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Tigers bounce back with 49-20 win
Leading the Tiger rushing attack was James White with 81 yards on 10 carries followed by Roya Campbell with 49 yards on six carries. In the air Daniel Rogers had another good night as he was 8 for 15 for 255 yards with three touchdowns. On the receiving end of Rogers' aerials was Tysean Thompson with five catches for 154 yards and one touchdown; Delvonte Harris with one catch for 44 yards and a touchdown; Kenny Sanders with one catch for 40 yards; and Shed Simmons with one catch for 17 yards. In the kicking game Cameron Dunegan was 4 for 4 in extrapoints while Harrison Lewis was also perfect, going 3 for 3. The only blemish was in the field goal department where Dunegan was 0 for 1 missing wide left on an attempt from 22 yards out.
Tiger Head Coach Jack Hankins was guardedly optimistic following the victory by his charges. "I thought we played much better this week," Hankins said. "Our defense was solid and I thought we showed some improvement on offense as well. Hillcrest was a much improved team over the team we played last season and they brought an abundance of athletes to Anderson Field." Along with the praise Hankins had some challenges for his team as well. "That doesn't mean that I believe we are anywhere near our potential," the Tiger Skipper said. "We still have a long way to go to be where we need to be and one of those areas that is critical is in developing the team chemistry of a champion. Our leaders must lead by example and we all have to be committed to what's best for the team rather than what is best for us as individuals."
After returning the opening kickoff to their own 45 yard line the Hillcrest Jaguars tried a little trickery on the Tigers when the quarterback threw a backwards pass to a slot receiver who in turn through another pass down field to a flanker who was streaking behind the Thomasville secondary. The play covered 35 yards to the Thomasville 20 putting the Jaguars in business deep in Tiger territory. The Jaguar joy was short lived however as the Tigers stopped them on four downs taking over at the 16 yard line. From there the Tigers launched an 84 yard drive that resulted in the first points of the game when Daniel Rogers connected with Tysean Thompson on a 67 yard touchdown pass. Cameron Dunegan added the extra-point and the Tigers were on top 7 - 0 with 7:18 remaining in the first quarter. Neither team could manage to get anything going in their next two series with the Tigers stuffing the Jaguars on both series and the Jaguars shutting Thomasville down on one and picking up a Tiger fumble at the Hillcrest 36 on the other. Things started picking up again following the next Jaguar series that was once again limited to three downs and a punt by the Tiger defense. On the punt Thomasville's Alex Buford took the ball in at his own 39 and raced 33 yards down the sideline to put the Tiger offense in business at the Jaguar 28. From there Roya Campbell broke loose on the second play, rambling 23 yards for the Tigers' second touchdown of the evening. Cameron Dunegan was on the mark again with extra-point and the Tiger lead stood at 14 - 0 with 11:51 to play in the second quarter. After shutting the Jaguars down again on their next series the Tigers wasted little time adding to their lead. Taking over at their own 48 following the Hillcrest punt, Thomasville marched down the field for their third touchdown with a 34 yard Daniel Rogers to Tysean Thompson scoring strike culminating the 52 yard drive. Cameron Dunagan made it three for three and the Tigers led 21 - 0 with 8:53 showing on the second quarter clock. On the ensuing kickoff the Jaguar deep back found a seam in the Tiger coverage and brought the ball back to the Thomasville 45 yard line. From there they mounted their first threat since the opening series of the game. With the Jaguars knocking on the door it looked as though the Tigers had ended the drive on a Courtney Campbell interception at the goal line. Unfortunately in his attempt to bring the ball back out Campbell retreated into the end zone where he was hit and fumbled the ball. The Jaguars fell on the loose ball for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt failed but Hillcrest had cut the Thomasville lead to 21 - 6. Thomasville missed a chance to add to their lead on their next possession, when with 2:02 remaining in the period, a 22 yard field goal attempt by Cameron Dunegan sailed wide left. Following another stop by the their defense, the Tigers managed to add to their lead one more time before intermission when Daniel Rogers hooked up with Delvonte Harris on 44 yard screen pass for a touchdown with :52 remaining. Dunegan tacked on the extra-point and Thomasville took a 28 - 6 lead to the locker room. The Tigers got things started right in the second half, launching a 66 yard drive for another touchdown on their opening possession. Roya Campbell ended the drive with his second touchdown of the night plunging in from one yard out. Harrison Lewis came on for the extra-point and knocked it through to increase the Thomasville lead to 35 - 6 with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter. The Jaguars cut the lead to 35 - 12 with 3:20 remaining in the period when they finished off a 54 yard drive with a 10 yard scoring jaunt. The two point conversion attempt failed. The Tigers answered the Hillcrest score with 10:58 to play in the fourth quarter when James White barreled in from 14 yards out culminating a 52 yard drive. Harrison Lewis' extra-point split the uprights and Thomasville was on top 42 - 12. As the Tigers began to substitute on defense, Hillcrest managed to cut into the lead one more time when they scored on a two yard run with 8:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. A two point conversion attempt was good and the Thomasville lead had been cut to 42 - 20. An onside kick attempt by the Jaguars went out of bounds giving Thomasville the ball at the Tiger 47. At that point, with Thomasville already substituting freely the Jaguars went to their bench as well. The Tigers and Jaguars of the future went toe to toe for the balance of the period with Thomasville adding one more score on a 10 yard scamper by Tevin Pope with 4:35 left in the game. Harrison Lewis was on target again with the extra-point making the final 49 - 20. With their season mark now at 1 - 1 and their region record at 1 - 0, the Tigers continue regional play this week when they travel to Jackson to take on the Aggies in another key match up and the continuation of a in county rivalry that dates back to 1916. The Aggies who are also 1 - 1 on the season and 1 - 0 in the region will be a challenge for the Tigers. "The Jackson Aggies are big on both their offensive and defensive fronts and have a lot of speed and athleticism at their skill positions," Tiger Coach Jack Hankins said. "They are a disciplined and well coached football team that will do their best to pound us. We will need to cut out the turnovers and missed assignment and be at our best if we expect to have a chance to beat them."
The Tiger and Aggie matchup is scheduled for this Friday, September 14, at Legion Field in Jackson with the kick-off set for 7:00 PM.
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