Eagles Nab District Title and Destroy Belfry

By: Jessica Shelton & Ted McCoart

The JCHS football team finished its regular season last Friday with a commanding 42-7 win over rival Belfry High School, and the Eagles can also boast that they are now the five-time defending district champions.

The win over the Pirates gave the Golden Eagles their fifth consecutive win, and the Eagles are going into the post-season playing some of their best ball of the season.

Before facing Belfry, the Eagles had gone undefeated since their September 17th loss to a very tough Bell County squad. The Eagles quickly rebounded the next weekend as they trampled Breathitt County 28-6.

In their district play, Coach Matney's squad first faced Ashland Paul Blazer on October 8 at Putnam Stadium The Eagles opened district play with a resounding 42-26 win.

The Eagles next invaded  Woodford County, where junior J.J. Jude put on an exhibition and broke the nine-year-old state rushing record and helped guide the Eagles to a hefty 61-36 win.

Next up for the Eagles came Montgomery County, and again, the Eagle offense proved too much for the Indians to handle as they annihilated MCHS 56-20. Jude again put on a clinic as he rushed for 257 yards on 17 carries, while J.K. Hall ran 10 times for 62 yards and Tanner Bratton gained 54 yards on seven carries.

The Eagles will now begin KHSAA 5A post-saeson play when Covington Scott rolls into town this Friday, but the Eagles seem ready for action.

"We are playing well right now, but we will not take our eye off the end goal: bringing a state championship to JCHS," stated Coach Jim Matney.