Cedar Shoals and Chestatee are relatively new foes, becoming regional rivals during the 2020 season when Chestatee moved from Region 7 to Region 8 and while Cedar Shoals moved down from Class 5-A to Class 4-A. This was a brisk night on the East side, with temperatures in the low 50s in the fourth quarter. 

“Once you’re moving around when the game starts you don’t feel it,” Cedar Shoals head coach Leroy Ryals said. “It’s likely cold for the fans and other people on the sideline.” 

The cold didn’t stop the Jaguars, as they won 46-39 in an important game for the Jaguars as they look to make the playoffs.

The Jaguars (4-5; 4-3) ended a two game losing streak following losses against a strong North Oconee team and red hot Madison County. The Jaguars have also had tough losses against rival Clarke Central and Monroe Area. Outside of the North Oconee and Madison County games, the Jaguars are 4-1 in region play, with the loss being a close one against East Forsyth.

The Flying Jaguars

The Jaguars have a balanced offense, but they teeter towards passing. An important part of establishing a good passing attack is having at least one star receiver. The Jags doubled that against Chestatee, as senior Jason Massey had 137 yards on 11 receptions with one touchdown. Additionally junior Devin Hester had the game of his season with 195 yards on 9 receptions, four of them for touchdowns. 

“Chestatee made a lot of mistakes during the game,” Ryals said, “We were able to exploit those mistakes and make big plays.” 

Just keep passing

Senior quarterback Mandrell Glenn had one of his best games ever at Cedar Shoals, putting up an unbelievable 150 passer rating. He was 24 for 33 for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns, completing 72.7% of his passes, his best percentage since he went 18-24 in the week 5 win against Walnut Grove. Some games the rushing attack wasn’t working, so having a quarterback who can always find the open man is crucial. Glenn has proved himself to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Athens area, as the team is 4-2 since he returned to being the full time starter.

”They (Chestatee) blitzed a lot during the game,” Ryals said. “This left a lot of receivers open and Mandrell threw perfect passes to them.”

Slipping away

This game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, but it was at the same time. Both teams could have pulled away and made this a blowout. Chestatee got off to an early 14-0 lead, and then the Jaguars scored 38 unanswered. The War Eagles then took control on a 25-7 run in the  forth quarter. The final Cedar touchdown, a 65 yard touchdown pass to Hester with 5 minutes left in the game, ended up being the game winning touchdown. Without it Cedar would have lost by a single point. 

“We were just too relaxed out there,” Ryals said, “You can’t be relaxed when you’re out on the field, that’s a recipe for disaster”

Brickyard bound: North Hall preview

A week earlier than everyone else, Cedar Shoals has its final game of the regular season this Friday. North Hall has a balanced attack, and they use plenty of short screen passes, along with plenty of run plays. The Trojans are coming off a bye week, so they should be in their best shape to give the Jaguars a good game. The game is on Oct. 28 at the Brickyard, located right by North Hall High School, and kickoff is at 7:30.