It was a big night for the DeKalb County High School Tigers football team as they faced off with the Upperman Bees. Not only was the match a big region game with huge implications for the postseason, but it was also the Tennessee Titans Game of the Week, with money going to the winning program. The hometown crowd came out in force for the important home game, to see who would take home “The Oar” in what has become the Battle of Center Hill.

The Tigers would receive the ball to start the game, and right from the beginning it looked as if it would be a close struggle between two evenly matched teams. It soon became apparent that the winner of the game would be the team with the fewest mistakes.

Isaac Knowles returned the ball to the DeKalb 31, and from there the team pushed its way to midfield. A second down keep by Briz Trapp was good to the 39, then a run was good to the 41. Colby Barnes carried the ball to the 45, then another keep took the ball to the 48. On third down, Barnes was handed the ball again, but only reached the 50. On a fourth and one, the Tigers punted.

Upperman started their first possession at their own 20, but would find it hard to get any traction. A run by Terrence Dedmon was stuffed for no gain, then a pass to Zachary Neal was good only to the 26. Dedmon was stuffed again on third down and the Bees were forced to punt.

Knowles fair caught the kick at the 45, where a pass to Knowles on the next play was good all the way to the Upperman 40. The next play, another pass to Knowles was good for the touchdown. The extra point kick by Axel Aranda was good, and with 5:45 left in the first, the Tigers were up 7-0.

On the kickoff, the Bees narrowly avoided disaster after a muffed return ended with a scramble for the ball. Jaxson Bush was able to fall on the ball, setting the Bees up at their own 30. There, a pass to Bush was good to the Tiger 35, then a pass to Brady Smith took them to the 31. A pass to Daniel Metzger took the ball to the 19, then a keeper by QB Ty Dutchess gained one more.

Another Dutchess keep was tackled at the 11, then a Dedmon run was good to the nine. With a first and goal, it looked as if the Bees were poised for a touchdown, but the Tiger defense held fast. Another keep was good to the end zone, but a holding call negated the score. Backed up to the 19, a pass to Jaxson Rollins was back to the nine, then a Rollins run was down at the two. On the next play, Dutchess was caught in the backfield, and on a fourth down as the second quarter began, Upperman went for the field goal. The kick was good and the Bees were on the board, 7-3.

It was at this point in the game that mistakes by both teams started emerging. DeKalb would start their next possession at their own 24, but right off the bat a false start backed them up to the 19. A second down pass to John Ellis would get them out to the 37, but there the drive would stall. On a fourth and seven at the 40 the Tigers would punt.

The Bees would start at their own 40, but their drive would also eventually stall. A sack by Isaiah Harrington, backed them up one, then a pass to Brady Smith was good to the 47. A run by Dedmon was downed at the 49, and on fourth down Upperman went for it. The keep was good to the DeKalb 48. There, a pass to Metger was good to the 40, but on the next play, a fumble by Dutchess was recovered by Harrington at the DeKalb 28.

The Tigers could not cash in on their good luck however, and on a third and one play a false start killed the drive. Facing a fourth and six from their own 32 DeKalb punted.

As the clock ticked down on the half, another sack on Dutchess pretty much killed any hope of scoring before halftime, and the Tigers kept the 7-3 lead.

On the third quarter kickoff, the Bees returned to the DeKalb 49, and with good field position looked to add to the scoreboard. A Rollin run was good to the 46, then a pass to Metzger fell short. The next play, a pass to Rollins, was intercepted by Knowles and run back to the DeKalb 45.

With good field position the Tigers began to move deep into Upperman territory. A Trapp keeper was good to the Bees’ 47, then a Barnes run was good to the 42. A wildcat snap to Knowles was taken to the Upperman 36, then another Trapp keep gained one more. The Tigers ran the wildcat three more times, with Knowles reaching the 27, then the 24, and lastly a fumble but recovered at the 26. On a fourth and one at the 26, the Tigers rolled the dice. Trapp was sacked back at the Bees’ 39.

Upperman was fired up with the stop, but would be unable to convert into points. They would gain only four yards before having to punt on fourth down.

DeKalb wouldn’t do much with their possession either, reaching the 32 before themselves being forced to punt.

With both teams trading field position and possessions, it looked as if an irresistible force was meeting an immoveable object, but soon that theory would be broken. Upperman started their next drive at the 47 and it wouldn’t take long before they were in the end zone for the first time in the game. A carry by Rollins was stopped for a one-yard loss, then a pass to Metzger was good all the way for six. With the extra point, the Bees took the 10-7 lead with 13 seconds left in the third.

It wouldn’t be long for the Tigers to answer. On the kickoff, Barnes returned to the DeKalb 15. There, on a second down play, a Knowles pass to John Ellis was good all the way to the Upperman 38. A Trapp keeper gained two more yards, then a pass to Knowles set the Tigers up at the 15. A holding call backed DeKalb up, then a defensive holding call gave the yards back. Trapp was run out of bounds at the 27 on the next play, but then a pass to Ellis was in for the touchdown. With the extra point, the Tigers regained the 14-10 lead with 9:05 left to play.

It had suddenly became an offensive game, and Upperman was next on the list for points. Starting at their own 26, a Dedmon was good to the 34, then a keeper was good to the 45. A pass to Smith was broken up by Josh May, then a Dedmon carry was taken all the way to the DeKalb 30. A pair of keeps took the ball to the 23, then a Rollins run was down at the 18. The next play, a pass to Jaxson Bush, was good for six. With the extra point, Upperman retook the lead, 17-14, with 5:25 left in the game.

The battle was still raging however and the Tigers looked to answer. Starting at their own 37, a second down wildcat formation saw Knowles down at the Upperman 49. A pass to Knowles fell incomplete on the next play, then tragedy. A Barnes carry was fumbled and recovered by the Bees at the Upperman 45.

With time ticking away on the clock, Upperman was in full control of the game. With combined Dutchess keeps, and carries by Dedmon, the Bees systematically marched down the field. Reaching the DeKalb 32, a Dedmon run was good to the 16, then another was good at the five. A keeper took the ball to the two, then a Rollins carry was good to the touchdown. With the extra point, the Bees took a 23-14 lead with only 39 seconds left to play.

The Tigers would get the ball but it was too late. For the fifth straight year the Upperman Bees claimed “The Battle of Center Hill.”

“We knew if we played the type of football that we could, that this would be the type of game it would be,” Head Coach Steve Trapp said after the game. “How good you would be on first down was going to dictate how good you would be on third down. We had first down penalties, and if we didn’t we had a third down penalty, so that kept us out of whack a little bit.”

“The defense played awesome,” Trapp continued. “We had one blow coverage that allowed them to take the lead, then we’re moving the ball downfield and it’s really tough to have a turnover in that situation. Our guys played extremely hard. As far as their physical and mental effort, it’s probably the best game that we’ve actually played. They were a very quality opponent. We’re going to learn from it and finish the season strong.”

The Tigers are 5-3 on the season, and 2-2 in the region. DeKalb faces Goodpasture next Friday night in their final home game of the season.