Person County Puts Away Webb in a Wild Shootout

Written by: Joe Myers

In a wild affair, Person County was able to score enough points to fend off Webb for a 68–56 victory. With the win, the Rockets advance to face Northside-Jacksonville in the second round of the 5A East playoffs.

In unusual circumstances, both teams featured excellent kickoff returners, which led to short squib kicks by each side. The resulting great field position was a key contributor to the high-scoring affair.

After trading touchdowns on their opening drives, Person scored twice on their next possessions to take a 20–6 lead — one they would not relinquish the rest of the night. The game quickly moved to 28–14, highlighted by a 55-yard touchdown run from Rocket running back Justin Pope. Person then extended its lead to 36–14 at halftime on another 55-yard touchdown run, this time by Elijah Thomas. Webb, a power-heavy team, looked like it was in a world of hurt.

After both teams traded touchdowns to start the third quarter, the Rockets held a 44–20 advantage. Then, the fireworks really began. Over the next quarter and a half, the two teams combined for 60 points.

It took only seven combined plays for both offenses to push the score to 52–34. The run-heavy Warriors began to open up the passing game, highlighted by a 74-yard hookup between freshman quarterback R.J. Highsmith and freshman wide receiver Isaiah Peace.

The Rockets then appeared to put the game on ice, extending their lead to 60–34 early in the fourth quarter. Or so they thought. After scoring on the following possession, Webb forced a Rocket punt and scored again to trim the lead to 60–50. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Person returned the kick for a touchdown to seal the game at 68–50.

Webb refused to go down quietly. The Warriors added one final touchdown to make it 68–56 but failed to recover the onside kick, ending the scoring for the night.

The Rockets finished with 503 yards of total offense. Quarterback Willie Lunsford went 8-of-10 passing for 3 touchdowns. Running back Justin Pope added 132 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, Elijah Thomas ran for 101 yards and 1 touchdown, and John Elkerson contributed 77 yards on the ground with 2 touchdowns.

The Warriors ended their season with R.J. Highsmith completing 10-of-14 passes for 252 yards and 3 touchdowns. Running back Josiah Daniel rushed for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Michael Hobgood added 107 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.