Jordan came right back, driving 52 yards for a score. On first-and-goal from the 7, Cook saw his receivers covered, so he took off running. At the 2, the ball was knocked free and rolled into the end zone, where guard Tyler Larsen fell on it for the touchdown. That cut Valdosta’s lead to 16-14 at the half.

Late in the third quarter, a low snap on a punt helped Valdosta take over at the Jordan 27. A holding penalty drove the Wildcats back to the 36, but a 14-yard pass by Turner to Arnold and an offsides penalty on fourth down enabled the Wildcats to move the chains. On the next play, Vashun Johnson took the handoff, went left, found an opening, and dashed 17 yards for the touchdown. Lawrence Clagett’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 23-14 lead.

But after Valdosta turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, Jordan responded with a long drive, going 73 yards in nine plays. Cook completed passes of 10 yards to Cody Raymond, 30 yards to Carter and 15 to Raymond. Then, facing third-and-10 from the Wildcat 21, Cook threw for Raymond, who was cutting across the field. The All-State receiver hauled in the pass for the touchdown, making it 23-21.

“Jordan’s a real talented team. They can throw and catch about as well as anybody I’ve seen recently,” Tomberlin said. “That No. 31 (Raymond) is a great football player.”

Valdosta’s drive stalled, then a shanked punt gave the Beetdiggers the ball at the VHS 40. They drove to the 17. But Blaisdell’s 34-yard field goal attempt hooked wide left, and the Wildcats maintained the lead. Jordan forced another three-and-out, setting up its final possession. But Weatherspoon stepped up for the Wildcats, and his interception sealed the victory.

“We won ugly, we made a lot of mistakes. But at times, I thought we were dominant,” Tomberlin said. “We had three scoring opportunities we blew. But we won. How many teams didn’t win this week? We’ve got to feel good about that.”

For Valdosta, Turner was 4-for-10 for 45 yards, while White gained 31 yards on four carries.

Cook put the ball in the air a lot, completing 18-of-38 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Raymond caught eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.