The DeKalb County Football Tigers had faced adversity all year. The season was a struggle at times, and the Tigers finished the season having to win their final three games just to advance to postseason play. The team stepped up, and moved into the playoffs for a record fourth straight year, but getting to the playoffs was one thing, winning a playoff game is another.

Everyone knew the first round of the 4A State Play-offs would be a battle for DeKalb … traveling to Signal Mountain to take on a tough unknown opponent. The Tigers had been systematically decimated by injuries all through the year, including one of its key receivers, Aaron Patterson, in the final game of the regular season.

The Signal Mountain Eagles, on the other hand, was a powerhouse team with several college-bound players, a few of which that have committed to SEC teams. It had already been pitted as a David versus Goliath type game, but the Tigers had come to play and give it all that they had.

It was a perfect night for football. A full moon rose into a clear and cold fall evening, and many fans had made the winding journey to the outskirts of Chattanooga to support their home team.

The Eagles would receive to start the game, returning the kickoff to the Signal Mountain 26. From there, the team hit the Tigers hard with a ground attack, quickly running the ball eight plays down the field. Signal Mountain moved four plays, with three first downs, to their own 48. Then a Kaleb Menzel run broke loose, setting them up at the Tigers’ 17. In the red zone, a third and three run by Hunter Vandyken gave the Eagles a first down at the four-yard-line. It would be Menzel on the next carry, in for a touchdown. The extra point was good, and Signal Mountain took the lead, 7-0 with 9:20 left in the first quarter.

DeKalb’s opening drive would not be as fortunate. The kickoff resulted in the Tigers starting at their own 11-yard-line, and on the first play a pass to Matthew Poss was broken up. A quarterback run by Steven Jennings netted one yard on the next play, then a pass to Luke Boss took the ball only to the 16. The Tigers would be forced to punt.

The punt return set the Eagles up for a quick strike, returning the ball to the DeKalb 27. On the next play, a Jack Teter pass was good to Christopher Moore who was in for six. With the extra point, the Eagles were up 14-0 with 7:37 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers’ next possession showed a little more promise, with the team moving to midfield. On the kickoff, Poss returned to the DeKalb 34. From there, on a third and 10, a Jennings pass to Poss was good to the 47. Another pass, this time to Christian Pruitt, took them into Eagle territory at the 48, but that is where the drive stalled. Another pass fell incomplete, then a keeper resulted in no gain. The Tigers were again forced to punt.

The punt by Poss gave the Eagles the ball at their own 18, but it wouldn’t be long before Signal Mountain was back in the end zone. A run by Menzel was good to the 22, then he was handed the ball again for a 77-yard sprint, falling only to a shoestring tackle by Jonathon Munoz at the DeKalb three-yard-line. Two plays later, the ball was handed to running back Nathan Johnson, who powered his way in for a touchdown. With 4:03 left in the first quarter, the Eagles were up 21-0.

Poss returned the kickoff to the Tiger 20, and from there a third and 10 pass to Luke Boss gave DeKalb a first down at the 30. A keeper took the ball to the 33, then an option play to Boss was good to the 40, but a holding penalty called the play back to the 26. Two incomplete passes later DeKalb had to punt again.

The Eagles were relentless, returning the punt to their own 38. The next play, a pass to Christopher Moore, put six more points on the board. With the extra point, the Eagles lead increased 28-0, with 1:51 left in the first quarter.

DeKalb returned the kickoff to their own 27, then gave the ball to Boss for three runs. He would only manage to get to the 34, and as the second quarter began, the Tigers would once again punt.

Starting at their own 41, the Eagles would strike once more. A second down run by Vandyken took the ball to the Tigers’ 31, but there the Eagles would be backed up by penalties. Holding and illegal formation flags had Signal Mountain backed up with a second and 24 at the DeKalb 45, but a Johnson carry broke loose to the one-yard-line. The next play, a run by Taddarius Hodge, was into the end zone. The extra point was good, and with 10:22 left in the half the Eagles were up 35-0.

The Tigers started their next possession at their own 19, and looked as if they might have found some life on offense. A third down pass to Pruitt was good to the 27-yard-line, but then a penalty backed the Tigers up to the 17. On a second and 20, a Jennings pass to Munoz was complete to the 38 for a first down. From there, a second down pass to Dalton Halfmann was good into Eagles territory at the 38. That is where a miscue stopped the drive.

A first down pass to Boss went out-of-bounds, then a pass to Isaiah Jones was almost intercepted. The next play, a Jennings keeper, resulted in a fumble with Signal Mountain recovering at the 38-yard-line.

