Local fans were out in force last Friday evening as the DeKalb County Tigers traveled to Woodbury to take on the Cannon County Lions. While it was an away game for the Tigers, it almost felt like a home game, with the number of supporters filling the stands to see DeKalb continue their winning ways.
DeKalb started the game with the ball and wasted no time putting points on the board. Starting from their own 28, Quarterback Steven Jennings tested the Lion’s pass coverage. On a third and 10, Jennings found Jonathon Munoz for a 44-yard reception down to the Cannon 28. There, again facing a third and 10, Jennings connected with Munoz once more, this time for a touchdown. The extra point kick by Matthew Poss was good, and the Tigers were up 7-0, with 11:15 left in the first quarter.
The Lions began their opening drive on their own 18, and quickly moved to midfield. In five plays, with two QB keepers, Cannon found themselves at the DeKalb 44, but then a holding penalty seemed to stall their progress. Backed up to the Cannon 48, the Tiger defense stiffened and forced the punt.
The Tigers called a fair catch at their own 18, and from their threatened to add more points to the scoreboard. With only one running play by Luke Boss, Jennings kept to the air, spreading the attack between five different receivers. Jennings completed passes to Munoz, A.J. Mooneyham, Aaron Patterson, and Dalton Halfmann, with and incomplete to Boss, to move to the Cannon 22. Then a completed pass to Patterson was fumbled and recovered by the Lions, taking the ball to the DeKalb 49.
The turnover had the Lions pumped up, but the Tiger’ defense had other ideas. The D-line held Cannon to a three-and-out, including a sack at midfield, and once again forced a punt.
DeKalb would not squander their good fortune, and quickly made another strike. Starting at their own 24, a pair of keepers set the Tigers up at their own 35. From there, a long pass to Austin Brown had him into the end zone for six. Another Poss kick was good, and the Tigers were up 14-0, with 2:51 left in the first quarter.
The kickoff had the Lions starting their next drive at their own 18, and the Tigers’ D-line was again showing some muscle. DeKalb held Cannon to another three-and-out with zero yards gained.
The punt gave DeKalb the ball at the Cannon 38, and only two plays later the Tigers again increased their lead. A pass to Halfmann gave them a first down at the 27, then a pass to Patterson was good for a touchdown. Poss’ kick was wide, but the Tigers’ lead was 20-0, with 1:14 left in the first quarter.
Cannon’s next possession started at their own 19, and took them into the second quarter. The Lions were finally able to crack the Tigers’ D-line and were able to get some first downs. Five plays had the Lions at their own 45, then an off sides penalty set them up at the 50. That would be as far as they would get. Two plays later, the Lions were forced to punt.
DeKalb started at their own 38, and for the first time all night started a running drive. A run by Boss was good for six yards, then another took the ball down to the Cannon 44. A pass to Munoz set the Tigers up at the 33, then another run by Boss was good for one yard. The next play was a pass back to numero uno, Munoz, for another touchdown. The extra point kick was good, and with 8:51 left in the half DeKalb led, 27-0.
The Lions returned the kickoff to their own 24, and looked to finally put points on the board. On the first play, a run took the Lions into the end zone, but a block in the back penalty nullified the TD. The next play, a keeper, had Cannon again in Tiger territory at the 46, then, on a third and five play, a pass was intercepted by non-other than Aaron Patterson.
Patterson ran the ball back to the Cannon 33, and from there the Tigers would make them pay. Three incompletes had DeKalb facing a fourth and 10, but the Tigers decided to go for it. A pass to Matthew Poss was good at the 21, and the Tigers were back in business. A couple of running plays, and an off sides penalty, had the Tigers at the seven-yard-line, where Jennings again found number one, Munoz, for a pass into the end zone. A fumbled snap doomed the extra point attempt, but the Tigers’ lead increased 33-0, with 4:00 left in the half.
Cannon’s next drive was not much better for the Lions. Starting from their own 22, the Lions again moved towards midfield, but on a third and 10 from their own 43, a pass was intercepted by Lane Ball and taken all the way in for a touchdown. With the extra point, DeKalb was dominating 40-0, with 2:20 left in the half.
The Lions’ next possession was again doomed by miscues. On a third and 10 from their own 20, the ball was fumbled and recovered by DeKalb. The Tigers would not be able to move the ball however, and with second ticking down they made a field goal attempt. The kick was no good, and the Tigers would end the half up, 40-0.
The mercy rule came into play during the second half, with the clock continuing to run except for possession changes and penalties. Cannon started off with a drive from their own 20, but a false start and intentional grounding call stalled their progress.
The punt gave the Tigers the ball at the Lions’ 46, and DeKalb drove one more nail into the coffin. The Lions were given a big dose of Luke Boss. Boss was handed the ball eight times out of the 10-play drive. With a second and three from the four-yard-line, Boss pounded his way in for six more. The extra point was the icing on the cake, with the Tigers getting the final score of the night, 47-0.
The Lions made a last-gasp effort on their next drive to try to avoid the shutout. Cannon drove down to the DeKalb 29 in 12 plays, but facing a fourth and 12 from the 32, they went for it. The pass fell incomplete, and the Tigers took over on downs.
DeKalb was able to hold on to the ball as the clock ran down, punting as the game buzzer sounded.
When asked about the fast-paced play the Tigers showed in the game, Head Coach Steve Trapp said it’s something they’ve had success in, in the past. "Each and every game we’ve been pretty successful in our no huddle stuff. I just figured we would go into that and see how it worked for us. I really felt good about our matchups in the passing game. We still missed a few things, but I’m really proud of Steven [Jennings] and the receivers. Munoz had a career night with three touchdown catches. I think Steven threw five in the first half."
"The guys really responded," Trapp continued. "They did everything we asked them to do. I’m proud of their effort all week, and proud of them continuing to work."
The Tigers have a bye week this Friday, then return to their road schedule on Oct. 3 when they travel to Trousdale County.
