FAYETTE — Jefferson County quarterback Monroe Barnes had a night to remember against Trinity Episcopal Friday night.

Barnes led the Tigers back from a 17-14 deficit with 6:30 left in the game by throwing two touchdown passes in the final five minutes to give the Tigers a 28-17 win. He finished the night with three touchdowns on 15-25 passing for 199 yards.

“We just put the ball in the hands of our senior quarterback, and he played like a senior,” Jefferson County head coach James Herrington said.

Trinity running back Tip McKenzie gave the Saints a three-point lead on a 72-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.

Barnes answered with a 5-yard touchdown strike to Kendrick Smith to make the score 22-17. The Tigers then forced Trinity to turn the ball over on downs, and three plays later, Barnes found Devin Johnson all alone in the end zone for a 17-yard score that sealed the 11-point win for Jefferson County.

“(This win) was very big to let people know who we were,” Barnes said.

Barnes said that his team kept believing even when they fell behind in the fourth quarter.

“We just had to keep our heads up,” he said. “We saw the coaches had confidence in us, and that’s all we needed.”

The Saints had issues with players coming down with cramps the entire game, and at times the Saints were without many of their top weapons on offense.

“We are in great shape,” Trinity head coach David King said. “Having to go both ways took its toll.

“We got beat by a better football team. We won’t see anybody as athletic as that bunch. That’s why we said yes when they called us to play.”

Both teams went back and forth the entire game until Jefferson County wore Trinity down in the fourth quarter.

Trinity started the scoring in the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Scott Turner to Tanner Cage. After McKenzie scored the two-point conversion, the Saints led 8-0.

Jefferson County answered right back on the kickoff when Jerry Nichols took the return 79 yards for a score. The Tigers two-point conversion was good, and the teams were tied 8-8 at the half.

With the Trinity offense struggling in the third quarter, the special teams made a play to put points on the board for the Saints.

Linebacker Frazier Hogan tackled Johnson for a safety on a punt attempt to put the Saints up by two.

Jefferson County made the score 14-10 with a 25-yard strike from Barnes to Nazarius King with 8:27 left in the fourth quarter.

Trinity scored on the ensuing possession on McKenzie’s 72-yard run.

Barnes brought his team back from behind a third time with his touchdown pass to Smith, and finished the game with his strike to Johnson.

“We just worked hard, and everybody stayed calm,” Barnes said.

King said despite the loss, he was glad to be a part of such a good game.

“It was a great high school atmosphere,” he said.

Jefferson County will take its 1-0 record to Natchez High School next week, while Trinity travels to play Centreville.