Will Hyden had three tackles for lost yardage, including two sacks, and blocked a punt, all in the first quarter, as Tullahoma outscored Lawrence County 21-7 in the second half to win their Region 4-5A opener 28-14 Thursday night on a muddy, slippery field in Lawrenceburg.
“This game was just like the rest of this week was for us,” said Wildcat Head Coach Coy Sisk after the game. “We had a short week and a sloppy week with all the rain, and that’s how we played tonight – sloppy. But, we are happy to get out of here 1-0 in the region.
“Will Hyden had a great game,” continued Sisk. “He is one of our most focused players, and I’m really happy for him.
Tullahoma (1-0, 4-2) will travel to Fayetteville on Friday for a critical region contest with Lincoln County. The undefeated Falcons head to Pulaski to play Giles County tonight. Next week will be Lincoln County’s first region game, and last year the Falcons edged the Wildcats 42-35 at Wilkins Stadium. Lawrence Co. (0-2, 4-2) travels to Dickson County on Friday.
“I’ve got more blood, sweat, and tears left on that field in Fayetteville than anybody,” added Sisk, who played and coached at Lincoln County.
After a booming 43-yard punt by Aiden Walker on Tullahoma’s first possession, Hyden sacked Lawrence County QB Logan Clayton on third-and-10, forcing a punt. The cardinal and black then marched 54 yards in eight plays, scoring on a six-yard run by QB Lucas Reed. Chase Dodson’s PAT gave the visiting Cats a 7-0 lead with 3:27 left in the first quarter.
After a 33-yard run by Lawrenceburg’s Carter Pettigrew, Hyden dropped the tailback for a one- yard loss. Two plays later, Hyden chased Clayton down for an eight-yard sack. Hyden topped off the first quarter by blocking the Lawrence County punt, setting Tullahoma up at the Lawrence County 13.
However, the Cats couldn’t turn the punt block into points as the home team blocked a THS field goal attempt. Aided by 41 yards in penalties, Lawrenceburg drove 63 yards and tied the game with 9:45 remaining in the first half. The remainder of the half consisted of a Tullahoma turnover, an exchange of punts, and a long Lawrence County drive that died at the Tullahoma 14 as the half ended.
Lawrenceburg received the second-half kickoff, but on their first play, Tullahoma’s Sam Bobo intercepted Clayton at the Lawrenceburg 36-yard line. Following a 13-yard run by Reed, Marvancy Johnson broke loose for a 22-yard touchdown run. Dodson’s PAT gave the Cats a 14-7 lead with 10:23 left in the third quarter.
Tullahoma’s defense forced another punt, and Wildcat Elijah Alexander partially blocked the kick, setting up the offense at the home team’s 43. However, the Cats couldn’t make a first down, and Walker nailed a perfect pooch punt that was downed at the Lawrence County one-yard line.
The THS defense forced another punt, and Tullahoma drove 50 yards in three plays. Johnson scored from 33 yards away, but a holding penalty nullified the TD. Reed found Alex Bobo in the end zone on the next play, and Dodson’s kick gave THS a 21-7 lead with 1:30 left in the third quarter.
To their credit, Lawrence County then drove 90 yards on 13 plays, scoring and pulling within 21- 14 with 10:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. Thirty-five penalty yards stopped Tullahoma’s next drive, but Lawrence County fumbled the punt return and Gavin Seaboldt recovered for the Cats. However, Tullahoma fumbled it back to them at the Lawrence County 18-yard line.
Hyden made his final statement late in the fourth quarter, tackling Pettigrew for a loss, forcing a third-and-11. The home team couldn’t convert, and two plays later, Johnson ended the scoring with a 36-yard run down the Tullahoma sideline. Dodson ended his 4-4 PAT night, setting the final margin at 28-14.
Tullahoma senior Aiden Kelly intercepted a final desperation pass by Lawrence County, and Tullahoma celebrated its first region win.
Unofficially, Johnson finished the night with 119 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He now has 16 touchdowns in six games. Dominick Harris gained 31 yards on five carries, and Reed ran six times for 45 yards and a score. The senior QB also completed 5-11 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bobo caught two for 61 yards and a score, and Seabolt had three catches for 39 yards.
Tullahoma rushed 38 times for 199 yards and completed 5-13 passes for 100 yards. The Cats ran 51 plays for 299 yards. Lawrence County, behind Pettigrew’s 27 carries for 162 yards, rushed 40 times for 170 yards. They completed 5-16 passes for 34 yards, giving them 204 yards on 56 plays.
The only real negative for Tullahoma was being called for 17 penalties that gave Lawrence County 160 free yards.
“We have to work on ourselves this week and get ourselves cleaned up,” concluded Sisk. “A better football team would have beaten us tonight with all those penalties. We’ll work on that this week.”
