Rutland sputters in 44-0 loss against Jackson on Homecoming

Rutland could not conjure up any magic on Homecoming night, as the typically gritty Hurricanes fell into a deep hole early and eventually lost to the Jackson Red Devils 44-0 to open region play Friday night.

It was the first true blowout of the year for Rutland — the ‘Canes had stayed in the fight in every other game this year, even keeping it close with powerhouse Bleckley County in its season opener back in August — and an ill-timed one, at that.

“It’s hard when you go prepare like we did. Felt like we had a good game plan and it just didn’t come to fruition,” Rutland head coach Anthony Williams said. “It might look good on paper, but if these Jimmies and Joes don’t react to it, it’s not good.

“We didn’t play real good. It showed from the kickoff to the last whistle.”

The game looked on paper to be a chance for Rutland (0-5) to notch its first win this season, and to start Region 2-2A play with a victory. Jackson (2-4) came into the contest on a four-game skid, its lone win a victory over Hardaway to start the season. 

Running backs Danarri Brown and Dyron Duffey were forces of nature for the Red Devils, however, and the Hurricanes got thoroughly outclassed in the trenches.

“We’ve played these games where they get away from you, ones you should’ve won, then there’s this one where you let it get away from you for the first time this season. This is the worst I’ve seen us play this season,” Williams said. “We didn’t play with any heart. It just didn’t look good.”

Things went awry from the very start. Jackson got the ball first, and a long pass from Cannan Bernhardt to DJ Mulligan — the first inkling of a connection that would get the Red Devils out of some tight spots all evening — helped fuel a 75-yard touchdown drive. 

The Hurricanes fumbled the ensuing kick return, giving Jackson the ball right back on the 21-yard line. Before Williams and his coaching staff could blink, Bernhardt zipped a pass to Brown for the running back’s first of three scores. After a missed PAT, it was 13-0.

The first-play touchdown was foreshadowing, as Brown continued to crush the Hurricanes’ dreams with first-play touchdowns, always seeming to strike after a Rutland drive had just come to a disheartening end. 

The Hurricanes had some life after a stellar kickoff return from Kentavious Spivey all the way to the Jackson 35-yard line, but the drive fizzled after a rushing play lost six yards. In came Brown on the ensuing Red Devils drive — though it could hardly be called a drive, as the tailback simply did it himself on a single play with a 73-yard rumble to the end zone.

The failed two-point try made it a 19-0 Jackson lead with a few minutes still left in the fourth quarter, and the wind had already left Rutland’s sails. 

The Hurricanes could not get anything going on offense, and while they did stop the Red Devils on their next drive, Jackson eventually put more points on the board with a Casten Carver field goal and a touchdown from Mulligan to make it 29-0 going into halftime.

One silver lining of the game occurred during the break, when a nice Rutland crowd celebrated the suavely-dressed Ethan Goodrum and Madison Pooler winning Homecoming king and queen.

As if in response to the pleasant interlude, the tides shifted in Rutland’s favor just a hair after intermission. The Hurricanes came out swinging, running a tempo offense with quarterback Tyson White hitting precise passes to shifty receivers Jacob Bates and Donovan Rutledge to get all the way to the Jackson 21-yard line before they turned it over on downs.

But whatever spark was found on that opening drive of the half was swiftly extinguished by Brown, who this time toted the rock a whopping 79 yards for the back-breaking touchdown that gave the Red Devils a 36-0 lead.

Jackson cruised from there, chewing up the clock on its drives and letting Rutland do the same. The Hurricanes did get a burst of momentum on their last drive of the third quarter, moving the ball from their own 32-yard line all the way to the Jackson 3. 

Rutland appeared to score at that juncture — they ran the ball with a big man, diving up the middle — but the refs called him short, and a fumble on the snap at the half-yard line added insult to injury and preserved the shutout.

Jackson’s last score came on a pass from reserve quarterback Tyson Ashton to speedster Jaison McCall that went 66 yards for a score to make it 44-0 with two minutes left in the third quarter. The clock ran in the fourth quarter to secure the Red Devils win.

Rutland will host Region 2-2A juggernaut Morgan County, also the No. 4 2A team in the state, according to Georgia High School Football Daily. Jackson will return home and face Pike County.