Friday Night Recap: Douglas County Uses Stifling Defense In 24-0 Victory Over Jonesboro

Douglas County uses elite defense to slow down Jonesboro in a Week 2 victory

Douglas County DB Jamar Owens | Photo Via Najeh Wilkins (SI)

High School Football continued across the state of Georgia on Friday night.

Douglas County Tigers uses stifling defense to advance to 2-0 on the season after a dominant 24-0 victory over the Jonesboro Cardinals on Friday night. Douglas County led the entire way through the game and never relinquished the lead.

Their running game was on full display with Zamarcus Lindley and Rah’Keith Kelly. On an incredible play of fortitude, Kelly simply would not go down, and he kept driving his legs while the massive offensive line led by four-star Joshua Sam-Epelle and the offensive line pushed him into the endzone to give Douglas County a 7-0 lead.

Douglas County would take advantage of a special teams mishap and great field position, and would punch it in plays later on a Zamarcus Lindley touchdown run to take a double-digit lead late in the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.

The Tigers' defense continued to stifle and forced punts, and gave Douglas County great field position. In the second quarter, after a very productive drive for Jonesboro, Douglas County tipped a pass, and it was picked off by senior linebacker Richard Dyce, which set up the Tigers with great field position. They would take advantage of the mistake and go on to score. Douglas County QB Mike Johnson threw a three-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead late in the second quarter. Johnson came back after suffering an injury in Week 1 and made some nice plays when he had the opportunity, including completing a touchdown pass.

Douglas County special teams would then come in clutch, forcing a fumble against the Cardinals best player, Jontavius Wyman on the ensuing possession. It would set up Douglas County for a chip shot field goal right before the half that gave the Tigers a 24-0 lead.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same, as Jonesboro drove deep into Douglas County territory. The Tigers would stifle the Cardinals and not allow them to get it in the endzone, taking over on downs. Not too long after, the game would be called due to multiple lightning strikes.

Now let’s take a look at some of the standout performances from the game.  

Standout Performances-

Douglas County LB Richard Dyce- Dyce was another front-seven player who made an impact and had a heck of a game on the defensive side of the ball. Dyce at least recorded double-digit tackles, and on Jonesboro’s best drive, he came up with an interception on a tipped pass to halt momentum. He is truly an underrated player who has all the tools to be successful at the next level. He reads and reacts well, flies to the ball, uses physicality, and is also an outstanding linebacker in coverage. There isn’t too much you can’t ask the senior linebacker to do without him doing it at a high level.

Douglas County EDGE Jordan Carter- The Texas A&M commit was a wrecking ball and was constantly in the backfield making plays. He had multiple tackles for loss and at least a couple of sacks in the game. His physicality was also on full display, and he did a great job of being gap discipline and being able to fill it with his 6’4 frame, often stopping running backs in their tracks. One of his best plays came on a third down when he got past the offensive lineman and gobbled up the quarterback to force a punt and stall a productive drive. As I alluded to in my post, he looks college-ready right now and could make an impact at the next level.

Texas A&M EDGE commit looks massive and already like a college player. You can tell he’s been living in the weight room pic.twitter.com/YpItr5KK7R

— Najeh Wilkins (@najehwilk) August 22, 2025

Douglas County DB KJ Green- Green was a player on the backend who was responsible for the shutout that the Tigers had on Friday night. He manned the secondary at an elite level, making tackles but also making plays on the ball, never letting Jonesboro get in a rhythm. He made a play that, in my opinion, should have counted. Green disguised the play well, not showing what he was going to do, then as soon as the quarterback pump faked, he used his speed to get to the other side of the field and made a great play on the ball. From the replay, it looked like an interception, but I will let you be the judge.

It has been an impressive night for KJ Green. Idk how this interception didn’t count but he’s been making plays all night. Bright future for the standout safety @KjGreen7k @VolsOnSI @CalebSisk_ @Dale_Dowden pic.twitter.com/TIOMh4wv20

— Najeh Wilkins (@najehwilk) August 23, 2025

Jonesboro ATH Jontavius Wyman- Despite the loss, Wyman was tough to contain on Thursday night. He was making plays on both sides of the ball, trying to give his team a chance to win the game. He also played on an island by himself against Texas A&M WR Commit Aaron Gregory. He held him to just three catches on the evening and didn’t let him go off despite his team’s struggles. With his dual effort on both ends, Wyman made his presence felt and showed that he can match up with the best the state has to offer defensively while also being a playmaker with the ball in his hands in the open field. He is truly 1 of 1.

Douglas County is a state title contender in 6A with a chance to win a state championship. Jonesboro is a standout team in 4A with the talent to make a deep playoff run this season despite the loss.