By TRAVIS ANDREWS
News Sports Writer
The Escambia Academy Cougars traveled up to Jackson, Alabama to begin their 2024 season by facing the Jackson Academy Eagles on Friday, August 30.
The Cougar captains Eli McElhaney, Logan Madden, and Traegan James met with the referees and Jackson’s captains for the coin toss and lost with Jackson choosing to receive.
The Eagles quickly made their first touchdown with a 16-yard carry, and made the extra point starting the score off at 7-0.
Escambia quickly managed to score their first touchdown of the game, scored by AJ Bennett with the extra point kicked by Grant Sasser being good tying the score at 7-7.
Jackson started the next play by fumbling a snap, which was recovered by Nick Bowen, allowing the Cougars to regain possession. Escambia’s Yadarius McNeal scored a touchdown, ending the first quarter at 14-7.
After a bit of back and forth in the second quarter, Jackson was able to catch an interception but then Jackson Bartley was able to catch an interception for Escambia, leading to AJ Bennett scoring his second touchdown of the game. Jackson scored again shortly thereafter, but with both transiting the extra-point kicks it left the score 20-13 going into halftime.
The third quarter began the same way as the last with Escambia and Jackson going back and forth, constantly switching from offense to defense, before Jackson scored and successfully made the two-point conversion. The score going into the last quarter was 20-21.
Escambia spent the last quarter fighting both valiantly and hard, but Jackson was able to hold them back long enough to finish the game with Jackson winning 20-21 in this incredibly close first game of the season for both teams.