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Strong defensive performance give Jackson homecoming victory over Baker County

juston lewis, florida times-union
·4 min read

Jackson defeated Baker County on Main Street for a homecoming win on Friday, 21-14.

The Tigers defense stood tall as they limited Baker's talented all-around star Cam Smith in their seventh consecutive win this season.

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Jackson's defense recorded three takeaways and were able to control the game with a heavy rushing attack.

The win sets up a big showdown against Raines next week for the District 2M-1 crown.

Here are three takeaways from the contest: 

Jackson's Fred Gaines takes a carry during the first quarter of the Tigers' contest against Baker County.
Jackson's Fred Gaines takes a carry during the first quarter of the Tigers' contest against Baker County.

Defense does the job for Tigers

The Tigers defense held strong throughout the contest, slowing down a Wildcats team fresh off a big victory against Yulee last week.

Jackson keeps finding ways to win games, this week relying heavily on their defense and rotation of ball carriers to control the game.

They trailed early in the contest but turned on the intensity and never looked back. Brian Hooks recorded an interception and fumble recovery and Thomas Fore snagged an interception for Jackson.

Fred Gaines scored twice and was a workhorse for Jackson, taking several direct snaps in the second half to churn out yards for the Tigers.

They were able to halt Baker’s momentum and remain undefeated against Florida teams. According to head coach Christopher Foy, the Tigers are resilient.

“It doesn’t hurt having already been in a few of them,” Foy said about the team finding ways to win. “This is week eight, everybody knows how to play now. If they’re still playing, if they’re still showing up, they’re better than they were.”

Jackson overcame clock issues in the first half and play outside of the whistles from both teams. It resulted in their seventh consecutive win. South Carolina committed Super 11 linebacker Grayson Howard said it’s all a credit to Foy.

“It says everything about the head coach,” Howard said after the game. “Coach Foy is great at what he does and I’m going to give him praise anytime anybody asks. He’s that guy. He changed this program around. He changed my life around he changed everybody’s life around. We couldn’t do it without him.”

Baker County's Cam Smith takes a handoff in a game against Jackson.
Baker County's Cam Smith takes a handoff in a game against Jackson.

Jackson jams Smith

Jackson’s game plan was to contain the talented Cam Smith and it worked out for them for most of the night.

He opened the scoring for the game with a short scamper around the left side of the line of scrimmage but was kept out of the end zone for the remainder of the game.

Jackson swarmed him whenever he touched the ball and even avoided kicking to him on kick offs.

“We knew Cam was their number one player and that he was a really good player. We game planned for him,” Howard said after the game. "He showed the utmost sportsmanship.”

Head coach Christopher Foy referred to Smith as a “dude” after the game and complemented the adjustments made by his players to contain him.

With Smith bottled, Baker struggled to find offensive solutions to counter Jackson’s aggressive defense.

Even in situations where its defense got them the ball back, they couldn’t produce points.

Blake Mays found Joshua Holmes late in the fourth quarter for a touchdown, but it was too late for Baker to capitalize as Jackson ran out the clock on their next possession.

Jackson linebacker Grayson Howard looks toward the sideline during a game against Baker County on Friday.
Jackson linebacker Grayson Howard looks toward the sideline during a game against Baker County on Friday.

Outlook

There’s a big-time showdown happening next week at the Graveyard. Raines will host Jackson in the District 2M-1 decider.

It's more than mere playoff seeding or Gateway Conference bragging rights on the line.

For weeks the game has been circled on each team’s calendar. Though they might deny it, this game means more than almost any other that the two programs have had all year.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s incredible, especially for this community,” Foy said after the game. He never defeated Raines as a player and has only recorded one win against the Vikings as a coach.

Even Howard has a chip on his shoulder after missing the game last season. When the two historic programs face off, the pride will be palpable.

“Ichiban is real,” Foy said. “I don’t care if you’re playing marbles or pitching pennies, they’re going to be competitive because of the pride of that program. That’s what we’re trying to build and what a great opportunity to play against them. I’m excited and I think this community is.”

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football: Baker County-Jackson Tigers, Week 9 takeaways