Southwest’s rushing game, line play fuel 26-7 Homecoming win over Jefferson County

After its Homecoming royalty were crowned, Southwest’s offense locked in and ended the night on a high note, taking care of business with a strong rushing attack in a 26-7 win over Jefferson County at Thompson County in Macon Friday night.

The Patriots got back on track — they had lost their past three games to Dodge County, ACE and Washington County — thanks to solid performances from quarterback Steve Robinson and running back Christian Hill in the ground game. Hill rushed for 168 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown. Robinson rushed for 65 yards and two scores while throwing for two more to Jamarea Watkins.

“It means a lot, like you said, playing on Homecoming and getting a win this late in the season for sort of a playoff push, it’s big for our team,” head coach Joe Dupree said after the game. “We’re just glad to get the opportunity to win one tonight.”

That playoff push would normally look like a lost cause in such a crowded region, as Southwest is mathematically eliminated from placing in the top four of Region 2-A Division I. 

But with a new playoff system in place offering at-large spots based on postseason power rankings, the Patriots are still alive and kicking.

“With the new power rankings, anything is possible. If we get the chance to go, it will be a blessing for us,” Dupree said. “That’s what we’ve been banking on, before this we just tried to go 1-0 for the next two weeks. We took care of it this week and we’ll go out next week against East Laurens.”

Jefferson County built a bit of momentum at one point in the second quarter, but Southwest shut down the Warriors outside of one touchdown for the win.

On a sentimental night for Southwest students, the team got some feel-good snaps as well — backup quarterback Jonathan Hurley threw a nice pass for a chunk play late, much to the excitement of some coaches and parents, while sophomore running back Ryan Brinson got some good runs in as well.

“It’s always important to get those guys reps, at the end of the day, just try to get in more plays,” Dupree said.

The highlight of the game was easily a tackle by star defensive end and tight end Rinaldo Callaway III, however. On a Jefferson County third down play in the second half, Callaway grabbed hold of Warriors quarterback Erving Polen and hit him hard before lifting the passer up in the air and dropping him for a loss.

The tackle brought some fans to their feet, and Callaway celebrated after his athletic play tore his own helmet clean off.

“He’s a great player, very aggressive, he’s a college prospect,” Dupree said. “He got in there and made a great play and got everybody excited.”

Watkins also looked good in the passing game, catching a few jump balls deep in Jefferson County territory including a 34-yard touchdown strike that opened the game. The other Patriots touchdowns were punched in by Robinson and Hill on the ground from short range.

The Patriots, now 3-6 and 3-5 in the region, will travel to East Laurens next week for a makeup game to finish out the season. They were just outside the top 40 in GHSA’s Posteason Ranking Formula going into Friday’s game, but a win may give them a boost.

Jefferson County dropped to 0-8 on the season. The Warriors travel to Bleckley County next week to close out the season.

Both teams looked a bit inconsistent in the first half while leaning on their rushing attacks, but the Patriots were more balanced. After scoring on a pass from Robinson to Watkins, another solid drive set up a score to make it 13-0 Southwest after a missed PAT.

Jefferson County did not go down without a fight, as the Warriors ran the ball with some moderate success before trying to force feed receiver “Bee-Bop” Benjamin. The wideout eventually came down with a touchdown grab on a drive with good field position, giving the Warriors some points to make it 13-7 near the end of the first half.

The Patriots stole back the momentum, though, with a quick drive fueled by big runs from Robinson and Hill. The latter of the two punched it in on the ground from 6 yards out, though a missed two-point try kept the score at 19-7 heading to the break.

Whatever minimal momentum the Warriors had was snuffed out in the second half thanks to an interception by Cameron Hill and more complete play from the Patriots at the lines of scrimmage.

The death knell came in the form of a long Southwest drive that started with about 4:30 left in the third quarter and ate up nearly the entire final period. By the time the Warriors got the ball back, only a couple minutes remained. A few hail mary attempts sealed the deal and gave the Patriots the 26-7 win.