The DeKalb County High School Tigers football team was considered heavy underdogs in the first round of the Class 4A State Football Play-Offs last Friday night. They traveled to East Hamilton in Chattanooga to face the Hurricanes, a team with 70 plus player with an offensive squad and a defensive squad. The Tigers play both sides of the ball, and had several starters out due to injury, including the big man, Diego Coronado. But, if you’re a Tiger you never give up, and DeKalb was ready to play.  

The Tigers won the toss and decided to defer until the second half. The Hurricanes would start at their own 25, and start to move down the field. A pass to Jeremiah Flemmons fell incomplete, but another pass was good to the 31. Then, a carry by Juan Bullard broke through and was downed at the DeKalb 25. The Hurricanes looked to take the early lead, but the Tiger defense would step up and the drive looked like it would stall.

Another pass to Flemmons was stopped at the 23, then a pass to Bullard was stuffed at the line. A fumbled snap ended with East Hamilton QB Lake Clark falling on the ball back at the 32. The Canes decided to go for it on fourth down. The pass to Flemmons was caught at the 11 and East Hamilton had new life. The next play, a carry by Bullard, was good for six. With the extra point kick, the Canes took the 7-0 lead with 8:58 left in the first.

Undaunted, the Tigers looked to put points of their own on the board. The kickoff was returned to the 35, where the Hurricanes got a big dose of the Tigers’ running game. A Colby Barnes run went up the middle to the 40, then a Briz Trapp keep was downed at the 50. Barnes was caught in the backfield on the next play, but another run went all the way to the Canes’ 35.

It was Barnes again on the first down play, to the 29, then another keeper was good to the 26. Barnes ploughed his way through with two Canes holding on to the 11 on the next play, then it was Trapp’s turn again. He went up the middle for the touchdown with 4:34 left in the first. With Axel Aranda’s PAT, the Tigers tied the game, 7-7.

The Hurricanes would begin their next drive at their own 42, but would be unable to move the ball. Sticking to the passing game, they went three and out, punting with Isaac Knowles calling for the fair catch at the DeKalb 16.

Mistakes doomed the Tigers’ next drive. Trapp would get caught in the backfield for a two-yard loss on the first play, then the wet field caused Trapp to slip at the line on the next. Another keeper was good to the 25, and looking to go for it, DeKalb was caught with too many men on the field. They were forced to punt.

East Hamilton began at their own 49, and would once again put points on the board. A Bullard run was stopped for a one-yard loss, then a pass to Flemmons was good to the DeKalb 47. A pass to Kaunyae Burgans was good to the DeKalb 39, then, after a fumbled snap, Burgans ran to the two. A Bullard carry was stopped at the one, but as the second quarter began, a direct snap to Flemmons on the next play was in for the touchdown. With the PAT, the Canes took a 14-7 lead with 11:25 left in the half.

The Tigers returned to the 24 on the kick, and a Barnes run was good to the 30 on the first play. Another run was down at the 34, then a pass to John Ellis sailed out of bounds. Another Barnes run was good for two, then a pass to Knowles fell incomplete. Facing a fourth and eight, the Tigers punted.

The Hurricanes wasted no time putting more points on the board. The punt return set East Hamilton up at the DeKalb 18, and right off the bat a Bullard run was good to the 12. A pass to Flemmons on the next play was fumbled, but the Canes were able to fall on the ball at the 16. They only needed one more play. A pass to Flemmons was caught in the end zone, and with the extra point they were up 21-7 with 7:01 left in the half.

Things were looking rough for the Tigers, but they refused to give up. DeKalb would start at their own 20, and on the first play a run by Nathaniel Crook was good to the 27. Crook ran the ball again and a facemask penalty on the Canes set the Tigers up at the 40. A Barnes run was good for two, then a deep pass to Knowles caught the Canes with pass interference and DeKalb was at the 25. Crook carried for one yard, then a wildcat carry by Knowles was good to the 16. On a third and one, Crook was handed the ball again, and was down at the eight. Once again the Tigers lined up in the wildcat, and Knowles ran it in for the touchdown. With the PAT, the Tigers cut the lead, 21-14 with 2:35 left in the half.

And that’s where the score would stay through the end of the half, with each team trading punts before time ran out.

DeKalb would get the ball to begin the third, and starting from their own 25 they looked to even the score. Barnes carried for 10 yards, then a Trapp keep was good for 10 more. Knowles carried to the Canes’ 49, then another Barnes run was good to the 38. Barnes carried for three more yards, then a keeper was downed at the 28. Barnes was handed the ball again, and this time he was in for six. Aranda’s PAT was no good after a bad snap, but the Tigers cut the lead 21-20 with 8:04 left in the third.

The Hurricanes began their next possession at their own 39, and a run by Bullard was fumbled but East Hamilton was able to fall on the ball at the line. A pass on the next play was not so fortunate. The pass to Zach Laboo was caught and fumbled with DeKalb recovering at the 44.

In the wildcat, Knowles handed the ball to Barnes who ran it in for the touchdown. Knowles ran it in for a two-point conversion, and with 7:04 left in the third the Tigers took the 28-21 lead.

The Hurricanes returned the kickoff to the 35, but would not be able to get any momentum. They would reach the 43, before a pass was broken up by Knowles then a hold pushed them back to the 29. Another hold would nullify a running play and put them at the 31, where a pass to Jase Phillips was downed for a loss. East Hamilton would have to punt.

Both teams would trade punts twice, into the fourth quarter, when the Canes began a possession at their own 29. After a pass to Phillips was downed for a five yard loss, a pass was intercepted at the Canes’ 43.

The Tigers would not be able to cash in on the turnover however, and would end up punting from the 45. It seemed to be a defensive game as neither team could move the ball. The Canes would punt from their own 31, then the Tigers punted from their own 42.

The Canes returned the punt to their own 29, then Clark got called with intentional grounding while trying to avoid a sack. Backed up to their own 10, a pass to Flemmons went over his head, then another pass was defected and intercepted by Nolan Gottlied, getting a pick-six. With the PAT, the Tigers commaned a 35-21 lead with 4:49 left to play.

It would be too much for the Canes to overcome. Playing in desperation, East Hamilton stuck to the passing game, and on their next drive it caught up with them again. On a first and 10 from the DeKalb 33, a pass was intercepted by Brady Hale to seal up the win. With 2:45 left to play, the Tigers stayed on the ground, running out the clock. They took the 35-21 play-off win.

Barnes had 158 rushing yards on 18 carries, while Crook had five carries for 22 yards. Knowles had 10 rushes for 66 yards, and three receptions for 39 yards.

“The last couple of weeks have not been kind to us as far as losing some of our seniors,” Head Coach Steve Trapp said after the game. “There were a lot of guys not able to play, but these guys stepped up and played really hard. We made some mistakes in the first half, but we came out and cleaned it up.”

“This team is led by our defense,” Trapp continued. “They did a heck of a job. I told them before the game, ‘You’ve got 48 minutes to figure out if you want to play another week.’ They decided they want to do this again. We made some magic happen, and we’ll see if we can do it again.”

The Tigers will travel to Upperman next week to once again face the Bees. The Bees defeated Soddy-Daisy last Friday night 46-7. During the “Battle of Center Hill” the Tigers fell to Upperman 24-14 in a much closer game than the score would tell. The Bees won the Class 4A Region 4 regular season championship at 5-0, and is 10-1 overall.