JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It was a night made for mud and grit as the Raines Vikings fought off the Madison County Cowboys 27-14 in a rain-soaked battle at The Graveyard on Friday. With constant rain, mist, and haze blanketing the field, both teams had to fight not just each other—but the elements too.
The wet conditions set the tone early. On the opening kickoff, Madison County silenced the Raines crowd when Jhy Smith took it back to the house, giving the Cowboys a 6-0 lead. From there, things went sideways for Raines. Dropped passes, fumbled snaps, and even a missed field goal plagued the Vikings’ usually high-powered offense.
Even when it looked like Raines had turned the tide—after Shareef Jackson returned a punt for a touchdown—penalties wiped the score off the board. For the first time all season, Raines found itself rattled by sloppy play and a relentless Cowboys defense.
Led by Georgia Tech commit LJ Crumity, who was everywhere in the first half. Crumity made several stops in the backfield and even appeared to snag an interception before offsetting penalties erased the turnover…