MARIETTA - In a spirited squabble involving neighborhood rivals before an overflow crowd at Jim Frazier Stadium on Friday night, homestanding Sprayberry was credited with the moral victory. Quickly escaping to the buses, relieved Lassiter graciously accepted the actual one, 14-7, in the season opener for both teams.

Dealing with first-game jitters (17 total penalties, seven fumbles and several dropped passes), the visiting Trojans seemed en route to an upset defeat until producing a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns by freshman running back Tyren Jones, the game-winner with only 28 seconds left to play.

"No, that's not quite the game plan we had," said Lassiter coach Chip Lindsey, who was nonetheless satisfied with the ragged, stop-and-go-backward outcome. "And you have to give Sprayberry all the credit for that. They outplayed us for almost the entire game, and we were fortunate to get something to work in the fourth quarter."

Lassiter senior quarterback Hutson Mason misfired most of the night while being hassled by the Jackets' pressure defense.

His numbers were rather pedestrian in his debut: 16 completions among 30 attempts for 179 yards. He had one interception, snagged by the Jackets' Terrell Brownridge in the end zone to bring an end to the Trojans' first drive. Brownridge's 65-yard return (shortened 40 yards by a penalty) provided a clue that the evening would be a long one for the visitors.

Mason did piece together a seven-play drive covering 46 yards, ending it with a dumpoff pass to Jones that transformed into a 17-yard touchdown scamper and equalized the score at 7.

With the game clock fading away, Mason guided the Trojans 61 yards in five plays, with Jones thumping into the end zone from 2 yards out. A 46-yard run by Trey Graham was the key play in that drive.

"We made too many mistakes and took too many penalties, but that's all part of having a very young offense," said Lindsey. "The good part is that we have nine weeks to get better."

While the offense sputtered most of the night, the Trojans' defense was mostly solid, led by senior linebacker Rip Rowan, who made numerous tackles and clogged up the Jackets' running lanes, turning ball carriers into the arms of teammates.

"That was just another big night for Rip," said Lindsey. "He's one of those six or seven starters we have back on defense that have to carry the load until the offense sorts itself out."

The Jackets managed only 38 yards total offense in the first half, and after taking a 7-0 lead in the third quarter, the Jackets did not make another first down the rest of the game.

Providing the Jackets' points was quarterback Jerick McKinnon's 17-yard floater into the right corner of the end zone, where P.J. Stone made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch.

"We played hard enough to win this game," said Sprayberry coach Billy Shackelford. "We played well all the way through, and Lassiter ended up being 30 seconds better than we were (Friday)."

For the Jackets, punter Paul Bailey provided field position throughout, averaging 44.2 yards for his half-dozen punts, including one under pressure after a high snap, one of several by the Jackets during the game.

Both coaches will be working on reducing mistakes and penalties. The Trojans had 96 yards on eight penalties, and the Jackets had nine for 80 yards.

The Jackets also had five fumbles.