
Tigers snare homecoming victory
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Not quite: Sheldon Barnes is denied a touchdown, but quarterback Josh Magaw would take it in on the next play. - photo by Phgoto by Patty Leon
How sweet it is to win, especially at your homecoming game.
The Tigers pounced on the Windsor Forest Knights showing their fans it is too early to count them out.
By the end of the evening, the Tigers had a 31-13 victory and the fans were having their own melee at the concession stand.
In the second offensive drive of the game, the Tigers took the ball 60 yards down field in five plays. Josh Magaw kept the ball and took it in for the first touchdown of the game. Freshman kicker David Miller made the point after, making it a 7-0 game.
In their next offensive drive, the Tigers started from inside the Knights’ 30-yard line. This time, it would be Demario Day who would carry the ball in from the three-yard line and a 14-0 lead.
Just when it looked like the Tigers would get a shutout for the half, the Knights’ quarterback connected a pass to his wide receiver who was unblocked for the run to the touchdown with nine seconds left before the half. But they did not convert the point after and had to settle for just six points on the board to end the half.
Magaw had carried the ball 16 times for 103 yards and Sheldon Barnes had rushed 16 times for 110 yards.
The Tigers did what they set out to do in practice all week. Play physical and execute with little or no penalties. The Knights ended up with eight penalties that cost them 55 yards. The Tigers had only five for 38 yards.
It was Magaw and Day who scored two more touchdowns and Miller made all the extra-point attempts. Miller later kicked a field goal that gave the team the 31 points on the board.
The Knights regrouped late in the fourth quarter and were able to put seven more points on the board, but at the buzzer it was still the Tigers who were in the lead.
It was also late in the fourth quarter a fight broke out by the concession stands, forcing Hinesville police at the game to rush toward the mob. It took several minutes to get the rowdy spectators to return to the bleachers.
The teams, however, played on, oblivious to what took place in the stands.
The Tigers were not there to fight but to win. They ended up 287 rushing yards and 8 passing yards in their 31-13 victory.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Miller said they were going to practice hard all week, simulating what a real game felt like and not just go through the motions. At practice, the team sometimes wore jerseys that matched the color of their upcoming opponents to make it as real as possible to the actual game. It seems all their hard work and intensity paid off.
Now the Tigers need to maintain that fire for the rest of the season as the schedule get more difficult and their opponents more physical.
The Tigers are now 2-4 overall and 2-1 in 3-AAAAA region.
Regional action continues for the Tigers as they travel to Johnson for a Saturday night game next week.
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