Jacksonville offensive lineman Tanner Jones wants to set record straight when it comes to people overlooking the Cardinals this football season.
“I feel like we have had people in our own city doubt us, but that has added fuel to the fire,” the senior said. “We proved the doubters wrong and made a statement that we bust our butts and go hard every day.”
It appears as if the Cardinals did just that Friday as Jacksonville opened Big Carolina 6-A/7-A Conference play with a 47-6 home victory over New Bern.
Senior Amari Pearson scored four touchdowns as Jacksonville started its quest for a third consecutive conference title and second straight outright crown.
“We played extremely well,” Jacksonville coach Beau Williams said. “We created some big turnovers to give us momentum early, got a score before halftime and it snowballed from there.”
The Cardinals (4-1, 1-0) have won three straight games following a 14-6 defeat to Northside. This result also marked their fourth consecutive win over New Bern (4-2, 0-1).
“We made a huge statement,” JHS senior defensive back Sammie Rogers IV said. “We were very motivated. We’ve learned from our mistakes, and we have tried to improve every day.”
Pearson got the Cardinals on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run before senior Josiah Benton scored from five yards. Pearson’s 32-yard touchdown extended Jacksonville’s lead to 20-0 in the second quarter.
New Bern pulled within 20-6 on a 7-yard touchdown by Karvin Magwood, but Jacksonville responded as junior Isaiah Hilard connected with senior Mikhail White for a 42-yard score to make it 26-6.
Junior Domonic Williams returned the third-quarter kickoff to the 10-yard line before Pearson scored moments later to make it 33-6.
Montez Jimenez added a rushing touchdown, and Hilary found Pearson for a 35-yard score.
“New Bern is a great team with a bunch of great players, but we were able to move the ball,” Jones said. “If someone made a bad play, it was on to the next play.”
Jacksonville also held New Bern to the lowest scoring output this season.
“We played with chemistry and all 11 players getting to the ball,” said Rogers IV, who had two interceptions.
Next up for Jacksonville is a showdown at J.H. Rose (6-0, 1-0), which defeated South Central 43-0 on Friday.
“We still have a lot of ways to go, but we have gotten better each week and what is what we are asking for,” Williams said. “We better come out prepared next week. J.H. Rose is a great team and it will be a challenge to slow them down and to score points.”
Chris Miller can be contacted via email at cmiller@jdnews.com. Follow him on X @jdnsports.