Austin Lewter/Jefferson Jimplecute
The Jefferson Bulldog football team has spent the past two years proving folks wrong.
Last year’s pre-season polls had them ranked dead last in the district.
They ended up earning a playoff berth and exiting the post season early after a week one loss to Mount Vernon.
This year, the prognosticators said they’d finish in fourth place, again.
Instead, they ran the table in district play, secured the District Championship with an overtime win against Tatum and entered the playoffs with a first place seed.
The Bulldogs will face Mineola in Round One of the Texas High School Football playoffs tonight in Longview.
“It’s been a long season,” said Jefferson Head Coach and Athletic Director Antwain Jimmerson. “Our kids and coaching staff didn’t listen to the naysayers. They just showed up and kept playing.”
They opened the 2022 season in commanding fashion back on August 26 with a 43-0 win over New Boston on the road.
“I remember that New Boston game,” Jimmerson said. “They crowd was thin. Folks didn’t expect us to win. We lost to them last year. We didn’t have a lot of folks in the stands… our kids just dug in and took care of business. I told them, ‘ya’ll keep winning games and the people will show up.’ That’s what been happening all year.”
The Bulldogs enter the playoffs with a perfect 5-0 record in district play after a 50-14 win over the Sabine Cardinals last Thursday night.
They secured the District Championship the week before with a 30-28 overtime win over Tatum and are 8-2 on the year.
Their only two losses this year came to Timpson on September 2 and Centerville (by only two points) on September 24.
Other district wins were against White Oak (41-13 on October 7), Atlanta (16-8 on October 14) and Gladewater (42-35 on October 21).
“We’ve been some tight games,” Jimmerson said. “And the kids just kept playing.”
The Bulldogs were plagued by injuries all along.
“And they just kept playing,” Jimmerson said. “It was literally a ‘next man up’ mentality. They have fought though a lot of adversity.”
The Bulldog running game has been anchored by the tandem attack of sophomore Kamran Williams and senior Luke McMullen,
Williams has rushed for 720 yards on 80 carries in 10 games.
McMullen has rushed 815 yards on 76 carries in the same 10 games.
They have been equally effective with multiple quarterbacks.
Senior Chris Bowman has passed for 811 yards on 39 attempts.
EJ Burns has completed 36 passes for 55 yards over the season.
Burns also plays on defense along with four other, two-starters— Knox Tomlinson, Jakobie Goynes, Erik Burns and Hasheem Ector.
“One thing about playing in this division,” Jimmerson said. “Everyone has kids who plays both ways. It’s just how it is.”
The Mineola Yellowjackets enter the post season with a 5-5 record.
They are the fourth-place seed in District 3A-5, Division I, and went 3-3 in conference play.
They punched their ticket to the playoffs after topping Commerce 42-38 last week.
“At this point, seeding doesn’t mean anything,” Jimmerson said. “Every team that makes the playoffs earns their own way. Mineola has a rich history and a great tradition. We’ve played them a few times and it is always a great game… our kids play each other and we have similar teams. It’ll be an explosive start and great test of our durability as a team.”
The winner of Friday night’s bout will face the winner of the Fairfield and Grandview game in Week Two.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Spring Hill High School, 3101 Spring Hill Road, Longview.
Gates will open at 6 p.m.
Tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for students.
District Passes and THSCA Senior Passes will be accepted.