When the season began, the biggest concerns for the DeKalb County Football Tigers were heat exhaustion and dehydration. The weather was hot and muggy, and the talk was about how the players could stand running up and down the field with a helmet and all their pads on. Well Mother Nature decided to change things up and play a little trick-or-treat. The Tigers had practiced with temperatures in the 80s earlier in the week, but by their final regular season game on Friday, Halloween night, the thermometer dropped and the skies opened up with wintery mix by the end of the game.

Everything was on the line for DeKalb. With district losses to Livingston and York, the Tigers needed to win their last three games to advance on to the postseason playoffs. DeKalb beat Macon, then took a big win against Upperman. All that was left was the final match against the Smith County Owls.

Fans came out in force, filling the stands and lining the fence that borders the field. There was a tinge of excitement amongst the faithful, and a little cold, wind, and snow was not going to damper the support for the Tigers team.

From the beginning, the game was a defensive battle, with the punters on both teams getting plenty of playing time. The Owls would start the game off with the first possession, returning the opening kickoff to their own 28.

At first it looked as if Smith County might move in and score on their opening drive. The Owls moved five plays, with three first downs, to the DeKalb 43, but that is where the Tigers’ defense stiffened. The next play, a run up the middle, netted just one yard. Then a pass, got only one more yard after a big tackle by Jonathon Munoz. On third and seven from the 41, the Owls took to the air once more. The pass fell incomplete and Smith was forced to punt.

DeKalb would be backed up at their own 11 to start their first possession, and would keep to the ground with runs by Luke Boss and quarter back keepers by Steven Jennings. On a third and four at the 17, Jennings took the ball for a first down at the 22. From there the drive slowed, with runs by Boss gaining only three more yards. Again facing third down, from their own 25, Jennings passed for the first time in the game. The throw to Dalton Halfmann fell incomplete and the Tigers were forced to punt.

Smith County started their next possession at their own 43, but this time the DeKalb D-line was stingy. They would hold the Owls to only seven yards, getting a three-and-out and forcing a punt from the 50.

The Tigers started at their own 29, and a second down pass to Aaron Patterson would get them a first down at the 38. From there, an option play to Boss got three yards, then a keeper gained one more. But on a third and seven the Owls got penetration and sacked Jennings back at the 37. Once again, the Tigers were forced to punt.

Matthew Poss’ punt put the Owls back at their own 26, and from there Smith County would manage one first down. The Owls played smash-mouth football, hitting the Tigers with hard runs straight up the middle, and getting a first down at the 40, then another run for three more yards.

As the second quarter began, the Owls started where they left off, with another run up the middle for two yards. Then, with a third and five, a pass was complete at the 49, but a hard hit by Munoz kept the play one yard short of the first down. With a fourth and one from the 49, the Owls would have to punt.

The Tigers would start with bad field position, backed up at their own 7-yard-line. A pair of keepers moved DeKalb up to the 16, then a run by Boss got the first down at the 18. The next play would be a blow to the team, taking one of their key playmakers out of the game. A pass to Patterson was complete at the 26, but Patterson was hurt during the play, coming out with an ankle injury. The Tigers would not be able to advance any further and again punt the ball.

While the Patterson injury might have been a blow to morale, the defense soon gave fans something to cheer about. With a second and eight from the DeKalb 45, a pass was complete then fumble by the Owls. Munoz again came up with a big play, getting the recovery.

DeKalb would not be able to take advantage of the bit of luck however, with the first play resulting in a sack for a three-yard loss. The next two plays resulted in incomplete passes, and the Tigers would punt once more.

The Owls’ stop would not benefit them either. Starting from their own 43, Smith County gained only three yards before having to punt themselves. But the kick would give the Tigers their worst starting field position of the night.

Starting from their own five, the Tigers would finally mount a drive that would put them on the board. A keep took the ball to the eight-yard-line, then a run by Boss got a first down at the 16. Another Boss run gained two more yards, then, on a third and eight from the 18, a pass to Matthew Poss was good to the Smith County 35.

In Owls territory, Jennings called his own number, taking the ball down to the 21. From there, Boss powered his way down to the 15, then another keeper had the Tigers at the 13. Boss was handed the ball once more for a first and goal from the 10, then it was Jennings, running it in for the first points of the game. The extra point kick by Poss was good, and the Tigers were up, 7-0 with 1:32 left in the half.

Smith County started their next possession at their own 35, and would manage one first down near midfield, but there the drive would stall. The end of the half would end with the Tigers on top, 7-0.

