The DeKalb County Tigers were on the prowl for a district win Friday to get to the postseason but the visiting Macon County Tigers had other plans as they scored early and often, defeating DeKalb 62-34 at VanHooser Field on Senior Night.
“We’re consistent in our inconsistency,” said DeKalb County Head Football Coach Steve Trapp. “Macon’s QB was a deal-breaker. We didn’t make plays and it was all the way around.
“We played hard but we gave up the big plays in the secondary,” Trapp said. “Now we’re facing a week off to heal and we’ve got some work to do and are going to get to work early to get ready for the Cumberland game. It’s the last game of the year and we’ve got to win to get into the postseason so we’re going to approach it like a playoff game because for us it is.”
Macon’s QB, 6-foot-1 205-pound senior Seth Carlisle, was a force to be reckoned with in all four quarters as was RB Noah Likens. Likens – at 5-foot-7 and 152 pounds – was a nimble, second-effort runner who bounced off tackles and disappeared in the crowd to pop out the other side for big gains.
Macon scored on its first possession on a third-and-5 on their own 47-yard line, Carlisle hustled 53 yards with the keeper he would use all night against DeKalb for a 6-0 lead after missing the PAT with 9:56 left to play in the first.
Less than a minute later, Macon extended the lead with a pick-six by Chris Oliver who made a good read on DeKalb’s first play of the game on first-and-10, dashing 25 yards into the end zone. After a good PAT Macon held a 13-0 advantage.
Both teams went three-and-out on their next two possessions, but Macon lost the ball after a bad snap on its punt attempt and Paxton Butler recovered the rock for DeKalb on Macon’s 20-yard line. DeKalb’s Tigers moved the ball to first-and-goal on the 1-yard line and Jesse Smith punched it in for the score, followed by a good PAT by Andrew Fuson closing the gap to 13-7 with 6:38 left in the first.
Macon County didn’t take long to score again, however, as on second-and-9 on their own 21-yard line Carlisle found freshman receiver Ethan Jennings who went 79 yards for a touchdown and a good PAT made it 20-7 at 5:42 in the first.
On Macon’s next possession, they moved up and down the field in a series of gains and penalties resulting in a turnover after Braxton Linder intercepted Carlisle. DeKalb gained possession on its own 2-yard line only to be caught with a safety after Macon sacked Cantrell in the end zone for a 22-7 lead.
Macon kept up the pressure into the second quarter as Carlisle connected with Oliver for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Missing the PAT the Macon Tigers moved to 28-7 with 10:07 left before the half.
DeKalb moved to its passing game and closed the gap to 28-14 after a 5-yard TD pass from Cantrell to Linder and a good PAT by Fuson.
Macon wouldn’t be fazed, and scored 14 unanswered points before the break on a 3-yard TD run by Likens and a 29-yard TD pass from Carlisle to Oliver. Making good on both PATs, Macon held a 42-14 lead at halftime.
Not sitting on its lead, Macon scored after DeKalb turned the ball over on an interception on another keeper by Carlisle, who ran for a 60-yard touchdown followed by a good PAT, making it 48-14 with 9:40 left in the third.
DeKalb gained good field position after a personal foul by Macon placed them in a first-and-goal situation and Cantrell found Grayson Redmon for the TD and Fuson’s successful PAT made it 48-21.
Macon wouldn’t let DeKalb come up for air, and scored on its next drive on another TD pass from Carlisle to Oliver and a successful 2-point conversion when Carlisle connected with receiver Michael Caery giving them a 56-21 cushion.
The DeKalb Tigers, still fighting, scored off an 11-yard TD pass from Cantrell to Butler and Fuson made it 56-28 ballgame with a good PAT with 6:38 remaining in the contest.
The DeKalb County defense forced Macon into a three-and-out, giving the Tiger offense a chance to tack on another score with a TD pass from Cantrell to senior Christian Ferrell, tightening the gap to 56-34 after failing to convert the PAT with 3:45 remaining.
Macon scored the final goal of the night with 1:13 left on the clock from a 44-yard TD run by Likens.
DeKalb County (2-7, 0-3) is on bye this week, with one more opportunity to secure a postseason berth with an away game in Cumberland County on Friday, Oct. 27.