JEFFERSON — North Oconee won its 40th straight regular-season game Friday and put the rest of the state on alert that it is serious about defending its Class 4A championship.
Led by quarterback Harrison Faulkner and a stingy defense, the Class 4A No. 1 Titans overpowered Class 3A No. 2 Jefferson 35-0 to ruin the Dragons’ homecoming festivities.
It is the second straight year North Oconee has beaten Jefferson 35-0.
“ (Faulkner) played a great ball game, especially early,” North Oconee coach Tyler Aurandt said. “He’s electric. When the ball is in his hands, he always finds a way to make a play. I’m proud of the way he played tonight.”
Faulkner, a Georgia Southern commit, was masterful. He completed 12 of 14 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns and ran for an additional 61 yards. Faulkner completed the first nine passes he threw, two of them for touchdowns. After finally missing, he threw a touchdown.
“Coach (Kurt) Doehrman was scheming all week,” Faulkner said. “We just trusted his plan and ran it, executed it well, and it worked for us. It feels great. They’re a good football team, and we needed a good win like this. We still have some things to execute, but it was a good win.”
North Oconee (4-0) scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions and led 28-0 at halftime. Faulkner threw three touchdowns, finding Khamari Brooks for 30 and 21 yards, and Charlie Hawkins for 9 yards. Braxton Goolsby got the other touchdown on a 24-yard run. Hawkins also intercepted a pass in the first half.
North Oconee’s other score came midway in the third quarter on a 48-yard pass from Faulkner to Dallas Dickerson and caused the final quarter to be played with a running clock.
“I think we came out and played really well to start the game,” Aurandt said. “Played really fast. Our kids were flying around, and we were able to capitalize on some big plays. That’s something we preach all the time is starting fast and physical, and I felt like you saw that at the beginning of the game tonight.”
Brooks caught four passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, Hawkins caught four passes for 58 yards and one touchdown, and Dickerson caught three passes for 71 yards and one touchdown.
Jefferson (4-1) lost junior Max Brown, its top running back and starting linebacker, on the first play of the game to a torn right MCL. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Without Brown, who had rushed for 427 yards in the first four games, the Dragons were playing with their hands tied. Quarterback Colton Grant ran tough and got outside a couple of times, finishing with 83 yards on 16 carries. But Grant completed just 4 of 11 passes for 49 yards with one interception. North Oconee held Jefferson to 159 total yards.
The special teams also blocked a punt and a field goal.
“We played really well on defense,” Aurandt said. “I have to go back and watch the tape, and I’m sure there’s things that need to be cleaned up, but our kids played hard, they played well together. They’re very connected because they’ve played so many snaps together.”
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