The DeKalb County Tigers football team was on the field one last time during preseason, taking part in Watertown’s Football Jamboree, and breaking in the new school’s wonderful new field and facilities. During the event, the junior varsity played two quarters, then the varsity team played two quarters.
In the JV game, the ball went back and forth through the first quarter of play. Watertown took possession first, but the DeKalb defense held strong getting a three-and-out.
DeKalb’s first possession was shaky, with the first play from the DeKalb 48 a fumbled snap recovered by QB Tyler Cantrell, followed by an incomplete pass to Taylor Lee. Then Cantrell kept the ball with a run to the Watertown 40. A holding penalty, a Logan Keen fumble, and a sack backed DeKalb up to the DeKalb 44. Keen had a run to the Watertown 45, but facing a fourth and 15 DeKalb had to punt.
The Purple Tigers took possession at their own 19, and mounted a drive that looked to threaten the black and gold. Through ten plays, Watertown pushed to the DeKalb 38-yard-line where the drive stalled. Facing a fourth and five, Watertown went for it, but it was not enough. DeKalb took over at their own 35. The Black and Gold Tigers would then go three-and-out before putting as the quarter came to an end.
Watertown started the second quarter with the ball on their own 31, but the DeKalb D held them to a three-and-out. The punt gave DeKalb the ball on their own 36, but DeKalb would waste no more time. The next play was a run by Colton Seifert to the 40. Next, Cantrell let loose a throw to Bradley Miller that took him to the end zone. The extra point was good and DeKalb was on the board, 7-0 with 9:39 left to play.
Next, Watertown countered, mounting their own scoring drive. Starting from their own 20, the Purple Tigers pushed nine plays to the five yard line. There, on a first and goal, Watertown powered their way in with a run for a touchdown. A fumbled snap on the extra point ended with the attempt no good, and DeKalb was still on top, 7-6, with 5:35 left to play.
Not to be outdone, DeKalb came right back at them. Starting from their own 30, the Tigers kept to the ground. On the legs of Keen, Seifert, and Jesse Smith, the Tigers pounded their way down to the one-yard-line in six plays. There, the ball was handed to Seifert, who pounded his way in for six. The extra point was good, and DeKalb was up, 14-6, with 1:31 left on the clock.
Watertown would not go quietly however, as their next possession had them in the end zone after only two plays. A long run by the Purple Tigers from their own 30, broke loose for six. A pass for two points to tie the game was incomplete, but Watertown pulled close, 14-12.
Watertown threatened again on DeKalb’s next possession after the ball was intercepted at the DeKalb 48. The Purple Tigers would get one first down, then stall after a pass to the 43. The defense would hold as the clock ticked down. A run for no gain, then a last-gasp pass on fourth down fell incomplete. DeKalb took over with 4 seconds left in play, taking the 14-12 win.
Next the varsity players took to the field, getting in one more practice before the regular season begins.
DeKalb took the first possession at their own 33-yard-line, and mostly off of Quarterback Steven Jennings’ arm, was able to push down to the Watertown 35. There, the drive stalled with an incomplete pass to Jonathon Munoz, a sack, and another incomplete. Facing a fourth and 20 from the 45, DeKalb had to punt.
The D-line was out for the first time and held strong. Watertown went three-and-out and lost nine yards in the process. With a fourth and 19, backed up to their own nine, Watertown punted.
DeKalb recovered the punt and started their next drive from their own 46. A second down pass to Luke Boss gave the Tigers a first down in Watertown territory, on the 46. A pass to Aaron Patterson kept the drive moving, taking them to the 32. It looked as if DeKalb had control of the game, but two plays later Watertown came away with a Jennings interception.
The celebration would be short-lived however, as the very next play Watertown fumbled the ball, with DeKalb recovering on the DeKalb 47. The Tigers would not be able to cash in on their good fortune however, going three-and-out and being forced to punt.
Watertown drove down the field in nine plays, taking the ball to the DeKalb 36 yard line. But faced with a fourth and 14 from the DeKalb 42, the Purple Tigers went for it. The pass play was broken up, and DeKalb took over on downs as the first quarter came to a close.
The second quarter started with a mix of the air and the running game for the Tigers. Boss pounded the ground, while Jennings connected with Jonathon Munoz for a 19-yard pass, and then an Aaron Patterson connection to put them on the two yard line. There, the Tigers had a run for no gain, an incomplete pass, and another run to put them on the one inch line. With a fourth and goal, Jennings kept the ball and powered his way in for six points. The extra point by Matthew Poss was good and the Tigers were on the board, 7-0, with 8:45 left to play.
On Watertown’s next possession, an illegal motion penalty put them in a hole on first down. With a first and 15 on their own 25 a run took them to the 34. Then, a fumbled snap and an incomplete pass killed the rest of the drive.
DeKalb fielded the ball at their own 43, then, on second down, a completion to Patterson to the 50 also drew a personal foul, moving the ball to the Watertown 35. A quarterback keeper got the Tigers down to the 24, but a holding penalty pushed them back to a first and 20 on the 34. DeKalb drove back down to the 29 before facing a fourth down and attempting a long field goal. The try was short, and Watertown took over the ball.
Watertown had managed to keep the Tigers from getting points, and now they would mount a drive of their own. Keeping to the ground game and starting from their 20, the Purple Tigers went eight plays to the DeKalb four yard line. There, Watertown pounded it in for a touchdown. With the extra point, the game was tied 7-7 with 1:58 left to play.
DeKalb’s next drive started on their 30, and right off the bat a pass to Munoz put them up to the 45. Jennings was sacked the next play, putting the Tigers down to a second and 19 at the 36, but another personal foul penalty against Watertown gave DeKalb a second and four at the 49. A pass to Munoz kept the ball moving to the Watertown 42, then another pass, this time to A.J. Mooneyham moved the Tigers to the 35.
Time on the clock was running down, but a pass to Munoz kept the drive going, taking the team to the 24. A pass by Patterson pushed to the 17, then another to Munoz put the Tigers on the 13 with just six seconds on the clock. The game was up to Tigers Kicker Matthew Poss. The kick was up, and right through the middle, giving DeKalb the 10-7 victory.
Tigers Head Coach Steve Trapp told the Review he was happy with the performance of both JV and varsity. "I was happy for those guys [JV] getting their first high school hook up there with the touchdown pass. Those guys are still learning. It’s a working process for them. It’s a good group of guys. It’s good to have a jamboree atmosphere like this so they can get out there and get some live reps, and get to start the game. I think that’s a little different and makes it special. I’m happy for those guys, that they eeked out a win right there, and some of those guys got their first career touchdowns in high school, so that’s special."
When asked about the varsity play, Trapp said he wants to see more intensity out of his players. "We had a lot of good things happened, and then something would stall us. We had a turnover there early on our second drive, and things like that. We saw a lot of good things, but we’ve got to up our intensity level and be a little bit more physical. Things like that."
Trapp said that the jamboree was good practice, but his team is still not showing all of their cards. "We were still somewhat vanilla in the jamboree. We called some more of our stuff, but everybody’s still got work to do. We’ve got a lot of cards there to show."
The Tigers will be facing Warren County this Friday in their season opener at home, and Coach Trapp said the team will be ready. "It’s an exciting rivalry … a border rivalry. They’ve improved a lot … a new head coach. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but we’re going to work."
Game time this Friday will be at 7 p.m.
