The DeKalb County High School Tigers football team were in the bright lights of Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium in Cookeville last Thursday night, as they took on the Livingston Academy Wildcats. The rare Thursday night game was played as a Wildcat home game, due to Livingston’s football field being worked on this season. The change in venue resulted in the first time that many had played on 24/7 Stadia Turf and the narrow field goal seemed to be a problem for some of the kickers. Other than that, it was a good night for the Tigers.

The Tigers would receive to start the game and Isaac “Kid Dynamite” Knowles would take the kickoff to the DeKalb 29. With the return of starting quarterback Briz Trapp after a shoulder issue, many wondered how the injury might affect his play. If there were any doubts Trapp laid them to rest on the first play from the scrimmage line. Trapp connected a deep pass to Knowles, which was good all the way down to the six. The next play, Knowles was handed the ball and was in for the touchdown. The Axel Aranda PAT was good and just like that DeKalb was on the board 7-0 with 11:17 left in the first.

On the kickoff, what was supposed to be a shallow pooch kick looked more like an onside kick, resulting in the Wildcats falling on the ball at the 43. From there Livingston would find yards hard to come by. A run by Elijah Robinson lost two yards, then a Locklan Hammock run was stopped at the line. A Brody Coffee keeper on the next play reached only the 48, and on fourth down the Wildcats lined up like they were going for it. If it was an attempt to get an off sides the plan backfired as Livingston was caught with a false start. They were forced to punt.

The punt went deep but Knowles picked the ball up and ran to the DeKalb 33. There, Nathaniel Crook was handed the ball and ran to the 44, hurdling a defender. A pass to Silas Cross resulted in no gain, then a pass to Knowles was good to the 48. Cross made a leaping catch on the next play, downed at the 46. A measurement showed the Tigers short, and on a fourth and inches, DeKalb went for it. The handoff to Crook was good all the way to the Livingston 27.

The Tigers smelled blood and would soon add to their lead. A Knowles carry was good to the 24, then a Crook run made it to the 11. Trapp kept the ball himself on the next play, reaching the three yard line, then it was Crook’s turn. He was up the middle for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and with 4:18 left in the first, DeKalb was up 14-0.

On the kickoff, another short kick ended with a fair catch at the Wildcat 37, but once again Livingston could not gain any traction. A low snap resulted in a Trey Coleman run being caught at the 35, then a pass went incomplete. Coffee was caught for a sack back at the 32 on the next play and again the Wildcats had to punt.

The punt went short giving the Tigers the ball at the Livingston 46, and with good field position DeKalb would make them pay. A deep pass to Holden Trapp went incomplete, then a Colby Barnes run took the ball to the 25. Knowles got the ball next and was down at the 16, then a pass to Cross fell incomplete. A Trapp keeper was good to the 11 as the first quarter came to an end, then Knowles ran the ball again down to the seven. Facing a fourth and one, Barnes was handed the ball and powered his way in for six. On the PAT the next kicking problems came into play. The extra point failed, but the Tigers were up 20-0 with 11:51 left in the half.

DeKalb finally kicked the ball deep on the kickoff, with Nathan Cowgill returning to the Wildcat 33. Finding nothing in the running game, Livingston then mounted an air attack and the move seemed to pay off. A pass to Xander Cantrell fell incomplete, then a pass to Cowgill was good to the 38. A pitch to Trey Coleman gave the Wildcats a first down at the 46, then a pass to Jaden Lawrence took the ball to the DeKalb 21. Another pass to Cowgill set the Wildcats up at the nine, then a Coffee keep was good for the touchdown. A pass to Cowgill for the two-point attempt was good, and with 9:50 left in the half the Wildcats were on the board, 20-8.

The Tigers returned the kickoff to their own 30, and quickly answered the Livingston drive with one of their own. A fumbles snap resulted in Trapp being tackled at the line on the first play, but then a pass to Knowles took the ball down to the Wildcat nine. Crook powered his way to the three, then Knowles was handed the ball again, taking it in for the touchdown. The Aranda PAT was no good, but DeKalb led 26-8 with 7:30 left in the half.

