It was the best birthday wish Jefferson Davis County coach Lance Mancuso could want.
Behind Jaguar running backs Demarrio Booth Jr. and Malcolm Hartzog, Jeff Davis County defeated Amory 42-10 for the Class 3A State Championship at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The win is JDC’s third state championship since 2017, while for Mancuso, the win is his ninth state championship.
The Jaguars’ running back duo combined to run for 335 yards and six touchdowns.
From the start, Hartzog and Booth made their presence felt. In the first quarter, JDC gained momentum after Amory fumbled inside of its own 30-yard line on the third play of the game.
Five players later, Hartzog, who was 3A’s Mr. Football, punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Jaguars a 6-0 lead after the PAT failed.
On JDC’s next drive, running back Booth Jr. broke out a 44-yard touchdown run. Hartzog converted a two-point conversion to give the Jaguars a 14-0 lead. By the half, Booth ran for 143 yards on 10 carries for two touchdowns.
Amory managed to get on the board just before the first quarter, with quarterback Jatariah Ware throwing a 61-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Haynes to narrow the score 14-7.
At the start of the second quarter, Booth broke out another big touchdown run as he ran 61-yards to score. Hartzog ran in the two-point conversion to extend the Jaguars’ lead.
Before the half, the Panthers kicked a 28-yard field to put the score at 22-10 at the half.
Hartzog and Booth did not slow down in the third quarter, with Hartzog scoring on a 19-yard run and Booth reaching the end zone on a 32-yard run.
Booth intercepted Ware inside Amory’s 15-yard line with three minutes left in the quarter. Two plays later, Booth scored again on a 1-yard touchdown run to extend JDC’s lead to 42-10.
Amory coughed up six turnovers on the day. Ware finished 10 of 20 and threw for 139 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions while the run game put up 155 yards.
Booth was named MVP of the game after he ran for 205 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries, while Hartzog finished with 130 yards and two touchdowns.
