Close battle is waged between Gadsden Jaguars and Lincoln Trojans

The Lincoln High Trojans came on top of a tightly contested battle against Gadsden County, defeating the Jaguars with only four points of lead, 14-10, on Friday, September 30.

It was senior night and homecoming for the Jaguars, but unfortunately the adrenaline and roaring excitement of Jaguar fans was short lived.

This week of high school football was a depiction of the saying, “slow and steady wins the race” - after several missed opportunities, a quiet day on the offensive side of the ball, and costly penalties turned the game into a nail-biter for the Jaguars defensive front.

Penalty flags flew the entire night for both parties, something that Jaguars Head Coach Corey Fuller wanted to avoid and improve on following their week 3 loss against Rickards.

The Jags committed five key penalties in the homecoming matchup against the Trojans.

The Jaguars coaching staff says they look to improve their team’s discipline and focus on the task at hand following their loss to the Trojans.

“Well mainly just being consistent across the board,” said Jaguars quarterback coach and passing-game coordinator Emanuel Francis. “The [team’s] effort is there but the lack of focus is what kills us in critical times.”

The Jaguars struggled to get any momentum after their first score from Jaylen Kelly in the first quarter - the last time the Jaguars would see the endzone for the remainder of the ball game.

Their biggest blow would come to the lack of success through the air.

The Jaguars passing offense would only produce 35 yards in total, switching from their traditional starting junior quarterback, Cameron Upshaw, late in the second half.

Lincoln senior quarterback Perry Fisher led his team in passing and rushing, completing 13 of 26 passes for 176 yards; the dual-threat talent finished the night with over 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

With the win, Lincoln improves to 3-2 on the season as Trojan Head Coach Jimmie Tyson looks to keep the momentum at home next week against Leon.

As for Fuller and the Jaguars, they have had only one win this season, over Dothan. The Jaguars either led or tied their previous three opponents at the half, and homecoming Friday was no different.

It was 7-7 at halftime against the Trojans, but the Jaguars failed to contain Tyson’s offense.

With only three regular season games remaining, Fuller's window for a postseason run seems to be far-fetched.

After facing the Trojans, the Jaguars traveled to Pensacola, where they faced the Pensacola Catholic High School Crusaders and were met with another slim loss - the Jaguars falling only 5 points behind the Crusaders at the game’s end, which gave a 23-18 win to the Pensacola athletes.

Next up, the Jaguars will travel to Niceville, Florida, on October 15, where they will face the Niceville High School Eagles.

In comparison to the Jaguars’ 1-5 overall season score, the Eagles have kept a firm 7-0 winning streak in hand; this will be the Jaguars’ second-to-last scheduled game of the season.