The Raider Defense Shines
The old saying goes, “defense wins championships.” It’s a statement that is tried and true.
Week one, a nemesis came to Blackville. The PAC Panthers rolled into town. Last season, PAC had JDA down 38-8 at halftime and thankfully the game was called at halftime due to a thunderstorm. PAC could have truly embarrassed a solid Raider football team that night. However, one year later and almost to the day, the result was totally different. JDA had a 24-7 lead in the fourth quarter and held on after a late surge from PAC. The game ended 24-19 and a Raider victory to start of the 2026 season.
Week two, the Raiders traveled to Ehrhardt. The Andrew Jackson Warriers were looming. AJA recently dropped down to 8-man football after giving 11-man a try. I’m sure this experiment left a sour taste in their mouth. Their first 8-man game wasn’t any better. The Raiders defense dominated AJA. When the horn sounded AJA had a goose egg on the scoreboard. The Raiders won 14-0. Jake Harrington (LB/FB) led the Raiders on defense with thirteen tackles and a fumble recovery. Also, Jake was a key ingredient on the offensive side of the ball. He’s a John Riggins type of runner. It’s north south and he punishes anyone in his path.
With two wins under their belt, JDA had a date with Palmetto Christian Academy on the last football Friday in August. Neither team looked crisp on the first couple of drives. However, once JDA finally found the end zone it never looked back. They built a 28-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 36-0 win. The majority of the fourth quarter saw back-ups getting their first real game action of the season. Once again, the Raider defense dominated. I truly believe that PCA did not gain one single yard on offense. The statistics come out on Monday, so we will know then. They did manage a few first downs, but it was via Raider defensive penalties.
The 2026 Raiders are no doubt a defensively led group. The offense is playing catch up but did show a few flashes against PCA. Currently, Jake Harrington and Harrison Ray lead the team in tackles. Also, Harrington has two fumble recoveries and Ray has one interception. Stance Youngblood is third on the team in tackles and leads the team in QB sacks. Reece Still once again is a ball hawk in the secondary, leading the team with three picks.
The next game for the 3-0 Raiders is against King Academy. King is the defending 8-man state champion and currently own a 15-game winning streak. This is an early season battle of two of the best in 8-man football.
