Costly turnovers ground Jefferson at CAK
A fast start put Jefferson Middle School in control early last week, but a string of costly mistakes allowed Christian Academy of Knoxville to turn the game around.
The Eagles (0-2 overall, 0-2 in the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference) raced to a 13-0 lead in their first road game of the season before things unraveled late in the first half against the Warriors.
CAK appears to be one of the area’s most-improved teams, but Jefferson hurt its cause with several mistakes, including four turnovers.
The Eagles jumped ahead behind Isaac Hernandez, who broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown run before hauling in a 66-yard scoring strike from quarterback Braylon Knipp.
“They’re better,” Jefferson Coach Sean Jessie said. “We played a lot better than we did (against Lenoir City), and we were ahead, 13-0.”
But mistakes proved costly for the Eagles, beginning in the second quarter. The Warriors capitalized on Jefferson’s miscues late in the period and took a 14-13 lead into halftime.
“We muffed a punt and we had a bad snap, and then just like that they had 14 points, and this all happened in the second quarter,” Jessie said.
The Warriors added the only points of the second half with a touchdown to secure the victory.
Hernandez proved to be a dual threat for the Eagles at CAK, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. He also caught two passes for 71 yards, including the 66-yard touchdown reception.
Knipp went 5-for-6 through the air for 89 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and one interception.
Defensively, Landon DeLong led the Eagles with seven tackles.
Jefferson will look to break into the win column Thursday night when it takes on Fort Loudoun. The Braves enter the contest with a perfect 2-0 record.