Game 9 - North Jackson at East

North Jackson 10, East 7 - In a classic, defensive battle between two class programs on a misty, foggy night, the North Jackson Chiefs edged the East Limestone Indians to win the Class 4A, Region 7 title. The game had a slow, but interesting start. The Chiefs were still in the dressing room while the referee was warming up for the coin toss. After a few minutes, the referee extended a personal invitation, and the Chiefs accepted. A delay of game penalty was declined by the Indians, and the game was on. For the first 20 minutes, both defenses were able to keep the offenses in check. North Jackson got on the board after a 32 yard punt return to the East 39. Eight plays later, Durrell Jackson scored from 10 yards out. Josh Grider's PAT gave the Chiefs a 7-0 halftime lead. The Indians took the second half kick-off and drove to the Chief's 27, but were unable to convert on fourth down. The remainder of the third quarter was a defensive show. Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs added to the lead on Grider's 32 yard field goal. On the ensuing kick-off, Antwan James picked up the kick-off on the two yard line and raced 98 yards to get the Indians and the home crowd back in the game. Byron Dubose's key block took out the closest pursuer. Keith Southard's PAT closed the gap to 10-7 with 9:47 remaining. The Chiefs used their strong running game to take over 6 minutes off the clock before punting to the Indian 13. The Indians were unable to move the ball and punted back to the Chiefs. The Indians had one last chance when the Chiefs fumbled at the Indian 26 with 1:21 remaining. The Chiefs intercepted a pass to seal the win. East closes out the regular season at 5A Hazel Green next Friday. North Jackson travels to 5A Cullman. For the first round of the playoffs on November 8, East will host Hamilton, while North Jackson will host Curry. Note: After this summary was posted, East had to forfeit all wins up to this point and its position in the play-offs.