Our Week Seven Game of the Week takes us to Jefferson for the second time this season in a game between the Dragons and West Hall Spartans.

JEFFERSON

The Dragons got a BYE week to reflect on what went wrong in their 35-0 loss at North Oconee, a loss Jefferson hasn’t seen since 2016 (last shutout). Granted, that was a powerhouse team and on the road, but the 3-2 Dragons are looking to right the ship as they open region play. The good news is Max Brown was back and looked as healthy as usual, which was a shocking but wonderful surprise. The road to a third straight region crowns begins this week.

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WEST HALL

The Spartans are seeing a resurgence, and are 4-1 overall with an offense that is one of the state’s highest-scoring at 39.2 per game. The defense (16.0) is stingy as well, giving up a combined 13 points over the past 2 games as part of a 4-game win streak. This West Hall team hasn’t started out this good since 2017. Their 196 points are the most in a season since 2020, and they’re only halfway done with the regular slate. QB Brett Sturm (764 yds, 4 TD; 236 rush yds, 2 TD) orchestrates the offense, and star RB Elijah Hayes (903 yds, 14) is one of the state’s top backs right now.

BY THE NUMBERS (2024)

JEFFERSON

• 3-2 (0-0 in 8-AAA)
• Region Standings: T-1st
• 26.4 OFFENSE AVG
• 20.6 DEFENSE AVG
• #2 State Ranking

WEST HALL

• 4-1 (0-0 in Region 8-AAA)
• Region Standings: T-1st
• 39.2 OFFENSE AVG
• 16.0 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game later today as well as a story recapping Week Seven. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Jefferson coverage on the big market show! (schedule is different this week). You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s begin with the Dragons. They win this game if their talent plays up to norms. Although nothing about this game is normal with it being a Saturday morning kickoff. Does that slow down Jefferson, who is already coming off a BYE week? Don’t count on it. The Dragons are well-rested, at home, and if they play their usual brand of football, this game will be decided by early in the third. West Hall has its high-scoring offense and stingy defense. But it’s worth pointing out, the Spartans haven’t played anyone quite like this. To win, WH will have to eat the clock and convert in the red zone on every opportunity, and those have to be 4-5 times to be able to stand a chance here. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

We’ve seen 22 Dragons games in our time, and Jefferson has been a stellar 19-3 in those contests. That includes being winners of now 7 in a row.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 11 AM Kickoff
PLACE: Jefferson HS / Jefferson, GA / Jefferson Memorial Stadium
LAST MEETING: 2019: #6 Jefferson 62, West Hall 7
ALL-TIME RECORD: Jefferson leads 2-0 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #2 Jefferson Dragons (3-2; 0-0 in 8-AAA); West Hall Spartans (4-1; 0-0 in 8-AAA)
HEAD COACHES: Travis Noland (213-95; 27 Seasons); Krofton Montgomery (17-48; 7 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This series is fairly new, as these teams were lumped in the same region in 2018 and 2019. The Dragons won both – the first 48-6 and the second 62-7.

TEAM LEADERS (2024 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps

JEFFERSON

PASSING
Gavin Markey – 631 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT, 57% completion

RUSHING
Dallas Russell – 300 yds, 4 TD
Gavin Markey – 179 yds, 3 TD
Mickell Pittman – 171 yds, 1 TD
Rett Hemphill – 150 yds, 3 TD

RECEIVING
Dalton Dye – 205 yds, 1 TD, 12 rec
Talan Childress – 202 yds, 1 TD, 10 rec
RJ Hinton – 83 yds, 1 TD, 7 rec
Dallas Russell – 61 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec
Rett Hemphill – 57 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec
Joshua Causey – 9 yds, 0 TD, 1 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Max Brown – 43 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 Sack, 2 FR, 1 FF
Rett Hemphill – 42 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 Sack, 2 INT, 1 FR
Jayden Yang – 35 TKL, 1 TFL
Darren Pinkard – 32 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks
Kelan Butler – 28 TKL, 4 TFL, 4 Sacks
Dashaun Keith – 23 TKL, 1 INT

WEST HALL

PASSING
Brett Sturm – 764 yds, 4 TD, 3 INT, 69% completion

RUSHING
Elijah Hayes – 903 yds, 14 TD
Brett Sturm – 236 yds, 2 TD
Benjamin Phelps – 112 yds, 1 TD

RECEIVING
Nasser Aliou – 272 yds, 0 TD, 18 rec
Elijah Hayes – 116 yds, 1 TD, 8 rec
Daniel Altamirano – 99 yds, 1 TD, 7 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
INCOMPLETE DEFENSIVE STATS