Football Recap: Stephenson's Rushing Attack Does It Again

Stephenson strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They came within five points of losing the streak, but they secured a 22-17 W against the Mt. Zion Bulldogs. Given the Jaguars' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 69th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 304th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Anthony Booker and Jayden Johnson. Booker rushed for 86 yards and one score on only seven carries while Johnson rushed for 112 yards and one TD on only 15 carries. Booker's longest rush was for an impressive 50 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.

Jaguars

Previous 5 Games

09/12/25 @ Mt. Zion	22-17
09/05/25 vs Decatur	27-17
08/29/25 vs Dutchtown	40-7
08/21/25 @ Arabia Mountain	40-26
08/16/25 @ Mays	24-0

Stephenson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 200 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in 14 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Stephenson's defense and their 6.5 sacks. In that department, Kwame Green Jr. was the leader with 3.5. He has been hot for a while, having also posted eight or more total tackles the last nine times he's played. Another thorn in Mt. Zion's side was Troy Stiggers, who picked up 0.5 sacks and made 11 total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Stephenson's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Mt. Zion, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Stephenson will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against North Clayton at 7:30 p.m. on the 26th. The two teams have allowed few points on average (the Jaguars 13.4, the Eagles 12.4) so any points scored will be well earned. As for Mt. Zion, they are taking a road trip to face off against Southeast Whitfield County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Bulldogs will be up against the Raiders' rather soft defense (which has allowed 28.6 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.