By Kendall Patterson
The Junior Eagles defeated the Decatur County Panthers in a close game on Thursday, September 3.
Drake Craddock scored for the Eagles to get the first points on the scoreboard after making a catch in the end zone. They went for the two-point conversion and were successful.
On the kick off, Dean Estes decleated the Panthers returner. Decatur was still able to score after some runs and get the two-point conversion as well to tie it.
The Eagles almost went into halftime with the lead 14-8, but with under a minute remaining, the Panthers managed to squeeze in another touchdown to tie it again.
The Eagles scored again to take the lead needed to win in the second half following an interception by Jayden Williams.
The Junior Eagles made plays defensively to seal the win. The last drive the Panthers had resulted in three tackles in the backfield and a deflected pass on fourth down.
The Eagles won 20-14.
“Everyone stepped up tonight, and they just kept fighting,” said CCJHS Eagles Head Coach Chad Hanna. “The quarterback [Dean Estes] made some great passes and ran the ball well. We had some big drops. We were thinking the kids were gonna hang their heads after missed opportunities… and they didn’t give up. They kept fighting.”
Estes was the offensive player of the game, and Blake Thompson was the defensive player of the game.