The Tigers’ defense was once again on the field, and looked as if they might finally get a stop. The Eagles ran on three plays, getting to the 47, but rather than punt they decided to go for it. Vandyken was given the ball, taking it to the DeKalb 44. The D-line would get a stop on the next set of downs, holding a running play for no gain, then getting an incomplete pass, and holding another pass play for seven yards. Again on fourth down, the Eagles went for it. The Johnson carry was short and DeKalb took over on their own 36.

The stop gave Tiger fans something to cheer about, and DeKalb would finally drive to get points on the board, but it would come at a cost. On second and 10, Jennings connected with Munoz to the 46. Then a sack backed the Tigers up at their own 32. Facing a second and 24, Jennings again threw to Munoz who completed down to the Eagle 45, but Munoz was injured and had to come out with an ankle injury.

Undaunted, Jennings threw to Poss on the next play, taking the ball down to the Signal Mountain 16. There, a pass to Halfmann went out-of-bounds, then passes to Poss and Pruitt were dropped. Wanting to avoid the shutout, the Tigers decided to go for a field goal attempt. The kick by Poss was up and good, and finally the Tigers were on the scoreboard with 1:54 left in the half.

While the Tigers had come away with a field goal, the kickoff was nearly a disaster. The return was almost run in for a touchdown, but a holding penalty called the return back to the Eagles 25. It wouldn’t matter however, as three plays later Signal Mountain would be standing in the end zone. A pass to John Wilson was good to the 44, then a pass to Menzel was good to the one with a tackle by A.J. Mooneyham. Vandyken was handed the ball next, and he was again into the end zone. With 1:04 left in the half, the Eagles were up 42-3.

The second half of the game would move quickly. With the Tigers being down by more than 35 points in the second half, the "Mercy Rule" would take effect and the clock would run.

DeKalb would start the half with the ball at their own 20-yard-line. On the first play, a Jennings pass was deflected then caught by Halfmann down to the 46. Then a third down pass to Poss was good down to the Eagles’ 45. The next play would back DeKalb up to their own 41 with a holding penalty, and the Tigers would not recover. With another incomplete pass, and facing fourth and 15, DeKalb punted.

Signal Mountain returned the punt to their own 18, and from there mounted one final scoring drive. A run by Vandyken was good to the 29, then a carry by Johnson was good for another first down at the 47. Vandyken carried into DeKalb territory to the 46, then it was Johnson again to the 44. A Menzel carry took the ball down to the seven, where on second and goal Vandyken pushed into the end zone. With the extra point, Signal Mountain’s lead increased 49-3, with 3:29 left in the third quarter.

The kickoff was out of the end zone, and DeKalb started with the ball on their own 20. There, a pass to Halfmann was good to the 45, with a facemask penalty taking the ball down to the Eagles’ 48. The Tigers would not gain another yard, with three incomplete passes. As the fourth quarter began, DeKalb decided to go for it on fourth down. A pass to Isaiah Jones was incomplete and the Eagles took over on downs.

A pass to Colin Farr was good to the DeKalb 43, then Ty Boeck run was good down to the 38. The Eagles would only gain four more yards, and going for it on fourth down a pass play fell incomplete. DeKalb took over at their own 34.

With time on the clock ticking away, the Tigers began moving the ball. A Jennings pass to Poss was good to the Tigers’ 44, then a pass to Jones took the ball down to the Signal Mountain 39. A pass to Halfmann was good to the 29, then a keeper was good for another first down at the 26. Another pass to Jones was good to the 22, but there again the drive stalled.

On a second and six from the 22, Jennings was sacked back at the 36. After an incomplete pass to Halfmann, the Tigers went for it on fourth and 23. Another pass to Halfmann was complete, but only to the 21. The Eagles took over at their own 21.

A Signal Mountain run lost a yard on the next play, then a run by Sam Gault resulted in a fumble. Halfmann scooped up the ball and was able to run 20 yards for a defensive touchdown with 1:40 left in the game. Poss’ extra point attempt was good, and DeKalb added the game’s final score to the board, 49-10.

"Signal Mountain is an excellent football team," Head Coach Steve Trapp told the Review. "We had a lot of sophomores on the field tonight. We lost a lot of key guys; senior guys earlier in the year … some last week, some tonight. It’s really a just a glance at potentially the guys we’ll have on the field for us in 2015. When you play a team like Signal [Mountain] and you have that many underclassmen on the field, it’s a tough row to hoe."

When asked how the team looks for next year Trapp said, "It’s too soon to talk about that. We’ll take care of wrapping up this season, with all these guys and these seniors, that’s battled so hard to get to the playoffs four years in a row. That’s never happened. I’m just super proud of those guys. We’ve got a week or so that we have to take off, get everything healed up the best that we can, and we’ll get back into our winter work outs and start the program over."

The DeKalb Tigers finish their season with an overall record of 5-6, and second-place in the district at 4-2.