By Jasmine Jones
Photo Courtesy Rylee Duff
The Winnfield Tigers travelled to Tioga High School to play in a Jamboree last Friday. They played against two teams resulting in a 10-0 loss to the Tioga Indians and a 6-0 win against the Menard Eagles. They played a 20-minute series against each team and neither result will count against their record as each game is only for additional practice.
The Tigers’ defense held the Indians as well as they could in their first game. Logan Adams made a big stop as the Indians neared the end zone and held them off on a touchdown. Pushing the offense back, Javonta Grisby made a vital tackle during Tioga’s second possession. The offense also held their own. After the touchdown by Tioga, the Tigers took the field and a rush by Zaelyn Thomas led the Tigers to their initial first down of the Jamboree. Jaylon Jackson played a major role in both defense and offense, making multiple play-stopping tackles and consistently gaining yardage. However they were never quite able to score.
After the first series against Menard the rain started to come down but the Tigers pressed on. Against the Eagles, Winnfield did well leading off with a run by Jaylon Jackson which got the Tigers a first down. Soon after, Jayvian Woods was able to pick up a fumble from Menard, claiming possession for the Tigers. Winnfield then drove the ball to the end zone in a series of plays and eventually Nickalas Mockosher handed the ball to Jaylon Jackson who scored their first touchdown. Following the touchdown, the Tigers defense protected the team’s lead. Particularly strong in that defense was Javen Jackson who consistently made effective tackles and even broke up a pass. With these two forces working together the Tigers came out on top.
When asked about the first game head coach Jay Watson said, “In the first game we knew they were gonna be physical. Our boys adjusted to the physicality, and we were able to clean up our plays throughout the night.” When asked about the game against Menard he stated, “In the second game our offense moved the ball well.” Overall Coach Watson told us, “The best thing that I saw tonight was the positivity from the boys. During both games, whenever someone made a mistake no one got down and pointed fingers.” Looking ahead the Tigers planned to “spend the Labor Day working” to improve for their first regular season game next Friday.
At long last, on September 6, the Winnfield Tigers will play a Week One matchup against the Jonesboro-Hodge Tigers on the road at 7 that evening. The evening is predicted to be cloudy with a comfortable 80 degrees. Make the drive to Jonesboro to support the Winnfield Tigers!