During the KFOA Media Day in July, Powell football coach Matt Lowe mentioned how much sophomore receiver Jamarius Hollingsworth reminded him of senior receiver Zi Jackson when Jackson was a sophomore.
With Jackson missing Friday’s game against Halls due to injury, Hollingsworth got his chance to show how true that comparison is.
So much so, if Hollingsworth keeps it up, he’ll be the one someone else is getting compared to in two years.
Despite a banged-up receiving group, the Panthers had no issues taking down the Red Devils 24-0 on the road to win The Battle of Emory Road.
Hollingsworth caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. His services weren’t needed as much in the second half with Powell (3-0, 1-0 Region 2-5A) taking that same 24-0 lead into halftime and focusing on running the football in the second half.
“So many similarities (between Hollingsworth and Jackson),” Lowe, who was serenaded by his team after the game a day before his 50th birthday, said.
“We saw it as a freshman, but we’ve been waiting for him to have that breakout moment. Zi, it was about Game 3, Game 4 of his sophomore year, where he displayed the type of skill set that he had.
“I think tonight we got to see flashes of what Jamarius Hollingsworth can really do, and certainly what a great person to emulate to try and be the next Dezion Jackson, because there aren’t many of those this state has ever seen.”
Hollingsworth got behind the Halls defense for a 34-yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Jaylon Benjamin to open the scoring at the 8:53 mark of the first quarter.
Hollingsworth juggled the catch three or four times, but finally secured the score.
Merron Middleton, another starting senior receiver for Powell, also missed Friday’s game due to injury.
“He (Lowe) told me in this game I was going to have to step up, and I mean I had to with both of my players out, it was my time to shine,” Hollingsworth said.
It wasn’t just in his ability to get behind the defense where Hollingsworth looked like Jackson. He caught a short pass late in the first half and used his athleticism to turn that into a 26-yard gain.
“I love working with him. That’s like a role model to me, I want to be like him one day,” Hollingsworth said about Jackson.
It wasn’t only Hollingsworth that picked up the slack. Senior Johonauan Moore, who typically plays running back, stepped into one of the starting receiver spots Friday. Moore began the game with a 37-yard catch and run, and finished with four catches and 81 yards.
“Last week it kind of threw us off a little bit, the guys weren’t used to not having Zi to lean on,” Lowe said.
“We had a great week of practice. I think between Jamarius and Dalvin Farmer, and we took our leading rusher and asked him to sacrifice and play wide receiver, and all he did was answer the bell.
“Started the game with about a 50-yard gain and got some carries later, so what an unselfish act by Johonauan Moore to be able to step up and do that.”
There was also talk going into the season that Benjamin, a transfer from Clinton, would share time at quarterback with Brodie Hollowell, who plays defensive back for the Panthers but has experience at QB.
That hasn’t really been needed with the way Benjamin has come in and played. He was banged up late in the second quarter of Friday’s game, and Hollowell played a couple of series, but Benjamin later returned.
Benjamin was appreciative of the way his receivers came through.
“They did their thing, I couldn’t ask for better help around me,” he said.
While Benjamin – who threw for 311 yards in Powell’s Week 1 win over Andreson County – already seems like a natural fit in Powell’s QB-rich history, Lowe said it took work in the offseason.
“He’s such a great learning quarterback. And me and him have been at it now. Since the day he got here, and he’s been going through practice since June, man we’ve butted some heads,” Lowe said.
“He had some old habits that I had to break. He had some things where he just wanted to throw it deep all the time, and we had to talk ‘hey man we’ve got to take it, it’s soft coverage, you have to take underneath.’
“What a great job he’s doing at this point in the season of throwing to the open receiver and letting some of those dynamic guys catch it at eight yards and show off their wiggle and their acceleration.”
Of course, it wasn’t all about the offense. The Powell defense shut out a Halls team that came in 0-2, but both losses were by one-possession, and the Red Devils (0-3, 0-1) reached the state semifinals last season.
Lowe praised the depth of his defensive front, including junior Joshua Kay, who made some big plays early on.
The biggest defensive play of the entire game came from senior linebackers Isaia Amador and Damere Askew.
Amador, who calls the defense, sacked Halls quarterback Lincoln Wilson and forced a fumble. Askew picked up the ball and took it 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 21-0 lead with 6:53 left in the first half.
Wilson did not return after the sack, with sophomore Harrison Andriopoulos finishing out the game for the Red Devils.
“What an unbelievable moment for those two young men. Both seniors, they both kind of waited their time,” Lowe said.
“Amador played a lot last year, started the majority of the year. Damere has waited his turn, his opportunity, and now all of a sudden to have that moment in this type of rivalry game, he’ll talk about that the rest of his life.”
Article written by Matthew Lutey/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code HAMMERS for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
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