After six lead changes through three quarters, Nolensville and Tullahoma held each other scoreless in the fourth, and the Knights marched out of Wilkins Stadium with a 27-19 victory over the Wildcats Friday night at Wilkins Stadium.
Tullahoma (3-2) will face a short week of practice as it prepares to open Region 4-5A
competition with a trip to Lawrence County (0-1, 3-2) on Thursday. Pregame begins at 6:45 p.m. with kickoff at 7 on 93.3 The Duck. Lawrenceburg opened region play with a 38-22 loss to Columbia on Friday.
For the first time this season, the Wildcats went on offense first, and they showed a spark with quarterback Lucas Reed connecting on three passes for 38 yards during the first drive. It ended with a missed 43-yard field goal. On Nolensville’s first possession, Tullahoma’s defense forced a three-and-out.
An illegal shift penalty stalled the next Wildcat drive, but senior Chase Dodson nailed a 49-yard field goal to give the Cats a 3-0 lead. Nolensville bounced right back, driving 80 yards in eight plays to score on a 35-yard run by Josh Hicks, taking a 7-3 lead with 9:10 left in the first half.
Tullahoma answered, taking advantage of a defensive pass interference penalty. Following a nine-yard pass from Patrick Riddle to Julian Cole, Marvancy Johnson rushed 37 yards for his 14th touchdown of the season. Dodson’s PAT gave the Cats a 10-7 lead with 8:06 remaining in the half.
But Nolensville wasn’t through with its explosive plays, driving 80 yards, aided by a personal foul against the Wildcats, and scoring on a 46-yard run by Tristen Lithmexay. The Knights led 14-10 with 6:23 left in the half.
After a punt exchange, including a 50-yarder by Tullahoma’s Aiden Walker, the Wildcats took over with 30 seconds left in the half. Reed found Alex Bobo for 10 yards, but the next three plays gained only eight yards, and as the clock expired, Dodson boomed a 51-yard field goal, closing the gap to 14-13 at intermission. The field goal cleared the crossbar by at least five yards. Dodson earned the Midtown Nutrition Player of the Game.
Nolensville opened the second half like they did the first half, with a three-and-out. Beginning at the Wildcat 30, Johnson rushed for six, Reed hit Cayden Poff for eight, Reed ran for 13, Johnson ran for 16, and Dominick Harris ran for 20 yards. Reed connected with Zion Jeffery for the final four yards, but a two-point conversion attempt failed, and Tullahoma led 19-14 with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter.
After a sack by Tullahoma’s Will Hyden, Nolensville QB Ryan Newell found Andrew Ryan open in the secondary, and Ryan raced for 86 yards and a touchdown. The Knights’ two-point conversion attempt failed on another big defensive play by Hyden. Nolensville led 20-19 with 4:39 remaining in the third quarter.
Tullahoma had three more possessions, but they resulted in two punts and a fourth-down stop. Meanwhile, Nolensville added to the final margin with a 47-yard TD run by Lithmexay with 2:22 left in the third.
The Wildcats drove from their 46-yard line to the Nolensville 12 with four minutes to go, but a third-down sack by the Knights forced the Cats into fourth-and-11, and Tullahoma couldn’t convert. Nolensville successfully ran out the final three minutes to take a 5 to 3 lead in the all- time series between the two teams. They will play again next season in Williamson County.
After winning three of its first five games, all outside region play, four of Tullahoma’s final five games will be against region opponents, including three straight on the road. The Cats won’t play again at home until October 24, when Franklin County visits Wilkins Stadium for homecoming.
Unofficially, Johnson gained 106 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. Reed was 11-17 for 95 yards and a score, and gained 55 yards on 13 carries, and Bobo had five receptions for 53 yards. Tullahoma ran 54 plays for 289 yards, while the Knights ran 38 plays for 370 yards, including 225 rushing.
