Watertown falls to Trousdale, loses QB

By JARED FELKINS

Director of Content

HARTSVILLE — Watertown lost much more than a 28-0 decision Friday night on the road against Trousdale County.

The Purple Tigers played the majority of the game led by backup Cooper Jacobsen after starting quarterback Ty Jobe left the game during the first series with an apparent knee injury. Jobe limped the sidelines on crutches with ice wrapping his knee before leaving at halftime.

Following the game, a Watertown (6-3, 4-3) assistant coach said Jobe may have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear, but was not expecting the quarterback to return to play this season.

“When you lose your starting quarterback on the first series, it takes a lot out of you,” said Watertown head coach Gavin Webster. “We were trying to adjust with second- and third-string quarterbacks.

“I thought both quarterbacks came in and played hard and did everything we asked of them.”

Meanwhile, Trousdale County (7-2, 5-2) was able to capitalize on Jobe leaving the game en route to the shutout. The win gives the Yellow Jackets no worse than fourth place in Region 4-A and home-field advantage going into the playoffs.

“I think we started well,” said Trousdale County coach Kevin Creasy. “We ate a lot of clock and kept the ball out of their hands. Special teams did well. We had a couple of dumb penalties and turnovers that really kept it a close game for a while.”

Following both teams trading punts, Trousdale set up a sustained drive late in the first quarter that was capped off by an 8-yard quarterback keeper around left end by Marquel Claiborne. Following a two-point conversion from Seth Calhoun, the Yellow Jackets had an 8-0 lead.

The Tigers mounted a 10-play drive of their own that started on their own 49, but ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down on the Jackets’ 14.

Six plays into the ensuing drive, Trousdale fumbled, and Watertown recovered on its own 40. That drive resulted in a Tigers’ punt to set up the Jackets at midfield.

Eight plays later, Claiborne hit Kenyan Harper on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in the second to extend the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 15-0.

Watertown got close at times as its opening drive of the third resulted in the Tigers turning the ball over on downs on the Trousdale 3.

With eight minutes left in the fourth, Trousdale’s Kale Satterfield found a seam up the middle and raced 25 yards for a touchdown to give the Yellow Jackets a 21-0 lead.

Following a Watertown punt, Trousdale’s Demarius Smith put the Yellow Jackets in scoring position at the Watertown 7 on a 51-yard run. Two plays later, Claiborne hit Calhoun on a 6-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth.

A Watertown pass was picked off on the Tigers’ next possession, and Trousdale managed to run out the clock.

Watertown will play host to Jackson County at 7 p.m. next Friday at Robinson Stadium while Trousdale County entertains Red Boiling Springs at John Kerr Field.