Photo Credit: Kenny Revere Jr/ @revshot_z
Riverdale, Georgia – It was Week One in Clayton County, and the matchup everyone had been waiting for finally arrived Friday night. In front of a packed crowd, the Jonesboro High School Cardinals faced off against the North Clayton Eagles in the Fellowship Christian Athletes Classic. From the moment the schedules were released, this game was circled on the calendar. With deep relationships between the coaching staffs and players from both schools knowing each other well, everything was in place for what had the makings of an all-time classic. And that is exactly what fans got.
North Clayton got the scoring started with six minutes remaining in the first quarter when quarterback Justin Murphy connected with DeAnthony Grooms on a 7-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles took an early 7-0 lead and appeared to have the momentum on their side. Later in the second quarter, North Clayton was driving deep into Jonesboro territory when the Cardinals defense came up with a huge play. Mikel Miller intercepted Murphy and returned the ball deep into Eagles territory, giving Jonesboro an opportunity to even the score.
However, North Clayton’s defense answered right back. On the very next Jonesboro possession, Eagles defensive back Javion Johnson intercepted Cardinals quarterback Justin Alto and returned the ball to the Jonesboro 40-yard line. The turnover gave North Clayton another opportunity to extend its lead. Jonesboro, however, refused to go into halftime quietly. The Cardinals put together a late drive that carried them into the red zone, but the Eagles defense held firm. North Clayton stopped Jonesboro as time expired, taking a 7-0 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals finally broke through in the second half. Alto connected with Jadarius Slaton on a touchdown pass, and Slaton did the rest. After making the catch, Slaton eluded several defenders and raced into the end zone to put Jonesboro on the scoreboard. The Cardinals attempted to take the lead with the extra point, but the kick was missed, leaving North Clayton ahead 7-6. As the fourth quarter began, the atmosphere inside the stadium intensified. With only one point separating the two teams, every possession felt like it could determine the outcome.
With eight minutes remaining in the game, Murphy came through for the Eagles once again, this time using his legs. He broke through for a 15-yard rushing touchdown to extend North Clayton’s lead. The Eagles then made a surprising decision to attempt a two-point conversion rather than kick the extra point. The attempt failed, leaving North Clayton ahead 13-6. The decision immediately became a major storyline because a successful extra point would have given the Eagles an eight-point lead and potentially forced Jonesboro to score a touchdown and convert a two-point attempt to tie the game.
After the game, I asked North Clayton offensive coordinator Nate Wardlaw what went into the decision to go for two. He explained that the team’s kicker had been injured during pregame warm-ups, which helped explain why the Eagles elected to go for the two-point conversion instead of attempting another kick.
Still, Jonesboro had plenty of fight left. Alto calmly led the Cardinals down the field, putting his team in position to make one final push. The drive eventually ended with Alto finding Ben Boyd for a touchdown, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 13-12. With the game hanging in the balance, Jonesboro had an opportunity to tie the game with the extra point. But the kick was missed due to a bad snap. The failure sealed the Eagles’ dramatic 13-12 victory and sent the North Clayton sideline into celebration.
It was a game that came down to the smallest of margins. One point separated the two teams at the final whistle, and both defenses made critical plays throughout the night. Turnovers, missed kicks and big plays in crucial moments ultimately decided the outcome. After the game, North Clayton head coach Cap Burnett credited his coaching staff and players for the victory.
“The boys been going hard since January,” Burnett said.
He also spoke about the mindset his team carried into the game, saying, “We talked about having a pure heart,” before emphasizing the importance of not getting caught up in the emotional roller coaster of a rivalry game.
And that may have been the biggest takeaway from Friday night. From the plays on the field to the words from the coaching staff, this was more than just a victory over a cross-county rival. It was a demonstration of trust, preparation and relationships built over months of hard work. The players trusted their coaches when the game became tense. The coaches trusted their players when the pressure reached its highest point. And when the final whistle sounded, North Clayton had survived a game that could have gone either way.
North Clayton 13, Jonesboro 12.
The rivalry is officially underway.
