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Jefferson shows heels to Sherando

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | Sep 10, 2021

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — A balanced offense where Evan Tewell, Spencer Powell and Sammy Roberts were among the many Jefferson players who held leading roles in the Cougars’ smashing 41-14 road win last Friday at Warrior Stadium in quieted Stephens City, Va.

Continually tiring the Sherando defense by converting nine of 10 third down plays into first downs, the suddenly potent Cougars had a 27-7 lead by halftime.

The diminutive Tewell (listed at 5-foot-8 on Jefferson’s roster sheet) rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Roberts completed 12-of-21 throws for 211 yards as the Cougars registered 416 yards of total offense while moving their early-season record to 2-0 and sending the Warriors to Martinsburg this week with an 0-2 record.

Powell, the acrobatic wide receiver, caught seven of Roberts’ completions for 167 yards and two TDs.

Jefferson rushed for 205 yards in its balanced domination of the usually stern Warriors. The Cougar win actually snapped a 13-game losing skid against Sherando.

After hurrying past Millbrook last week to open the season, Jefferson wasted no time in stunning the Warriors, having Joey Slaughter recover a Sherando fumble on the game’s initial play from scrimmage. Roberts found Powell for a 16-yard score, and the opportunistic Cougars had a quick-strike 7-0 lead after only 57 seconds had been played.

Sherando flexed its scoring muscles for one of the few times all evening when it traveled 90 yards on its next possession and scored with quarterback Dylan Rodeffer throwing 52 yards to A.J. Santiago for the points. Santiago shone throughout the night with his 10 receptions good for 139 yards.

The count did not stay at 7-7 for long.

Roberts once again found Powell — this time for 44 yards — and Tewell carried for 41 additional yards on a prolonged drive that was capped by Bryson Fleming’s seven-yard scoring run. Jefferson quickly added to its growing lead when it fled 72 yards on 10 plays to move ahead, 20-7. Tewell accounted for 50 of the yards, including the final two, and the Cougars began getting free from the beleaguered Warriors.

Just 24 seconds before the half ended, Fleming notched his second TD on a run from the two. And the Cougars had a 27-7 lead to talk about at halftime.

Receiving the kickoff to open the second half, Roberts and company scored again when Powell broke free after accepting a medium range pass and made it a 34-7 game.

Tewell’s two-yard plunge from in close, perked the scoreboard to 41-7, before the Warriors counted their final points of the pleasantly cool evening. Quarterback Rodeffer completed 12-of-21 passes for 152 yards.

Jefferson sees a third-straight opponent, which has handled the Cougars well in recent seasons, when it travels to Berkeley County to face Musselman High School, a victim of Martinsburg High School last week after opening the week before with a win over Spring Mills High School.

Spring Mills is scheduled to be in Shenandoah Junction on Sept. 17 for the next home game for the prospering Cougars.