Tigers Get First Region Win
By Chris Tramel
The DeKalb County Tigers got their first win of the 2020 season last Friday night, after squeaking past Stone Memorial. While the victory was a regional win for the team, the Tigers are not making it easy for fans, blowing a three score lead in the game.
There was a crispness in the air as the Tigers traveled to Crossville for their first region match of the year. The field was wet and soggy from rains that had ended just before the game, but the Tigers were ready to play.
DeKalb would get the ball first, and the kickoff return by Isaac Knowles set the Tigers' drive at their own 29 yard line. The next play saw Axel Aldino throw a long pass to Travante Alexander all the way down to the Panthers' 26. From there, a run by Colby Barnes, then a keeper by Aldino had the Tigers down to the 20. Another keeper lost a yard, but on a fourth and seven DeKalb decided to go for it. An Aldino pass to Desmond Nokes was good in the end zone for six points. The point after kick by Jasper Kleparek was good, and just like that DeKalb was up 7-0, with 9:17 in the first quarter.
The Panthers started their first possession at their own 37, but the Tiger defense pushed them back and on a fourth and 20, Stone Memorial would punt. On the kick, DeKalb was called for roughing the kicker, and the Panthers punted again from the 38. Knowles would receive, but fumbled at their own 38 with the Panthers recovering.
Stone Memorial would take advantage of the Tigers' mistake, and just six plays later QB Hunter Heavilon kept the ball up the middle for six points. The Panthers would attempt a two-point conversion, but the pass fell incomplete. The Tigers kept the lead, 7-6 with 5:13 left in the first quarter.
With momentum seemingly on their side, Stone Memorial then successfully attempted an onside kick, recovering the ball at the Tigers' 48. The Panthers would not be able to cash in on their fortune however, with the DeKalb defense toughening up. Not able to move the ball, the Panthers punted and DeKalb took over at their own 23.
Aldino would make short work of the Panthers, first carrying the ball himself to the 35, then connecting with Nathaniel Crook to the 45. From there, Aldino would again call his own number, running it all the way in for a touchdown. The PAT was good, and the Tigers upped their lead, 14-6 with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, the Panthers' drive was stalling. Stone Memorial would only move to mid-field before having to punt. The kick would back the Tigers up, with the ball back at the DeKalb nine yard line.
On a third and 11 play, Aldino connected a pass to Alexander up to the Tigers' 45. Then, after a bad snap, Aldino ran the ball himself down to the Panthers' 42. Nokes would catch a long pass and take it to the two yard line on the next play, then Barnes would pound it up the middle for the touchdown. Kleparek would add the extra point, and DeKalb was up 21-6 with 8:30 left in the first half.
The Tigers looked to have the game well under control, but Stone Memorial was not about to give up. On the kickoff, Jayden Eldridge fielded the ball and ran 82 yards for a quick touchdown. The Panthers extra point attempt was no good, but the lead had been cut, 21-12, with 8:14 on the clock.
On the kickoff, Knowles returned the ball to the DeKalb 30, and from there the Tigers wasted no time. A pass to Knowles took them down to the Panthers' 30, then runs by Crook pushed them down to the 23. A keeper by Aldino gave the Tigers a first down at the 17, and two plays later Aldino would take it in himself for the touchdown. Kleparek converted the point after, and DeKalb was up 28-12 with 4:42 left in the half.
Quick strikes seemed to be the theme of the night, when Stone Memorial mounted their next drive. The kickoff gave them the ball at their own 38, then four plays later, on a first and 10 from the Tiger 45, a pass Kaleb Flowers resulted in six points for the Panthers. The extra point attempt failed, but Stone Memorial had again cut the lead, 28-18, with 2:22 left in the half.
The Tigers looked to answer on their next possession. Starting at their own 37, a run by Barnes set them up at the Panther 45. From there, a run by Barnes went no where, a pass to Nokes fell incomplete in the end zone, then a keeper netted only five yards. Going for it on fourth down, a pass to Nokes skipped short and the Panthers took over with 1:04 left in the half.
Starting from their own 40, a few of Panthers' passes took them down to the Tigers' 30, then another quick pass set Stone Memorial up at the DeKalb one yard line. With seconds ticking down on the clock, a run by Heavilon was into the end zone. A conversion attempt was no good, but the Tigers' one time big lead had vanished, 28-24, with :12 seconds left in the half.
The Panthers would get the ball at the beginning of the second half, and would mount a long drive that would give them their first lead on the night. Starting at their own 42, Stone Memorial leaned heavy on their running game, with Nick Coble as their workhorse. Coble would get the ball down to the DeKalb 36, then on a fourth and one, a keeper to the 30 kept the drive alive.
After a sack, and trading a couple of holding penalties, a third and 15 pass was intercepted by Knowles, but a pass interference penalty negated the play. Runs by Coble and some keepers had the Panthers down to the Tiger 15, when another Coble run was good for a touchdown. A two-point pass was no good, but the Panthers took the 30-28 lead, with 4:09 left in the third quarter.
The Tigers started their first drive of the second half at their own 47. A keeper then a pass to Knowles got DeKalb down to the Panthers' 34. Then passes and keeps had DeKalb down to the 13. A third down pass to Nokes fell incomplete in the end zone and the Tigers went for the field goal. Kleparek's kick was good, and the Tigers regained the lead, 31-30, with 31 seconds left in the third.
Stone Memorial's next drive would start at their own 20, but after a first down to the 31, the drive would stall and they would punt. DeKalb would do no better, starting at their own 40, the drive would go no where. A grounding penalty backed the Tigers up, and though they would gain most of the ground up, they would be forced to punt on a fourth and three.
The Panthers went three and out on their next possession, but on the punt, Barnes would fumble and Stone Memorial recovered at the 50. Just two plays later, a fumbled handoff would be recovered by DeKalb's Aiden Curtis, giving the Tigers the ball back at the 47.
DeKalb would try to move the ball, but holding and block in the back penalties once again killed any momentum. Runs and keepers would carry the Tigers down to the 18, but there, a fumbled snap, a keeper for one yard, and a false start penalty, slowed down the drive. Going for in on fourth down from the 25, a keeper only got the Tigers back near the original line of scrimmage, and the Panthers took over on downs with 1:40 left in the game.
Stone Memorial played with a never say die attitude and fought to the very end. Their drive would move them to midfield with the clock ticking down. On a second and 10 play from the 49, a Panther pass was intercepted by Knowles with 13 seconds left in the game. The Tigers would hold on for the 31-30 victory, going 1-0 in the region, and 1-2 overall.
After the game, Head Coach Steve Trapp was not pleased with his teams performance. "Offensively we're moving the ball, we make big plays, but when the offense isn't doing that we're shooting ourselves in the foot. A fumble, a couple of penalties on first down, a couple of penalties on third down that stopped drives, especially there at the end of the game, where we needed to kick a field goal or something like that. Then we have special teams. We're working on this."
"I know what it looks like in the stands," Trapp continued. "We've changed personnel, but the guys have got to make the decision to play as hard as they can. Defensively, it's up and down. We've got work to do but I'm glad we got the first one though."
The Tigers will be back at home for their next Friday night game, hosting the Watertown Purple Tigers. Watertown is 2-1 with wins against Gordonsville (14-7) and Trousdale County (9-7), and a loss to Nolensville (24-20).
