JacksonHeraldTODAY

After surviving a knock-down, drag-out with Commerce, Jefferson could perhaps use an off week.


The Dragons get anything but that.


Jefferson must turn around and play Class AAA’s no. 6 ranked team, North Hall, Friday on the road as it tries to protect a 21-game regular season winning streak. The team’s exhausting 17-14 victory over Commerce this past Friday left some players running on fumes.


“We’re really fired up (for North Hall), but we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Jefferson senior Zach Allen, who blocked Commerce’s potential game-tying field goal last week. “Our team, we’ve got to get in a lot more shape than we were. We condition a lot, but it’s a different thing going both ways.”


Dragon coach T. McFerrin noted the toll Friday’s game took on some of the players.


“We had some guys who completely ran out of gas, playing both ways,” noted McFerrin, who moved to 2-0 against Commerce as the Dragons’ coach.


Making matters all the more tougher for Jefferson – and its regular season winning streak -- is that North Hall had this past Friday off while the Dragons played down to the wire.


“We’ve got to prepare for them, because I know they’ve been scouting us,” Jefferson sophomore quarterback Bryant Shirreffs said Friday.


As for the scouting report on North Hall, the Region 8-AAA team is highlighted by SEC and ACC caliber prospect. C.J. Curry, a 6’2,” 185-lb. receiver and safety, has been offered a scholarship by Georgia and is drawing interest from Alabama, Auburn and Florida State.


But Curry has other talent around him.


McFerrin said North Hall, which runs the Wing-T, has a strong quarterback, Kanier Coker, skilled running backs and an outstanding kicking game.


“They’re really, really solid,” McFerrin said. “It’s going to be a huge, huge challenge.”


The Trojans are 76-20 the last eight years under coach Bob Christmas.


Jefferson does have some good news as it readies for what McFerrin called “probably the best team we’ll play all year.” All-region offensive lineman and linebacker Kyle Mosley could return to the lineup after sitting out during the preseason and missing the Commerce game. Mosley has been recovering from an ACL injury.


“We’ll see how it goes this week,” McFerrin said.


Lineman Buddy Camp is still out, however.


Jefferson players, who haven’t experienced a regular season loss since 2007, know the challenge ahead of them.


“We’re really fired up,” Dragon senior tight end-defensive end Hoytes Damons said. “Everybody thinks down on us because we lost a lot of players from last year, saying North Hall is going to kill us. But I think if we come out and play our best game, I think we can be on top.”