Metter got its football season off to a dramatic start, stunning defending Class A state champion Emanuel County Institute by a count of 21-20 in the second game of Saturday’s Erk Russell Classic at Paulson Stadium.
A blowout loser in last season’s inaugural Erk Russell Classic game, the Tigers showed some changed stripes. Metter took an early lead, never trailed, then held off an ECI rally in the closing minutes.
“This is such a big win for this program,” Metter coach Mike West said. “We’ve got a special group of seniors who have been working hard. It’s great to see that pay off for them and for the team.”
One of those seniors – Jacob Wedincamp – made the biggest play of the night. After guiding Metter to three touchdowns as the Tigers’ quarterback, Wedincamp stood tall on the defensive side on ECI’s final drive.
The Bulldogs reached the Metter 2, but on 4th-and-goal Wedincamp dropped ECI quarterback Jacoby Boatwright to seal the biggest Metter victory in years.
Rough start for Jenkins County
The fun and festivity of playing in the Erk Russell Classic at Paulson Stadium quickly went downhill for the Jenkins County War Eagles as they suffered a 40-0 defeat at the hands of Johnson County Saturday evening.
The Trojans took a 26-0 lead into halftime, scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter, then rode a running clock through the final quarter to an easy win.
“That definitely wasn’t the outcome we were looking for,” Jenkins County coach Ashley Harden said. “We’ll have to go reevaluate some things and make adjustments. We have a couple of weeks to get things straightened out.”
Running a nearly flawless spread attack, Johnson County quarterback Michael Taylor and running back Ronquez Harden were responsible for most of the damage inflicted on the Eagles.
The road for Jenkins County only gets tougher from here. Next up for the Eagles is a date with defending Class A champion Emanuel County Institute.
