Jefferson rallied back after trailing by 29 points at the half, but it would not be enough as The King's Academy powered its way to a 49-25 victory in the regular-season finale, despite not having the services of standout sophomore quarterback Michael Johnson, Jr..
Demonte Aleem scored twice in the first quarter for TKA, who built a 21-6 lead after the first 12 minutes. Jefferson got on the board via a Roshawn Livingston rushing touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
In the last two minutes of the first quarter, Kings was able to put seven more points on the scoreboard with an astounding pass from Chris Boccignone to Tyler Farnham at 1:38.
Aleem's third score of the night highlighted the second quarter for the Knights, who led 35-6 at the break.
Jefferson bounced back with a pair of scores in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 35-19, but Aleem's fourth and fifth touchdown runs put the game away for TKA. He finished the game with 17 carries for 253 yards.
"We lost focus a bit in the third quarter," said King's Academy coach Michael Johnson. "But overall, I'm definitely proud of our effort.
Despite the loss, things were also positive on the Jefferson sideline.
"I'm very happy with out team continued to fight back," said Jefferson coach Will Maddox. "We played hard in order to win the second half. We can't wait to see what the future will bring for this program."
The King's Academy now heads into the CCS playoffs, while Jefferson finished 5-5 for the season.
