Friday’s win brings Red Devils to 4-5, 3-3 in Hoosier Hills Conference play
All photos by Malachi Conrad and Parker McCloskey.
JHS defeats Jennings County 35-21
Category: Football
Columbus East defeats Red Devils 28-9; JHS plays Jennings County this Friday
All photos by Malachi Conrad.
Conrad.
JHS prepares to face off with New Albany tonight
by Austin Bainbridge
Both Jeff and New Albany come into tonight’s game looking to get their seasons on track.
New Albany is in the search for their first win, and Jeff has lost two straight in brutal fashion. However, a win could set their campaigns straight.
“We have to win these next three; if we do that we’ll be 5-4 and going into the playoffs, that would be a success for this young team,” said head coach Joe Washington.
This is a big rivalry for both communities, and the players are ready to perform.
“We can beat them for sure; I mean, their 0-6. We are a way better team than them,” said sophomore fullback Jaxx Long.
Jeff comes into tonight’s match-up 2-4, trying to get back on the path to prepare for a playoff push.
“I think we have a couple games down the stretch that we’re favored in, and we can win. Columbus East will be a tough matchup, but if we do what we’re supposed to we can win that game as well,” said Washington.
The coaches believe that the team can succeed, but it’s on the players if they want to win.
“It’s only the little things that we aren’t doing right. If the players come together and see the bigger picture and dig a little deeper, then I think the next three games can go in our favor,” said Washington.
Even though the Bulldogs come into the game winless this season, Jeff players know this isn’t a free win.
“We have to play determined and as a team. Even though they’re 0-6, a win is never free. If we all stick together I know we can walk out of there with a win,” said junior linemen Liam Jackson.
The team only has a handful of seniors starting on the roster, so there is some experience left to be desired.
“We have a very young roster, and this is the first adversity they have seen. When we went 6-4 last year a lot of these guys didn’t play. I think they just need some ‘want-to’ so we can go out and win,” said Washington
Everybody on the team has been preparing for this game for a long time, and they’re ready to settle the rivalry for this year.
“The mentality for us is a no-brainer at this point. We know they don’t like us and we don’t like them, so there’s some bad blood, so we have to ride the wave and step up to the plate,” said Washington.
JHS celebrates homecoming this past Friday
All photos by Malachi Conrad, Parker McCloskey, Sophia Goforth, and Isaiah Stewart.
Bloomington North defeats JHS last Friday 36-3
All photos by Malachi Conrad, Parker McCloskey, Sophia Goforth, and Isaiah Stewart.
possession. Photo by Malachi Conrad.
Homecoming game against Bloomington North tonight at 7 p.m.; royalty crowned at halftime
Floyd Central beats Jeff 34-12 on Friday; Red Devils prepare for Bloomington North and Homecoming this Friday, Sept. 26
All photos by Magdalene Conrad, Malachi Conrad, Parker McCloskey.
Red Devils face Floyd Central tonight on Senior Night
by Austin Bainbridge
It’s a rivalry week for Jeff football, matching up against a Floyd Central team that has had great success against them in the past, and Jeff is trying to turn the corner on tonight’s game.
“It’s a mental thing for the players, when a team just beats you down year after year you just expect it to keep happening, so I’m hoping we can get this done,” said head coach Joe Washington.
The coaches know this game starts with them, and they want to show the players a way to win.
“This game starts with me. If I’m fiery and excited about the game, I think the players are going to feed off my energy. So I hope me showing how much I care will make the players really want to dominate Floyd,” Washington said.
Even though Jeff hasn’t beat Floyd in 11 years, the players remain confident in their skills.
“I think they’re scared of coming here and losing. When you’re scared of doing something, you come up with excuses to get out of it,” said fullback Jaxx Long.
The Jeffersonville defense made several stands against Kokomo last week, along with a dramatically improved performance at Bedford-North Lawrence.
“Our linebacker play was really good against Kokomo. Malachi Monts had 13 tackles, and KT (senior Kurion Thompson) had nine and an interception. I think that’s what helped with the win,” said Washington
The defense is going to have to step up to stop Floyd’s potent rushing attack, which went for 425 yards last game.
“They played Silver. I mean, it’s not too hard to rush for 400 against Silver Creek. We put in a new defense, we’re going a five-man front this week to try to slow down their running game,” said Washington.