Livingston started their next drive at their own 38, where a Coleman run only gained one yard. A pass to Cantrell was then good to the 50, but an illegal man downfield call put the ball back at the 26. A pass to Lucas Roberts on the next play was broken up by Nolan Gottlied. Facing a fourth and 22, the Wildcats punted.

Knowles returned the punt to the Wildcat 28, but a block in the back penalty put the ball back at the DeKalb 48. Things didn’t look promising as the drive began. Trapp was sacked on the first play, giving the Tigers a second and 23 from the 35, but a pass to Greyson Hendrix on the next play was good to midfield. A pass to John Ellis gave DeKalb a first down at the Wildcat 40, then a pass to Barnes was good to the 20. Knowles was handed the ball next and was in for the touchdown, but again a block in the back put the ball back at the 23. It was Briz Trapp’s turn. He kept the ball himself, into the end zone for six. The extra point kick by Chance Carter was good, and the Tigers were up 33-8 with 1:57 left in the half.

On the kick, an illegal man downfield resulted in Livingston starting at their own five. A pass to Lawrence was good to the 35, but a Wil Farris sack on Coffee pushed them back to the 28. From there, a pass to Lawrence once again connected to the 42, then another fell incomplete. On a fourth and three play, a pass to Carson Parrott was stopped at the line, giving DeKalb the ball with 35 seconds left in the half.

Perhaps fearing the time on the clock, Trapp threw a deep pass to Knowles on the next play, which resulted in an interception at the Wildcat seven. Livingston would run one play before the half came to an end.

The Wildcats would get the ball to start the second half, but they wouldn’t have it long. Starting at their own 39, Livingston threw two incompletes before a Coffee keeper ended with a fumble with the Tigers’ Isaiah Harrington recovering at the DeKalb 45. The next play, a handoff to Barnes, was good for 55 yards and the touchdown. The big man, Diego “The Refrigerator” Coronado aided the run with some blocking that left Wildcat defenders laying on the ground. Again, Carter missed the PAT, but the Tigers took a 39-9 lead with 11:15 left in the third.

Livingston next started at their own 34, where a passing play fell incomplete but a roughing call gave them first down at the 49. Keeping to the air, they would reach the Tigers’ 40 before the drive would stall. Coffee was sacked and caught with a grounding call back at the Wildcat 41. A keep was good to the 49, but after another incomplete, they were forced to punt.

The Tigers were backed up at their own nine, but would quickly move the ball. A Crook run was down at the 14, then three more were good to the 25. Knowles took a direct snap on the next play and went 75 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was low and no good, but DeKalb was up, 45-8 with 5:58 left in the third.

The Mercy Rule came into play with the score and the clock began to tick away. The Wildcats would begin their next possession at their own 27, but would have to punt after losing three yards.

The Tigers would keep mostly to the ground, starting from the Livingston 44. They would reach the 40, before themselves having to punt after the fourth quarter began.

The Wildcats would get on the board again on their next drive, stopping the Mercy Rule, but eating up valuable time. Starting at their own 20, Livingston mounted a 12-play drive that would take them to the end zone. A Coffee keep from the one was good for six, and the extra point made the score 45-15 with 3:12 left to play. It was too little, too late.

DeKalb returned to the 27 and simply kept to the ground. Time ticked away and the Tigers took the victory.

“This was a big win,” Head Coach Steve Trapp said after the game. “It was a region victory, so that gives us two wins in region. We want to continue getting better. We’ve had three games in a row where we’ve won and played some good football. It’s good to get all our guys healthy and see the potential of what we can do. Like I told my guys, we’ve still got to get better each and every day.”

The Tigers travel to Warren County next Friday night to take on the Pioneers in a makeup game for the postponed season opener. The game was cancelled after Warren County players were exposed to COVID-19. DeKalb is currently 4-2 on the season, and 2-1 in the region.