Up four touchdowns by the end of the first quarter, the Jaguars eventually eased off the gas, turning their focus to a defense that recovered nearly as many fumbles as their offense put touchdowns on the scoreboard.
“It just starts in practice; we’re practicing at high speed, fast paced,” senior running back Aiden Garrett said. “It keeps us in shape, so we’re just ready. It’s not anything you turn on. We just got that mind-set that we’re ready.”
That thing they’re getting ready for? An inevitable postseason matchup against rival Wise for what these Jaguars hope will be another trip to the state title game. With 37 seniors, the Jaguars (3-0) are keenly aware that this is their make-or-break season, a notion that inspires pressure and confidence in equal measure.
But on Friday, the Jaguars were also eager to show that speed isn’t the only trick up their sleeve. With the graduation of last year’s star quarterback, Sean Johnson, Powell has been experimenting with a dual-QB offense. What started out as a challenge to determine the starter between junior Adrian Favors or senior Marc Harrison, Jr. became a stratagem that takes advantage of Harrison’s mobility and Favors’s confidence in the pocket, adding new fuel to what was already one of the region’s most lively teams.
“Having two different quarterbacks with two different playing styles … and knowing that they can’t really fully guess what play is going to go down, it definitely makes them either overthink or makes them not think enough about it,” Harrison said. “It always keeps the other coaches thinking, and when you think too much, that’s when everybody starts messing up.”
The unpredictability of the approach reaped plenty of dividends against the Spartans (1-1), who were officially the home team although the game was played at Eleanor Roosevelt because Laurel is adding turf to its field. In a trick play at the end of the first, Harrison tossed to running back Joshua Jefferson, who in turn handed it to running back Carlos Alvarez, who threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Malachi West.
By the second half, there was a running clock as the Jaguars added a few late scores, Powell already thinking about what wrinkles to unveil next week when his team travels to DuVal.