Football Continues Hot Start, Downs Apalachee 25-6

The Jackson County football team continued its hot start to the season Friday night with a 25-6 win over Apalachee. The Panthers are now 5-2 on the season (2-1 Region 8-AAAAA), their best start in over 20 years. 

The game served as Apalachee's first home game since the September tragedy and was an emotionally-charged night. The Panthers wore "Apalachee Strong" t-shirts to school Friday and during pre-game warmups to show a sign of support to their on-field competitors. 

Jacob Coombs hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from RJ Knapp to start the scoring at the end of the first quarter to give the Panthers the early lead. Following a safety, the Panthers added a five-yard scoring run from Daylan Maxwell and a 15-yard touchdown run from Knapp to complete the first-half scoring. 

Carson Odom connected on a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to count as the only second-half points for Jackson County, which is idle Friday night for fall break. 

Maxwell finished the night with 107 yards on 17 carries and his touchdown, while Knapp added 58 yards rushing. Knapp also threw for 172 yards on 10 of 17 passing with his first-quarter score. Coombs finished with 103 yards receiving to lead the Panthers.