, but they had been outscored by an astounding 227 to 33.
To help turn things around, Klein turned to his best overall player, senior Jeremiah Turner, and asked if would take on a more critical role offensively. Normally a full-time defensive end and fullback, the 220-pounder was at first reluctant to move to tailback, but that changed early in Friday’s 21-14 win.
“I knew things were different when I first toted the ball,” said Turner, whose first run went for a 44-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1. “I realized this is what I needed to do to help the team the most.”
The physical Turner – a throwback, Klein calls him because of that nature – was just getting started. Despite only 11 carries he finished with 230 yards and two touchdowns, the second on a 68-yard run in which he surprised Klein.