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FAYETTE — For a change, Jefferson County High School’s electrifying defense did not lead the Tigers to victory. Instead, it was their defense that rose to the occasion in a 36-12 win over the rival Port Gibson High School Blue Waves last Friday night in the MHAA Region 7-3A opener for both teams.

Deanthony Miller picked off a pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. Jamari Tenner, who started the scoring for Jefferson County with a 15-yard TD run, ran in for the two-point conversion after Miller’s pick-six for that gave the Tigers a 14-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Senior Royale Shelvy scored both touchdowns for the Tigers in the second quarter. First, he scored on a 10-yard run and his two-point conversion pass to Jadavis Galtney made it a 22-6 game. Then with Port Gibson (3-3, 0-1) driving down the field for a potential touchdown, Shelvy picked off a pass and ran it back 90 yards for a touchdown. His two-point conversion pass to Jakobe Brown gave Jefferson County a commanding 30-6 halftime lead.

“Tonight was a big night for the defense,” Tigers head coach Roderick Holmes said. “Jermall Williams had 11 tackles, one interception, and one sack. Defense played great all night.”

The Tigers’ third and final defensive score came in the third quarter when Gariyon Bailey recovered a fumble and returned it 70 yards to make it a 36-6 game in favor of the Tigers. The Blue Waves scored a touchdown later on in the second half.

“First half, we were clicking on all cylinders. Second half, we slowed down a little bit. A few mistakes on offense. The guys were able to match the level of their intensity from time to time,” Holmes said. “At times, we played down to the opponent. But all in all, we were able to get a key win.”

Jefferson County (4-2, 1-0) plays at Region 7-3A rival Franklin County High School next Friday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs fell on the road to South Pike High School 50-6 in the region opener for both teams last Friday night.