BY BRIAN HAMILTON
COSBY – The Eagles took to the field at Virgil Ball Stadium for the first time this season Friday night, as Cosby looked to avenge a 52-6 loss to Jellico in 2020.
The game came down to the wire and the Eagles had an opportunity to win the game, but would come away with a 34-26 loss.
Jellico led 7-0 after the first quarter, but Tyler Turner and Cosby answered on the first play of the second quarter, as Turner found Hayden Green for a score. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Jellico with a 7-6 lead with 11:53 left in the second.
The Blue Devils led 20-6 in the second quarter, until Turner hit Devonte Wigfall for a 59-yard play, which set up a 1-yard score by Nate Joyce. Cosby would convert the two-point conversion to make the halftime score 20-14.
Jellico led 27-20 at the end of the third quarter, but the Eagles were gaining momentum. Turner hooked up with Hayden Green again in the fourth quarter, this time for a 36-yard play, setting up a Slate Shropshire touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, however, leaving the Blue Devils clinging to a 27-26 lead.
Jellico would march down the field and score on their next possession to take a 34-26 lead with just 1:52 left in the game.
The Eagles would try and tie the game on their next possession, but came up short, falling to 0-3 on the season. For Jellico, it was their first win of the season.
“We kept fighting and we came away with a win because of that,” Jellico head coach Brent Peel said. “As a team, we needed to learn how to fight through adversity and not get down when something bad might happen.”
Cosby (0-3, 0-1 Region 1) will travel to Red Boiling Springs to face the Bulldogs (1-2) in a non-region matchup. Jellico (1-2, 1-0) will host North Greene (1-2) in a Region 1 bout.