Jefferson improves to 2-0 behind Fletcher’s three-score night
Jefferson Middle School football coach Sean Jesse wasn’t satisfied even after his team doubled its win total from last season.
“We didn’t play well,” Jesse said after the Eagles defeated Christian Academy of Knoxville 27-14 Thursday night at Blankenship Field. “We had some penalties and turnovers, and we didn’t play as well as we did in the season opener against Lenoir City. We did a couple of good things and we did enough to win.”
With the victory, Jefferson improved to 2-0 and matched its combined win totals from the past two seasons. The Eagles also beat CAK to close the 2023 campaign and edged the Warriors in last year’s opener.
“We’ve won more games this year than we did last year and the kids feel good about that,” Jesse said.
Nic Fletcher provided the spark Thursday with three touchdowns. He broke loose for a 96-yard scoring run, added a short rushing plunge and hauled in a touchdown pass from quarterback Easton Knipp. On defense, Fletcher made three tackles and snagged an interception.
Knipp completed 8 of 13 passes for 70 yards and also rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Defensively, Gabriel Magnier led the Eagles with six tackles. Brandon Zamora added four stops, including one for a loss. Adrian Gomez made four tackles, two for loss, while Aidan Laughridge and Tyson Helle each recorded three tackles with two for losses.
Jefferson had a quick turnaround as it hosted Fort Loudoun on Tuesday. Results were not available at press time.
