JCM jumps from the frying pan into the fire
Before the 2024 high school football season began, Jackson Central-Merry head coach Erit Turner was asked about the two parts of the Cougars' schedule - Region 6-2A and the non-region games.
The Cougars finished the non-region schedule last week and won a championship trophy in the process.
As the smallest team in Jackson-Madison County Schools and in the second year they could compete for it, the Cougars brought the Commissioners' Cup to Lane Avenue after a close win at North Side.
"We're the smallest school playing for the Commissioners' Cup, and we're the youngest school playing in the toughest region in the state," Turner said. "I'll let you decide which one is the frying pan and which one is the fire."
Assuming the Commissioners' Cup is the frying pan - one mission is accomplished as the Cougars went 3-0 in non-region play and won their first Cup in dramatic fashion with a touchdown pass from Terell Williams to Jaylan Young in the corner of the end zone in one-on-one coverage with six seconds left in the game.
The ice bath Turner was given after the trophy presentation might've been a good thing since he and the rest of the team are jumping from the completed task of the frying pan and back into possibly what is the hottest part of the fire.
The Cougars have quickly rose through the rankings of the Tennessee Sports Writers' Association's top 10 voting and are ranked second behind Fairley.
This week, they're traveling to No. 7 Huntingdon, who is 4-2 on the season with a region loss to Milan, the week after the Bulldogs fell at home to JCM.
Huntingdon had a big comeback win on the road this week at Riverside, the defending state champion whom JCM will host on Oct. 25.
Between the Huntingdon and Riverside game is a trip to Trenton on Oct. 18 as the Cougars take on the Peabody Golden Tide.
The fire is burning bright for the next few weeks for JCM. But Turner is confident in his players' abilities based on what he's seen from them and how they've developed as a team and program over the past four years.
"You can put any high school team in the state in front of us, and I'll go to war with my guys every time," Turner said. "I've seen how bad they want it. I've seen how hard they've worked for everything they've accomplished so far.
"But we still haven't really accomplished anything. We're not in the playoffs. We're not region champion. We haven't won a playoff game, so except for the Commissioners' Cup, every goal we've set for ourselves is still out there to be accomplished."
Region 6-2A is an eight-team region, and the Cougars are 3-0 so far. A fourth win probably secures a playoff spot, but it's not guaranteed because of there are possibilities of multiple teams with four wins in region play.
The Commissioners' Cup games will become even more important then if that were the case because total number of wins for teams is one of the first tie-breakers when it comes to determining seeding in the region at the end of the season.
"It's our job to handle our business, and that's what we're focused on," Turner said. "Our goal every week is to be 1-0. So no matter who the opponent is next, we're looking to be 1-0."
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
