Here are five things to know when the Covington Chargers host Wooddale tonight at 7 in a Class 3A state playoff quarterfinal game:
- The winner of tonight’s game will play in the state semifinals on the road next week against the Pearl-Cohn/Giles County winner. Covington famously won a semifinal game two years ago at Pearl-Cohn thanks to a late comeback and last-second field goal. Giles County knocked off Stratford, which Covington beat in last year’s semifinal game, last week.
- If the Chargers win tonight, they will make some history. Covington, which played in the state title game the last two seasons, has never made it to the state semifinals three straight seasons.
- The Charger defense will certainly be keeping an eye on numbers 1 and 2 for Wooddale. Senior quarterback John Jones (1) is averaging 150 yards passing per game (sixth in Shelby-Metro) and has thrown for 20 touchdowns, which ranks second. Junior Charles Jones (2), the quarterback’s younger brother, ran for 190 yards on 13 carries in a round one win vs. Westview. Wideout Kylan Grant (No. 8) has 673 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season, both of which rank second in the area.
- Covington’s rushing offense is averaging 285 yards per game, which ranks first in the Shelby-Metro area. The Charger defense is allowing just 135 yards per game, which ranks fifth.
- Charger junior Marcus Hayes rushed for 1,088 yards during the regular season, but he missed both playoff games with an injury. Covington head coach J.R. Kirby said Hayes is not 100 percent and would only be used tonight in an “emergency situation.” Andrew Scott, Jalen Fayne and Jamarion Dowell have picked up the slack admirably, combining for 1,773 rushing yards this season.
Author: Jeff Ireland
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