By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com 

Editor’s note: Feel free to contribute Alumni Updates. Information needed: player’s name, high school, college, sport, current academic/eligibility year, and any stats and info. Email to centralgasports@gmail.com.

          Kentucky is getting its money’s worth out of a shorter-than-preferred “three-star” pick from West Laurens.

          D’Eryk Jackson has delivered, and gets another chance to do so on a big stage Saturday night when the Wildcats take on top-ranked Georgia.

          In addition to named to three SEC honor rolls so far, Jackson has been durable in his three-plus seasons in Lexington.

          Jackson is third on the defense with 24 tackles, and has a sack and two tackles for loss, plus an interception. He led the Wildcats last year with 67 tackles, and was fifth with four tackles for loss.

          He brought some of the toughness that’s been part of West Laurens’ defenses the past decade or so. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in April of 2021 and had surgery two days later. Instead of missing the whole season he returned to practice in late October and ended up with 18 tackles in four games, getting seven in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa.

          In last year’s 16-6 loss to No. 1 Georgia, he had eight tackles.

 🏈⚾ 🏈⚾

          Austin Cox’s baseball season ended in early September with an ACL injury, followed by surgery, but it was a good year for the FPD grad and former Mercer pitcher.

          He pitched in 24 games and started three in the majors, going 0-1 with a 4.54 ERA, 33 strikeouts and 17 walks in 35.2 innings, and only two homers. But his season ended in early September with what was initially diagnosed as a strained knee, only to turn out to be an ACL. He had surgery few days later.

          Opponents hit only .220. In 12 games at Class AAA Omaha, he was 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA, 39 strikeouts and 21 walks in 47.1 innings, an OBA of 2.63. …

          Jalon Kilgore (Putnam County) was good for 13 solo tackles, 3 assists, an interception and pass breakup in South Carolina’s loss to Tennessee. He was the Gameoccks’ highest-graded defender by Pro Football Focus. He leads South Carolina with 42 tackles, adding one of USC’s four interceptions. …

          Pitcher Jaden Woods (Houston County) made his pro baseball debut this summer after being picked in the seventh round by Pittsburgh, went 0-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 appearances out of the pen, with 21 strikeouts and three walks in 14.1 innings.

          Donovan Duncan (Tattnall) came up big in relief for Division III Capital (Ohio) last weekend. The true freshman entered the game against Otterbein with the Cornets down 28-14, and led the way to a 35-31 win to end a 17-game losing streak. He finished 8 of 16 for 144 yards, including the game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds left. …

          Pitcher Tony Locey (Houston County) is looking for his next team, having been released in early August by the Tampa Bay organization. He was 3-0 (4.74 ERA, 1 save, 19.1 IP) in 2023 for Bowling Green in the South Atlantic League.

          The third-round pick by St. Louis in 2019 pitched in 79 games, and is 13-8 with a 5.09 ERA, 221 strikeouts and 129 walks in 203.1 innings in four minor-league seasons, mostly in Rookie or Class A ball. He went 2-5 with a 12.11 ERA with Class AA Hartford. …

          Former No. 1 pick Travon Walker (Upson-Lee) had two tackles and a sack in Jacksonville’s win over Atlanta in London. The Falcons’ Bud Dupree (Wilkinson County) was in on four tackles, and had half a sack. He’s 12th on the team with 10 tackles. …

          Northeast grad Johnnie Williams IV graded among the top 10 offensive linemen at West Virginia through the first five games, with a 60.1 rating, according to Pro Football Focus. He is a true freshman, helping WVU to a 4-1 start.

          Teammate Keyshawn Cobb, a Peach County grad on his fourth college team, didn’t grade so well in the secondary, at 29.7.