Greatest of all time? The 2019 version of the DeKalb County Tigers may have claimed stake to the moniker as they have done something no Tiger team has ever done before – make it to the third round of the state playoffs. And they did it in thrilling fashion, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a Axel Aldino heave with just 40 ticks left on the clock to shock the heavily favored Marshall County Bulldogs in Lewisburg, 28-24.

With the win, the Tigers move on to the quarterfinal around where they will face Nolensville who crushed Livingston Academy, 33-7 in Livingston, ending the Wildcats’ undefeated season. Like DeKalb, Nolensville placed second in their district, finishing behind Marshall by virtue of a 30-14 loss in Lewisburg earlier this season. They stand 10-2, with their only other loss a 25-23 downing by Franklin. They will play host to the third round game Friday night at 7 p.m.

The Tigers arrived at 8-4 after they came out swinging against their hosts Friday night, scoring first late in the first quarter when Aldino hit Desmond Nokes for a 25 yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 advantage. However, a DeKalb County mistake on special teams handed the Marshall County Tigers their first score when Noah Roberts tried to advance a bad snap on a punt attempt. He lost the ball and Andrew Gold picked it up and pranced 40 yards to the end zone amidst the defending sounds of cowbells being rung by the Lewisburg fans.

Scoring remained a premium in the first half as both defenses bent but did not break. Marshall County was able to claim the half-time lead when their kicker, Jon Estes, split the uprights for a field goal with 1:31 left in the first to claim the 10-7 halftime advantage. A later attempt to even the tilt at 10 after the first Tiger drive of the third quarter was missed by Alan Munoz who was perfect on extra points all night. He hit his only field goal attempt to the year last week in the Tiger win over Tullahoma in the first round.

The Tigers would get the ball after holding Marshall County on the next drive and take the lead when David Bradford bulldozed into the end zone from two yards out to make it 14-10 with just over two minutes remaining. Bradford, who had been the Tiger workhorse last season and had hoped to lead the  team from the backfield this year, had been sidelined much of the season with an injury suffered in preseason but has played the past few games, mainly seeing action on the defensive side of the ball.

The hosts went back ahead with 10:38 to go in the game with a seven-yard TD run by Kel Greer. Just three minutes later, Green would find the end zone again as the hosts ran a trick play which ended in a 50-yard Greer touchdown reception, making the count 24-14

The Tigers persisted, responding with a touchdown of their own at the 4:37 mark when Bradford scored his second TD from three years out, making it a three point deficit.

What happened next will live in the anoles of Tiger lore for generations as the Tiger defense was able to get off the field by stopping a Marshall County trick play when Tyzaun Ladet sniffed out a reverse and lit up the ball carrier to force a Marshall punt.

Taking over in good field position, the Tigers just missed on a pair of homerun balls heaved by Aldino, leaving the Tigers with third and long. It didn’t look good as Marshall defenders flushed the junior signal caller from the pocket. However, as he rolled he spotted Ladet coming wide open in the end zone after his defender had let up, thinking his teammates had sacked the elusive Tiger QB. Aldino heaved the pass across his body, hitting Ladet in the hands with the wide out stepping into the end zone with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Not to be left out, Aldino finished off Marshall when he picked off a third-down heave by their quarterback on third down, preserving the victory and lifting his team to historic heights. The victory was especially sweet given the Tigers lost their last appearance 42-0 in Lewisburg.

The winner of the DeKalb County-Nolensville tilt will move on to the semi-finals to take on the winner of Greensville and Anderson County.