Games between the Tigers of DeKalb County and the Purple Tigers of Watertown have always been contentious. The border rival team has always seemed to have DeKalb’s number when it comes to football, and during the first half of this year’s matchup looked to be no different. Miscues and mistakes once again plague DCHS, but their never give up attitude helped them overcome adversity.

Watertown would receive to start the game and the kick return set them up at their own 45. After a couple of runs, a pass to Garner Creswell took the ball to DeKalb territory at the 43. The Purple Tigers would gain only four more yards before a pass to Trent Spradling was intercepted by Tyler Estes at the 30.

With the loss of Tigers’ QB Briz Trapp during last week’s game against Macon, Jordan Parker stood behind center for DeKalb, and the team kept to the ground for its first possession. Colby Barnes was handed the ball for a six yard gain, then lost a yard on the next play. Barnes would carry the ball again, all the way to the end zone, but a holding penalty doomed the score. Holden Trapp would get a turn at a carry next, down at the 37, then, looking to punt on fourth down, a fumble on the snap had Nolan Gottlied pick the ball up and try to pass, only to be intercepted by Kaiden West. West would take it in for six, and with the PAT the Purple Tigers took the first lead 7-0 with 6:45 left in the first.

DeKalb started their next possession at their own 28, and they would reach the 40 before a delay of game penalty backed them up to the 35. There, a fumbled snap resulted in Watertown falling on the ball at the DeKalb 35.

Despite the turnover and good field position, Watertown would not be able to convert to points as the DeKalb D-line held fast. The Purple Tigers would be held for no gain before having to punt themselves.

The DeKalb Tigers were backed up to their own eight yard line, and would once again rely on the legs of Colby Barnes. A Barnes carry was good to the 17, then another to the 24. As the second quarter began, Barnes carried four more times, to the 38, the 41, the 48, then a loss to the 45. On a fourth and four, another fumbled snap ended with Spradling falling on the ball at the DeKalb 25.

Watertown smelled blood on this drive. A pass to Dante Martinez was stopped at the line, then a Kwame Seay run was down at the 22. A Logan Farless carry was good to the 15, then a carry and an incomplete ended for a loss of one. A Kaiden West keeper was good to the two, then another had West in the end zone. With the extra point, Watertown commanded a 14-0 lead with 7:55 left in the half.

DeKalb would return the kickoff to the 24, and looked to have found some footing as the drive progressed. Aided by an off sides call, a Barnes carry was good to the 38, then a Malachi Trapp run took the ball to the Watertown 34. There the drive would stall, and the punt would land in the end zone.

Starting at their own 20, Watertown would lose yards before having to punt themselves back at the 18.

The DeKalb Tigers had good field position on their next possession, starting at the Watertown 48. Holden Trapp would run to the 45, then a pass to Malachi Trapp was downed at the 32. There, a Parker keep was downed at the 29, but a personal foul against Watertown set them up at the 17. Parker was sacked back at the 25 on the next play, then Barnes carried up the sideline back to the 19. Barnes ran once more for one yard, and the Tigers had to settle for a field goal attempt. Juan Ortega’s kick went through the uprights. DeKalb was on the board with 45 seconds left in the half, 14-3.

DeKalb looked to narrow the score even more on the kickoff. Spradling fumbled on the return with DeKalb recovering at the 23. As the second ticked away on the clock, Parker had no choice but to take to the air. Passes went incomplete to Malachi Trapp and Barnes and on a fourth down Ortega was called back to the field. The 40-yard attempt was blocked, leaving the score at 14-3.

While DeKalb was all but shut out of the first half, the second half would be a different story. It would almost be a mirror image of the first half, this time with DeKalb taking advantage of Watertown mistakes.

DeKalb received to start the third, and would fair catch at their own 27. Neither team would get going on their first possessions, each drive ending with a punt.

A blocked punt on DeKalb’s second possession looked menacing, with Watertown falling on the ball at the DeKalb 25, but once again the DeKalb defense stepped up. Watertown would reach the 16, before a fumbled handoff backed them up to the 20. Facing a fourth down, they went for a field goal. A bad snap ended with DeKalb getting the ball at their own 32.

This time DeKalb would finally get things rolling. A second down Barnes carry was good to the 49, then a Parker keeper was down at the 44. A pass to Malachi Trapp was caught, then fumbled, but he was able to pick it up and run to the 39 for a first down. It was all Barnes from there. As the fourth quarter began, a Barnes run was good to the 15, then, another was in for the touchdown. A two-point attempt failed, but DeKalb had cut the lead, 14-9 with 10:47 left in the game.

Misfortune fell on Watertown on their next possession. After a return to their own 30, a lateral fell on the ground, with Ari White falling on the ball. DeKalb would make them pay and take their first lead of the game.

Barnes ran to the 24, then a Malachi Trapp catch took the ball up the sideline for the touchdown. A Parker keep for a two-point conversion was good, and with 7:18 left on the clock DeKalb was up 17-14.

Watertown returned the kick to their own 23, but the DeKalb D-line was fired up. The Purple Tigers managed to reach the 36, before a pass to Farless was downed in the backfield. A sack by Ari White pushed Watertown back to their 30, and facing a fourth down, Watertown punted.

DeKalb would be back at their own 24, and would net just one yard before having to punt. The punt was nearly blocked, but backed Watertown back at their own 24. A pass to Spradling was good to the 29, then a run by Seay was down at the 30. A sack on the next play backed Watertown up at their own 26, and they would line up to punt. The snap would fly over the kicker’s head, and he was tackled in the end zone for a safety. With 2:58 left on the clock, DeKalb’s lead increased 19-14.

With the safety, Watertown had to kick off to DeKalb, and Malachi Trapp would ice the cake. Trapp would initially muff the return but pick it up and run for a 73-yard touchdown. With the extra point and 2:39 left in the game, DeKalb was up 26-14.

In desperation mode, Watertown had one last possession. On a third and seven play, a pass was intercepted by Tyler Estes, with 1:06 left to play. DeKalb would take the 26-14 victory.

Colby Barnes had 30 rushes for 203 yards and a touchdown, while Jordan Parker had five rushes for five yards. Malachi Trapp had five receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, Holden Trapp three for nine yards, and Barnes had one for one yard. Malachi Trapp also had one return for a 73-yard touchdown, while Holden Trapp had one return for two yards.

“With the change at quarterback, tonight’s game was a change for us,” Head Coach Steve Trapp said after the game. “We’ve got some guys that can work with the ball. Now it’s on us as coaches and the coaching staff to get these guys in a position to be successful. It’s these guys’ job to play hard and execute. They played hard tonight and we are where we wanted to be, victorious.”

When asked about adjustments made since the injury to QB Briz Trapp, Coach Trapp said other players are taking up the slack. “Barnes has been our bell cow before, and is probably more so now. It’s the kind of ball we needed to play tonight. Parker stepping in for Briz did what he needed to do. We told him to understand why we’re calling what we’re calling. He had a huge two-point conversion. He’s a hard worker, and is going to continue to get better.”

The Tigers travel to the far away land of Cumberland County next Friday for their next Region game. Game time starts at 7:00 p.m.