Big plays on defense were a key to the Southwest DeKalb Panthers’ 21-14 overtime victory against the No. 6 ranked Stephenson Jaguars at Hallford Stadium on Friday night.

The biggest play came with the Panthers (2-0) leading 21-14 in overtime and the Jaguars (1-1) facing a fourth and four at the Southwest nine-yard line.

Stephenson dropped to pass, but a trio of Panthers got into the backfield led by Kazin Glenn. Glenn got to Jaguars’ quarterback Joseph Jackson. Glenn’s teammates Jaquann Smith and Ethan Childs made sure the Jaguars’ quarterback went down to seal the first Panthers’ victory over the Jaguars in seven games dating back to their last win in 2004.

Southwest DeKalb opened the overtime period with a 16-yard touchdown pass on third and 11 as quarterback Rion White found Tommy Wright in the middle of the end zone for the go-ahead score. Reano Ramjag added the point after try to make the 21-14 advantage before Stephenson’s overtime possession.

The first big play on defense came in the second quarter as Glenn recovered a Stephenson fumble to halt the Jaguar’s drive to the Southwest 26.

The Panthers answered with a nine-play, 70-yard drive with Jamel Starks carrying the final eight for the score as he went to the air over a pair of Jaguar defenders into the end zone for the first score of the game with 3:25 to play in the first half. Ramjag added the point after for a 7-0 Panther lead.

Starks electrified the Panther fans to start the second half and he burst up the middle on the second half kickoff and went 90 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 Southwest lead after Ramjag’s second point after of the game.

The Panther defense would stop a long drive by the Jaguars following the kick return at their own two-yard with a fourth down stand. The Jaguars would be knocking on the door just moments later at the Panther 22 when Ahmon Spivey cut in front of a Jaguar receiver for an interception in the end zone to preserve the 14-0 lead.

Stephenson running back Deondre Jackson got the Jaguars on the board with four seconds left in the third quarter with a one-yard touchdown run. Dominic Allen added the extra point as the Jaguars cut the lead in half with just over a quarter to play.

A short punt by the Panthers set the Jaguars up at the Southwest 28-yard line. Six plays later Jackson, who was a workhorse with 32 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns, went the final seven yards and Allen was good on the kick to knot the game at 14-14 with 8:01 to play.

Neither team would really threaten to score the rest of the way.

Stephenson had won the past seven meetings between to the two teams including last year and still holds a 9-6 lead in the series.

Lithonia 24, Redan 8
The Lithonia Bulldogs built a 24-0 lead on the way to a 24-8 victory over the Redan Raiders at Godfrey Stadium to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Leading 14-0 at the half the Bulldogs kicked a field goal with four minutes left in the third quarter for a 17-0 advantage. Lithonia blocked a punt a minute later to make it 24-0.

Redan would score to make the final 24-8 in the fourth quarter. Redan fell to 0-2 on the season while Lithonia cut the Raiders’ series lead to 18-10.

Columbia 55, Towers 0
The Columbia Eagles evened their 2018 record at 1-1 winning their first rivalry matchup with the Towers Titans 55-0 at Avondale Stadium on Friday night.

Jumping to a 32-0 lead in the second quarter the Eagles rolled on to the 55-0 win. It was the 28th meeting between the two schools that border each other and the win pulled Columbia within 13-14-1 in the series.

DCSD FOOTBALL WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
Thursday, Aug. 23
Decatur (1-1) 17, Miller Grove (1-1) 12
Friday, Aug. 24
ADAMS STADIUM
South Atlanta (1-1) 35, Druid Hills (1-1) 10

AVONDALE STADIUM
Columbia (1-1) 55, Towers (0-2) 0

GODFREY STADIUM
Lithonia (2-0) 24, Redan (0-2) 8

HALLFORD STADIUM
North Springs (1-1) 54, Clarkston (0-2) 0
SW DeKalb (2-0) 21, Stephenson (1-1) 14

NORTH DEKALB STADIUM
Social Circle (1-0) 31, Stone Mountain (0-2) 0

AWAY/NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
Stockbridge (1-0) 34, Arabia Mountain (1-1) 22
Lowndes Co. (2-0) 62, Chamblee (0-2) 0
Berkmar (1-0) 44, Cross Keys (0-2) 0
St. Pius X (1-1) 45, Dunwoody (0-1) 21
Northview (1-0) 41, Lakeside (1-1) 0
Villa Rica (1-1) 28, M.L. King Jr. (0-1) 19

Saturday, Aug. 25
AWAY/NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
Cedar Grove (2-0) 34, Hewitt-Trussville AL (0-1) 30
Grayson (1-0) 48, Tucker (0-2) 7

OPEN: McNair (1-0)