Rickards beat Gadsden County in close shootout in “Soul Bowl” game

Last Friday, the Gene Cox stadium (in Leon County) featured one of the biggest historical high school rivalries ever to graze its turf in nearly two years.

The Jaguars of Gadsden County faced off against James S. Rickards High School in a much-anticipated ‘Soul Bowl’ thriller, falling short in the final minutes 43-36.

The spectacular game kept fans in the bleachers thrilled from beginning to end; locals gathered in a heartfelt showing in support of both teams.

Gadsden County Head Coach Corey Fuller and the Jaguars rushed the field with a spirit full of animosity during pre-game, while the Jaguar fan base showed their support by filling the visitor benches.

While the Gadsden team were not accompanied by their band for this game, the fanfare of the Rickards’ Raider Band rained through the evening sky - the Friday night atmosphere was just right for a game of head-to-head football.

The Jaguars displayed an impressive performance in the first half, leading Rickards by a season-high of 10- points. However, the battle was far from over for the Jaguars.

Rickards’s quarterback, Michael Townsend carried the load for the Raiders, scrambling for a 5-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 21-24 after the successful extra point kick at the half by Chris Turner.

Gadsden County High School senior wide receiver Joshua Thomas lines up across from Rickards’ Lionell Whitaker.

Fuller and the offense kept the pressure on the Raiders, adding to his lead through the early minutes of the third quarter thanks to his quarterback Cameron Upshaw Jr. and team leading rusher Johntarrious Thomas breaking a 45-yard touchdown run.

Unfortunately, the run-heavy attack was short lived for the Jaguars.

Emotions were high for Gadsden as they went scoreless for the remainder of the game.

Gadsden County High School senior running back Johntarrious Thomas warms up before going onto the field during the Rickards vs. Gadsden game on September 10.

Raiders Head Coach Quintin Lewis led his team to 22-unanswered points capping off a huge non-conference victory, placing the Jaguars at 0-3 for the season.

For the third week, Gadsden has found themselves coming up short in near victory situations.

Yet despite the loss, the players and coaches believe their performance has improved since week one.

Gadsden County senior linebacker Jayden Jefferson shared his biggest takeaway from the game.

“The biggest takeaway was that we improved offensively and came together as a team in a hostile environment,” said Jefferson. “The main improvement is to finish. We came out aggressive and jumped on the board early. We just didn’t keep our foot on the gas.”

Gadsden County Running Back Coach and College Recruiting Coordinator Devin Rispress warned opponents to not count out the Jaguars.

“They [Gadsden] did a phenomenal job. Going into the game, nobody gave us a chance. We led the majority of the game, we did not turn the ball over, and we executed. They played much better tonight.”

For their upcoming game, the Jaguars will continue on the road to meet against the Dothan High School Wolves on September 24.

The Wolves, with a 1-2 season, are coming off back-to-back landslide losses against Enterprise High School and Auburn High School (both in Alabama) - making this game’s win a matter of importance to the Wolves and the Jaguars alike.

Adrian Andrews - Gadsden County News Service

Rickards beat Gadsden County in close shootout in “Soul Bowl” game

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Rickards beat Gadsden County in close shootout in “Soul Bowl” game

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Clean-up on the Apalachicola river banks

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