Rockmart and Cedartown faced off in a back-and-forth defensive struggle that ultimately gave the Jackets the bragging rights for the 2020 season in a 21-10 finish on Friday night.

The Bulldogs had an early 7-0 lead in the home opener for the Jackets after Corben Cuzzort got into the end zone following a Cedartown drive, but they struggled to score again through the game after Rockmart put their first touchdown on the board with a scoop and score fumble recovery thanks to Dennis Sims (who also put up several sacks on the night and pivotal catches on offense) and then added a touchdown late in the first half, and one more in the second half to take the win.

Cedartown did get on the scoreboard one more time with a field goal later in the game to get close, but a third Rockmart touchdown put the Bulldogs to bed for the 2020 edition of the rivalry game.

The Jackets moved to 1-1 and have a break this coming week after the win over Cedartown, and have a Sept. 25 road trip to face the Coahulla Creek Colts in their region opener. The Bulldogs sit at 0-1 and have a chance to gain back a win this coming Friday at home against Calhoun on Friday night.

Here’s a few photos courtesy of Gail Conner at camerachik.smugmug.com from the festivities on Friday night:

Key takeaways

Rockmart and Cedartown both have work to do on both sides of the ball, but Rockmart definitely found some space to maneuver with the win on Friday night and a week break to fine tune the offense and defense.

Quarterback Javin Whatley, running backs Jai Penson and Keyshaun McCullough and several others got quality opportunities at touches, but are going to have to move more north and south should they want to maintain a Top 10 spot in rankings in Class AAA as they head into region play on Sept. 25.

One positive note: The Jackets kicking game was definitely improved.

Here’s some more photos from the night. Have some to share? E-mail kevin@polk.today.

For Cedartown, the team has a quick turnaround for their second game of the season against Calhoun. Cuzzort is going to be a key for the offense this year against opposing defenses to provide greater movement for Jayden Johnson and CJ Washington in the backfield as well. Quarterback Reece Tanner also looked effective against Rockmart’s defense.

The Bulldogs will definitely do well to build on their run defense ahead of the Calhoun game, with the Jackets at 1-0 with a 41-14 win over Dalton on Sept. 4 to open the season.

Check back for additional content from the game on Sunday here at Polk.Today.