The DeKalb County Tigers traveled into the unknown last week, facing a team they had never played before, on a field they had never seen before. Traveling to Crossville to take on the Stone Memorial Panthers, the Tigers found themselves unable to find the end zone in the first half of the game. But, the team’s freshman kicker kept the Tigers in the game, giving them time to adjust and a way to find their rhythm.
The Panthers won the toss and elected to receive at the start of the game, with their first drive threatening DeKalb down to their own 33-yard line. A stand by the Tigers’ defense held the Panthers to a fourth and four and the team punted into the end zone, giving DCHS the ball on their own 20.
On DeKalb’s first possession, things looked promising. Some hard runs by Luke Boss, combined with several receptions by Aaron Patterson and a few quarterback keepers by Steven Jennings, took DeKalb all the way down to the Panthers’ five-yard line. There, the drive stalled and freshman kicker Matthew Poss was called in for a field-goal attempt. The kick was good, giving the Tigers the early lead, 3-0.
On the Panthers’ next possession it looked as if the Tigers’ defense would hold them to a three and out, but a screen to Panthers’ Justin Johnson gave them a first and ten on their own 42. Two plays later, a facemask penalty by DeKalb gave the Panthers the ball on DeKalb’s 45. A carry by Panthers’ Brian Frye for a loss gave the Panthers a second and 15 at midfield as the buzzer ended the first quarter.
Stone Memorial’s first play of the second quarter would make DeKalb pay. A pass by Panthers’ QB Dalton Barnes to Austin Helton gave the Panthers six. With the extra point, Stone Memorial was up 7-3.
Penalties  kept the Tigers down at key moments in the first half. On DeKalb’s next possession, on a second and one on the Panthers’ 39-yard line, DeKalb was forced back by a chop block call. Two plays later, with a fourth and eight, the Tigers were forced to punt from Stone Memorial’s 47.
The DeKalb defense held the Panthers to a three-and-out on their next possession, forcing a punt and getting the ball back on their own 28-yard line. From there the Tigers would mount another drive that would again take them to the red zone.
With a series of runs by Luke Boss, coupled with a quarterback keeper by Jennings and a pass to Dustin Warner, DeKalb found themselves with a fourth and three at the Panthers’ 38. The carry was then given to Luke Boss, who pounded his way down to the 29 to keep the drive alive. A pass to Patterson followed, putting the Tigers at the 13-yard line. Three plays later DeKalb would again face fourth down in the red zone after a pass to Warner was ruled down with his knee touching the ground at the ten-yard line. Poss was again called on for points, and he did not disappoint, keeping the score close, 7-6 Panthers with 2:55 left in the half.
The Tigers hoped to end the half with the one-point score, but the Panthers had other ideas. Stone Memorial returned the kickoff to their own 47-yard line and proceeded to move the ball down field. The Panthers would make their way to DeKalb’s 21, with a first and ten, but the game clock was against them. Running out of time, the Panthers went for the field goal. The kick was blocked by Lane Ball, who picked up the ball and ran down field. Ball made it to the 30 before being tackled as the buzzer ended the half.
It was DeKalb’s ball for the start of the second half, and it was obvious that the Tigers had adjusted to their new opponent’s style of play. Starting at their own 29, DeKalb ran a series of quarterback keepers, passes to Warner, and ran the ball behind the night’s workhorse, Luke Boss, to the Panthers’ 20-yard line. There, a Jennings pass in the end zone to Aaron Patterson was incomplete.
The next play, a pass to Jonathon Munoz placed the ball at the Panthers’ nine. Two plays later, facing a third and goal from the six-yard line, Warner got the carry to pound it into the end zone. With the PAT good, the Tigers regained the lead, 13-7.
The points fired up the DeKalb defense, and Stone Memorial’s next possession gained them only two yards. With a third and eight on the Panthers’ 38, Stone memorial fumbled with the Tigers recovering the ball.
The opportunity was not squandered by the Tigers. A pass to Patterson drove the ball down to the Panthers’ 14. Two plays later, Patterson would convert a third down with a pass to the four-yard line. A false start would back the Tigers up with a first and goal from the nine, when Jennings would test the end zone. A pass to Lance Ball was deflected to Lane Ball, neither coming away with the catch. The next play however, Jennings threw to Patterson, who came away with the touchdown. A pass to Jayce Allen for the PAT gave the Tigers two more, with the lead increased, 21-7.
There was still fight in Stone Memorial however, and their next drive tested the DeKalb D. The Panthers would drive into the fourth quarter, all the way down to the Tigers’ 26-yard line, but a sack by Rickey Spare gave them a fourth and 15 at DeKalb’s 34. Going for it on fourth down, a pass to Panthers’ Austin Helton was incomplete and DeKalb took over on downs.
The Tigers would not cash in on the opportunity, and were forced to punt after a three and out. This time the Panthers would make DeKalb pay, as they opened up their passing game. With only one running play, a quarterback keeper, the Panthers drove the ball from their own 30, down to the Tigers’ 31. There, a pass to Helton in the end zone gave the Panthers six with 6:36 left in the game. With the extra point attempt wide right, the Panthers made the score tighter, 21-13.
DeKalb could not seal the win on their next drive, and again gave the Panthers life.  The Tigers looked to be driving down field for points when a fumble by Boss gave the ball to Stone Memorial at their own 27. The Panthers drove the ball down to DeKalb’s 35-yard line, where they faced a fourth and three, but an off-sides penalty again breathed life into the Panthers.
But the DeKalb D stiffened, and three plays later the Panthers faced a fourth and 20 from the 40-yard line. The last gasp play fell short, with a pass to Chandler Vanatter incomplete. Taking over on downs, the Tigers were able to run out the clock and get their second win of the season.
Boss had 15 carries for 68 yards in the game, while QB Jennings had 15 carries for 103 yards. Allen got five carries for 23 yards, and Warner had one carry for six yards rushing.
In the air game, Aaron Patterson had nine receptions for 131 yards, while Warner had four receptions for 38 yards. Munoz had one for eleven yards, A.J. Mooneyham one for nine yards, and Allen had one for three yards. 
Jennings had 16 passes on 23 attempts for 192 yards, with one TD and two sacks.
When asked about the first half, and how the Tigers’ kicker kept the team in the game, Coach Steve Trapp told the Review that there were several freshmen players that stepped up. "I’ve got a lot of confidence in Matthew Poss, our kicker, and another one of those freshmen that does a lot for us. We’ve got a young guy at quarterback, an inexperienced offense, we’ve got to control it a little bit more. In the coming weeks, we’re really going to turn the reigns loose more and more. The best thing about tonight is that we’re a young and inexperienced team and we battled."
"Stone Memorial is not a bad team at all," Trapp continued. "I’m really proud of our guys, hanging in there, making the plays when they had to. Being inside the twenty and only coming away with field goals, we’ve got to change that."
When asked about how the Tigers came out in the second half, Coach Trapp said it was adjustments by players and staff. "Some of that was play calling, some of that [in the first half] is on me. We told them we’re going to run the ball a bit more. Jayce Allen and other freshmen came in and had some big runs. We also had great pass protection and when there was a play that had to be made, we stepped up and made the play."
With two wins on the road to start the season, the Tigers come home for the next five games. Their next game will be against Livingston Academy on Friday.