DeKalb would get the ball to start the second half, and with the kickoff out-of-bounds they would begin at their own 35. The Tigers would move the ball, but a penalty stalled the drive. Boss ran to the 38, then another run took him to the 43. On third and two, a false start backed them up five, then a Jennings run took them to the 44. With a fourth and short two, the Tigers punted.

The Owls would not do much better. Starting from their own 23, Smith County kept to the ground for two plays for a first down at the 35. Another run gained three more, then a pass play fell incomplete. On third and seven from the 38, the D-line got a big play, with Jacob Hale and Jacob Washer coming up with a sack back at the 31. With a fourth and 14, the Owls were forced to punt.

Defense was the name of the game as the Tigers offense again took the field. DeKalb would start at their own 28, and would not be able to move far. A keeper took the Tigers to the 33, then a sack backed them up to the 31. Then a pass to Poss was good, but for a one-yard loss. Poss would be back on the next play, this time for another punt.

Smith County started at their own 35, and this time would be able to move into DeKalb territory. They kept to the ground, with the first play taking the ball to the 43, then another run to the 45. Another run was up to the 47, then another to DeKalb’s side of the field at the 48. The next play gave the Owls a first down at the 44, then a pass was good to the 37. Then, the Tigers’ defense stepped up.

A running play resulted in a tackle in the backfield for a two-yard loss, then a sack by A.J. Mooneyham and Jesse Smith got another loss for nine yards. With a fourth and 14, the Owls punted.

The Tigers were backed up to their own 18, where they mounted the second scoring drive of the game. A Jennings keeper took DeKalb to the 21, then a false start penalty back them up five yards to the 16. The drive looked bleak after the next play, with Jennings sacked back at the 10-yard line.

As the fourth quarter began, a pass to Munoz was good for a first down at the 35, then a Jennings run took the ball into Smith County territory at the Owls’ 41. A second down pass to Munoz was good to the 35, then another catch by Munoz resulted in a first down at the 25. The Tigers had moved the ball but then it looked as if the drive would stall.

A false start backed the Tigers up, giving them a first and 15 from the 30. Then Jennings took a hard hit from behind as he tossed the ball. The pass fell incomplete. A run by Boss gained five to the 25, then another run was good to the 18. Facing a fourth and three, DeKalb decided to go for it. The ball was handed to Boss who powered his way up to the 11 for the first down. From there it was Jennings, calling his own number and running it in for six. Poss’ extra point attempt was no good, but the Tigers’ lead increased, 13-0 with 8:34 left to play.

The Tigers were pumped up and the defense came out ready to play. On the kickoff, the Owls returned to their own 37 and that would be as far as Smith County would get. After two incomplete passes, Smith came away with another big sack at the 29. The Owls punted.

DeKalb started at their own 43, and there the Tigers kept their feet on the ground and the clock running. A run by Boss, then a keeper by Jennings moved the ball to the Smith County 45. There, a Boss run took the Tigers to the 39, and another Jennings keep was good for a first down at the 35. Jennings scrambled to the 32, then a Boss carry was good to the 17.

The Tigers looked to ice the game, but a big penalty doomed their chances. On a first and 10 from the 17, a chop block call backed DeKalb up 15 yards. With a first and 25 at the 33, Boss was handed the ball, taking it to the 28, then Jennings kept the ball for a one-yard gain. On third and 21, a pass was thrown behind Poss for an incompletion. The fourth down play was a keeper, with Jennings getting only one yard. Smith County would take over on downs, but DeKalb had eaten up valuable time on the play clock, with only 2:04 left in the game.

Smith County had one last chance, but the defense was not through playing. The Tigers held the Owls to only eight yards, with a fourth down pass play broken up. DeKalb would take over and as the play clock counted down, the winds started to blow and the skies opened up with frozen confetti falling across the field. DeKalb got the 13-0 shutout and advanced to the postseason for a record fourth year in a row.

"It’s a memorable night," Head Coach Steve Trapp told the Review. "Playing on Halloween, probably a lot of people didn’t agree with it, but we want this to be a Friday night town. It’s snowing on Halloween, it’s the first group of seniors to go to the playoffs four years in a row … this is a moment. This is a moment in DeKalb County history. Everybody that was here got to see it, and everyone that watched it on TV got to witness that."

He continued, "I’m just extremely proud of this group of seniors, from where we started, battling an up and down season, and ultimately getting second place in the district, and going to the playoff four years in a row."

The Tigers travel to Signal Mountain this Friday for the first round in the playoffs. The game starts at 7 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Central.