It’s Senior Night tonight, and that is just more motivation for the players.
“I want to play hard and win to give these seniors a good memory before they go off to college,” said Long.
The coaching staff sees where a win could take Jeff, and they want to make it there
“A win against Floyd would start a fire and start this program down a path we want to go,” said Washington
Red Devils travel to Kokomo to compete tonight
by Austin Bainbridge
Jeff came out of Bedford North Lawrence with a loss but is still looking forward to tonight against Kokomo to redeem themselves and get back to .500.
“I’m excited to see what their defense has to offer against us, and I’m ready to get another win,” said fullback Jaxx Long.
Kokomo had five turnovers last week, resulting in a 22-15 loss to Monrovia, and Jeff is going try to find a way to exploit that.
“Fine-tuning our defensive scheme, make sure everybody’s in the same place they need to be and knowing who exactly their supposed to cover in zone coverage and just trying to get some of those picks is crucial,” said head coach Joe Washington.
Against BNL Jeff had some defensive trouble, allowing 48 points, and Kokomo has the players to put up a similar performance.
“Kokomo has a receiver, number four (Baris Moore) — he’s pretty dynamic. He’s a good go-ball receiver and double move guy. He’s just bigger, faster and stronger than our other opponents,” said Washington.
Despite the defensive struggle, the Red Devils had a solid offensive game that they look to build on.
“As coaches we ran the ball effectively. Our RPO’s looked good, but the main thing was even though the score might have not indicated it we didn’t give up,” said Washington.
Coming out with the loss to BNL, Jeff is trying to to analyze what could have gone differently.
“I think the offense was very inconsistent. We had big drives, but then couldn’t do anything the next (drive). That then puts the defense in a bad place where they couldn’t do anything either,” said Long.
Despite what both teams’ records suggest, this is still a competitive matchup to measure where both teams can go with the rest of the season.
“If you combine both records it’s 1-5, so that’s not good, but there’s something to be said when a team schedules you as their homecoming, so that’s them saying they think they can beat us, but were ready to show them who we are,” said Washington
JHS travels to Bedford-North Lawrence tonight looking for season’s second victory
Red Devils defeat Seymour 20-6 on Friday
JHS will face Bedford-North Lawrence this Friday
All photos by Magdalene Conrad.
Red Devils look for season’s first win against Seymour tonight
by Austin Bainbridge
Seymour and Jeff are hunting for their first wins of the season, and everyone’s ready for the Friday Night Lights tonight.
“I’m super excited man counting the days down until Friday and just mentally preparing myself for Friday,” said head football coach Joe Washington.
Seymour showed some Week 1 slopiness last Friday in a 38-8 loss against Greenwood, throwing two interceptions.
“I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get a lot of turnovers this week. If they throw the ball up I think we have the guys in the secondary to make plays and hopefully turn some of those picks into touchdowns,” said Washington.
Jeff is also out to a slow start after a 37-0 loss to Cincinnati Taft, and lost their starting quarterback Cordell Thomas. Sophomore Brayden Bachman will fill in.
“It’s Bachman’s first start, so you kind of expect there to be some jitters. We’re going to help him out with short passes and running the ball effectively,” said Washington.
Jeff has confidence in this game even after the loss to Taft.
“I expect a good game from Seymour, but we are the better team,” said sophomore tackle Jaxx Long.
Jeff is trying to find a silver lining in the loss from Taft.
“I would like the loss to influence us in a positive way. Even though there’s a lot of negativity around it, if they put it into perspective Taft is probably going to be the best team we’ll play until sectionals,” said Washington.
Seymour has several impact players that could turn the tide in their favor.
“Their running back number three (Traysean Hawkins) is a real shifty guy; he runs the ball hard, and they have an offensive linemen that has worked really hard. He’s lost 50 pounds this offseason, he’s a really big kid,” said Washington.
The team has been putting in work at practice all week and feel prepared for tonight.
“We have prepared a good defense and ran scout team all week so I’m confident for this game,” said Long.
Washington had been suspended for both the Madison scrimmage and Week one against Taft. Tonight is his first opportunity to be back on the field and he’s ready.
“I’m excited. It’s like having my boys around. I’m sick of not having my guys around, and it’s my happy place, you know,” said Washington.
