The DeKalb County High School football team traveled to Carthage, determined to upset the eighth ranked Smith County Owls and ruin the night on the Owls' Homecoming. But as fate would have it, the Tigers fell short with a 50-30 loss.
The final score was not an indication of how close the game actually was, with Smith County pulling away only in the waning moments of the game.
The Tigers won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. With the Owls beginning the game on offense at their own 40-yard line, they struck first.
On just the third play of the drive, Owls' QB Gage Scurlock rambled 46 yards on a quarterback sweep to score the games’ first touchdown. The PAT was good and with 10:29 left in the first quarter, the Owls led 7-0.
The kick-off sailed out of bounds and so the Tigers began their first drive from their own 35-yard line. After the Tigers were unable to convert a third down, the ball was punted away.
The Owl punt returner dropped the punt by Zach Taylor, and the football was recovered by the Tigers on the Smith County 34-yard line.
On the next play, Junior Tiger Tailback Cody Puckett took a pitch from QB Lucas Phillips and ran around the left side then pulled up and launched a pass to a wide-open Will Molander. Molander pulled in the pass and raced down to the 1-yard line before being caught from behind.
Taylor punched in the football for DeKalb's first score. Taylor's PAT was good and with 8:23 remaining, the Tigers and Owls were knotted up at 7-7.
The Owls next drive ended after just three plays. On fourth down, Smith County was forced to punt.
Starting their second drive on their own 39-yard line, the Tigers moved the football well against the Owl defense. The Tiger drive was a 7-play, 61-yard march that was led by a 31-yard run by RB Dylan Freeney.
Cody Puckett's 2-yard touchdown run capped the go ahead drive for the Tigers. Taylor's PAT was good, and with 4:14 left in the first quarter, the Tiger squad took the lead 14-7.
The Owls responded with an 8-play, 77-yard scoring drive of their own that tied the game at 14.
Once again, the Tigers' offense came out and moved the ball down the field. Puckett's 6yard plunge into the end zone put the Tigers ahead yet once more with a score of 21-14.
The Tiger defense could not stop the Owls, as Smith County scored for the third time in the first half. The 8-play, 87-yard drive was capped off with a 38-yard gallop by Owl Tailback Jameson Stevenson, tying the game at 21 a piece. The two teams slowed down at that point and did not score again in the first half.
The Tigers started the third quarter with the football but had to punt on the fourth play of the drive.
On the Owls first play, the offense coughed up the ball as Eli Gill hit the center and shoved him back into the ball carrier causing the fumble. The Tigers pounced on the ball and started their drive on the Owls 34-yard line.
Ten plays later, the Tigers pulled ahead with a 25-yaard field goal by Zach Taylor to give the Tigers the lead 24-12. This left 5:13 remaining in the third quarter.
During the ensuing kick-off, Taylor's kick sailed to the Owls 6-yard line, where Smith County return man, Jalen Manning, gained momentum back for his team as he fielded the kick and streaked to the Tigers 29-yard line.
Three plays later, the Owls were back on top. QB Scurlock sliced through the Tiger defense for a 20-yard touchdown run to put the Owls ahead 28-24.
Trailing for the second time in the game, the Tiger offense came onto the field needing a score. However, on third down and five yards to go for a first down, QB Lucas Phillips pass was intercepted and returned to the Tigers' 35-yard line.
On the Owls second play, RB Stevenson ran for a 25-yard touchdown and with the good PAT, thus extending their lead to 35-24. 1:26 remained on the clock in the third quarter.
The Tigers were not going to give up. With their next possession, the team from Smithville drove down the field with a 9-play, 76-yard drive that was ended with a 33-yad TD pass from Lucas Phillips to Will Molander. This play pulled the Tigers back within five points.
With the lead 35-30 and the football on their own 26-yard line, the Owls offense ripped DeKalb's defense for runs of 14-yards, 37-yards, and was capped by a 28-yard touchdown run by Scurlock. With only 6:20 remaining in the game, the Owls extended their lead 43-30.
DeKalb's next possession started at their own 38-yard line. On first down, QB Lucas Phillips completed a pretty 44-yard pass to WR Will Molander, taking the ball to the Smith County 18-yard line.
On the next play, Phillips scrambled and found wide-open WR Jacob Parsley in the end zone. However, Parsley was unable to hold onto the pass. Three plays later, the Tigers had a fourth down and five attempt but Phillips pass to Molander in the end zone was over thrown.
The Owls took possession of the football on the Tigers 13-yard line. On the drives second play, Owl TB Jalen Manning, took the hand off from Scurlock and then dropped the ball. However, Manning picked the ball up and scampered 83-yards to the end zone, smashing all hoped of an upset for the Tigers. With 3:01 remaining in the game, the Owls led 50-30.
The Owls went on to win the huge district match-up and extended their record to 5-0. The final score was 50-30.