September 7, 2012

FV Staff
FlaVarsity.com

SOCIAL: Follow on Twitter | Friend on Facebook

Follow @FlaVarsity

Not a FlaVarsity Premium subscriber? FlaVarsity costs just 27 cents a day and you get access to the entire Rivals.com network! To get a free seven-day trial, click here..

GAME 7 - Back Yard Brawl					The Skinny: Madison County is still playing 'angry' after getting thumped by American Heritage-Delray in last year's 3A state title game - 30-3. If the Cowboys act like they've got a chip on their shoulder - they do. When teams in Georgia call and cancel contracts -that's a big tip of the hat to the Cowboys. For Jefferson County, last year's 49-7 loss to the Cowboys was the worst of the five losses - but the Tigers managed to rally and claim the 1A title. Jeffco. is coming off a season-opening loss to Bay High of Panama City, 29-26.
		vs
JEFFERSON CO.			MADISON CO.		Prediction: MADISON CO.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jefferson County - ATH Lenorris Footman, WR Generique Noel, DB Trey'von Edwards.

Madison County (1-0) - OL Ira Denson, DB/RB Shedrick Williams, DE Brandon Crawford, WR Tre Arnold, RB Deonshay Wells, LB Deondre Miller, RB Donte Oliver.

THE OUTLOOK: This is what they call in the 'Big Bend' area of Florida - a backyard brawl. Two counties that are right next to each other - each with just one public high school. Each steeped in football tradition and each school making it to Orlando last year.

All you need now is H.G. Bissinger writing the book. Because this is - FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.

The Cowboys love to run the ball - it's what they do. And when they need to run - they run behind future Florida State OL Ira Denson. Williams is a multi-purpose back that can make things happen both offensively and defensively. The QB play has improved during the off-season with the return of D.J. McKnight. Look for the Cowboys to establish the run and grind it out.

Motivation might be the mitigating factor for Jeffco, but Boot Hill - the home of the Cowboys - is one very nasty place to play. Very few teams come into Madison and leave with a win.

Jeffco head coach Jerome Brown flirted with leaving Monticello during the spring, but decided to stay - and the folks in Monticello are expecting big things. This is a good test for the Tigers - to see how well they've meshed as a team.

Solid play from Footman and Noel will keep the Tigers in the game, but the defense has got to step up and that's where most of the losses to graduation happened.


* * Discuss your thoughts of the games on our Football Central message forum.