It was the final home of the season, and with it came Eighth-grade night. The DeKalb Middle School Saints came ready to play, and wanted to leave the home crowd in a positive light. They were taking on the White County Warriors and would not disappoint.

The Saints won the toss and decided to get the ball first, with the Warrior squib kick downed at the Saints 49. From there, the Saints would mount a scoring drive.

Collin Donell would keep the ball on the first play, down to the White 44, then a Gavin Frazier run was good to the 41. Preston Taylor was handed the ball next, down to the 33, followed by another keeper for a first down at the 27.

Another carry by Taylor was down at the 24, then a keeper was good to the 22. On a third and four, a chop block by White County resulted in the Saints with a first down at the 11. From there, Donnell gained just one yard, and later a Frazier run was good to the five. A false start had the Saints facing a fourth and nine from the 10, and a pass to Taylor was caught in the end zone. A Donnell keep was good for two points and with 2:21 left in the first quarter the Saints were on the board, 8-0.

The Warriors would start their first drive from their own 40, and a run on their first play took them to the Saints’ 43. There things would fall apart. A keep was good to the 41, but then a false start backed them up five. A passing play was good to the 40, then a pass to Everett Temple was downed at the 22. The next play ended with a fumble and the Saints recovering at the 22.

The Saints would go into the second quarter and reach only the 36 before having to punt. White would start their next drive at their own 45, and would once again face difficulty from the Saints’ D-line. A Griffin Adams keeper was good only to the 49, then another reached the Saints 49. Adams called his own number again, reaching the 47, then a first down at the Saints 45. Another keep reached the 40, then Adams took to the air. The pass was intercepted by Donnell, down at the 29. The Saints added another take away.

The Saints would drive down to the Warrior 40, where a couple of Hayden Quarles’ passes fell incomplete as the half came to an end.

To start the second half, the Saints kicked to White County with the Warriors starting at their own 39. The possession wouldn’t last long however. On White County’s first play, a Cortez Sherrell run was fumbled, with Domminic Williamson recovering the ball at the 44. The Saints had got yet another turnover.

Despite the defense coming up with the ball one more time, the Saints’ offense just could not convert it into points. DeKalb would drive down to the 28, where an incomplete pass to Taylor had them facing fourth and 10. Quarles was in for a pass play but would end up taking a sack back at the 40.

The Warriors couldn’t get going offensively either. A run to the Saints’ 36 was called back for a hold, then a Temple run was good to the Saints’ 43. There a sack backed them up two, then a keep only made the 39. After gaining one more yard, the Warrior faced a fourth and five. They went for it with the pass play falling incomplete. The Saints took over on downs.

A couple of Donnell keepers took the Saints to the Warrior 45, where the drive would again stall. A holding call would back the Saints up with a third and 19 at the White 46. A Levi Cripps run was good to the White 49, where the Saints would punt.

This would be White’s last gasp. The punt rolled dead at the White County 14, where the Warriors got a bit of luck. A roughing call sent them up with a first down at the 39, but they wouldn’t get much more. After an incomplete, a false start backed them up five. The Saints then gave it right back with an offsides penalty. A pass play went out of bounds, then a Sherrell run netted only one yard. On a fourth and nine play a pass to Gage Walker fell incomplete and the Saints took over on downs.

It would be the last time the Warriors would see the ball. With 5:45 left in the game, it was all Donnell from then on. Seven times Donnell ran the keeper, nailing a crucial fourth and inches play with just 1:20 left on the clock. The first down allowed the Saints to run out the clock and claim the 8-0 victory.

The Saints have two more games left to play, but have already fell to third place, knocking them out of post-season play. Their final game will be Friday against Algood.