Sparta fell to 0-5 on the season with a 30-15 loss to Anna-Jonesboro Friday night, but the Bulldogs gave their opponent all they could handle in the contest.
Sparta started this game similar to how they have started most of their games, with a good solid offensive drive. The Bulldogs took the opening kick and moved the football 64 yards on eight plays, setting up an one-yard touchdown run by London Oliver. Oliver then ran in the two-point conversion to give his team an 8-0 lead with 8:18 to play in the opening quarter.
Anna-Jonesboro took control by scoring the game’s next 18 points on a pair of touchdown runs by Jordan Chamness and a one-yard quarterback keeper by J.R. Woodward.
“We can always get off to a good start because the team is fresh,” said Sparta coach Phil Watson. “We had low numbers to start the season, and now injuries have really taken a toll on this team. We run a heavy offense with a power running game, but with our low numbers, we can’t give our lineman a break on defense. They have to play both sides of the ball. We can’t save time-outs because when I see the team getting tired, I have to use a time-out to let my guys get a break. I cannot complain about their effort, though. They have all played hard for me, and we have been in most of the games we played this season.”
The Dawgs cut Anna-Jonesboro’s lead to 18-15 late in the third quarter when David Sams pulled down a 10-yard touchdown pass from Blake Shelton. Shelton did not start at quarterback. He switched between playing fullback and quarterback for Sparta against the Wildcats.
“Blake did a great job blocking in the running game, and then we moved him back to quarterback when we used the shotgun formation,” said Watson. “Blake is one of our strongest players, and we try and use him wherever he gives us the best chance to win.”
Sophomore quarterback Darious Jackson got the start for Sparta, and he will need to get used to the varsity position, as Shelton is now out for the season with a broken collarbone.
“Losing Blake hurts us a lot,” said Watson, “but I have all the confidence in the world in Darious. He stepped up and did a good job in his first varsity appearance as quarterback.”
After Sparta cut the lead to three points, Anna-Jonesboro pulled away with two touchdown runs by Woodward for the 15-point victory.
Sparta finished with 277 yards of total offense with 215 of that coming on the ground. Anna-Jonesboro had 396 yards of total offense with 370 of that coming from their rushing attack.
Zach Ferguson led the Sparta rushing attack with 62 yards on 18 carries, while Oliver added 47 yards on five attempts, and Preston Nance finished with 35 yards on six carries.
Shelton completed 3 of 4 passes for 35 yards while Jackson was 1 of 10 for 27 yards with an interception.
Sams caught three passes for 35 yards in the loss.
Sparta fell to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while Anna-Jonesboro improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
The Bulldogs will host longtime rival Chester Friday night possibly for the last time, depending on any future conference realignments or playoff meetups.
