After an impressive 8-2 regular season, the DeKalb County football program has been awarded its first ever home TSSAA State Playoff game.  The Tigers will host Giles County (7-3, 6-2 in District 12-AA) located in Pulaski, Tn.  DeKalb County earned a number four seeding in the bracket, while the Bobcats are close behind with a number five seed.

This will be only the second all-time meeting between the two schools.  They first met back in 1996 (former coach Chris Vance’s first season as head coach at DCHS) in the first round of the State Playoffs.  Giles County hosted the game and had no problems moving on as they went on to win by a final score of 27-0.

The Bobcats have been a different team on the road versus at home this season where they went just 3-3.  Their three losses came at Lincoln County, Marshall County and Lewis County, two of those three teams made the playoffs.  In fact, five of the Bobcats 2011 opponents made it to the playoffs, while just two of the teams DeKalb County faced are in-Smith County and Livingston Academy.

For Giles County, junior quarterback, Al Cobb (6-2, 175) poses as a duel threat offensively.  Cobb has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards this season with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.  He has also rushed for 748 yards, along with six more scores.  The Tigers will have to spy the talented QB if they want to slow down Cobb and the Bobcat offense who averages 26 points per game.  Delvin Polk (5-4, 164) has been another weapon on the ground for Giles County this season.  Polk has ran for over 600 yards, including 10 touchdowns.  Cobb has a pair of talented receivers as his favorite targets, Kenton Baker (5-7,150) and Ben Bates (5-10, 175).  Baker has caught nine TD passes and has totaled nearly 1,000 yards in 2011.  Bates on the other hand has 536 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

On the other hand, the Tigers have been more of a balanced attack in 2011.  Lucas Phillips threw for more than 1,500 yards, however, also rushed for more than 500.  Phillips had 17 TD tosses and five rushing scores, while throwing nine interceptions.  As a team, DeKalb County rushed for 25 touchdowns on over 1,700 yards.  Phillips main target in the air attack has been Will Molander who caught five TD passes to go along with his 728 yards.  Zach Taylor had one more touchdown reception with six as Phillips and Taylor had good chemistry when the Tigers were in the red zone.  Defensively, DC will look for Sebastian Phillips and Eli Gill to lead the team and stuff the ground attack from the Bobcats.

Look for the Tigers to have an advantage on special teams as they have shown the ability to score plenty in this phase of the game also.  Taylor’s ability to kickoff into the end zone will aid the Tigers defense and his ability to kick field goals from 40 plus yards gives DC an edge on special teams.

The winner of this game will face the winner of the East Hamilton(6-4, #1 seed) and Brainerd (5-5, #8 seed).  The lower seeded team will get the home field advantage.  With the addition of the new bleachers, there will be extra seating and the weather is predicted to be a little warmer than last week.  So come out in full force to support the Tigers in their first ever home playoff game.  Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Lucas Phillip tries to hang on to the football as he is sacked by Livingston Academy on Friday night. (Tisha Self Photo)

DeKalb County ran into a determined Livingston Academy team this past Friday night as the Wildcats rushed for nearly 250 yards and ran up over 400 total yards of offense, on the normally strong Tiger defense.  Livingston claimed the number two spot in District 8-AA, behind Smith County who was 10-0 overall and 5-0 in District 8-AA, with a 42-7 thrashing of the Black and Gold.  Both teams ended the regular season with an 8-2 mark; however, LA posted a 4-1 record inside the district, while DeKalb managed a 3-2 record.

The Tigers came into the contest only allowing 15.8 points per game in their first nine games of the 2011 season, while scoring an average of 37.6 points per game.  Both statistics were a far cry from

Jacob Parsley turns and look for running room after making a catch against LA. (Tisha Self Photo)

what took place on the field in the regular season finale.  Despite the loss, DeKalb County still managed to land a home TSSAA State Playoff game, the first in school history!  Giles County will bring their 7-3 record to Smithville this Friday night in what is sure to be an electric environment.  Livingston Academy will also host a playoff game on Friday as well, when Gibbs County (6-4) will visit

Livingston.

Last Friday, LA took the opening kickoff and marched 82 yards, in nine plays (all on the ground) to take an early 7-0 lead over the Tigers.  After DC failed to convert their first third down try of the contest, Zach Taylor punted the football back to the Wildcats.  From there, it appeared as if DeKalb County’s defense forced a quick three-and-out; however, a roughing the punter penalty gave the visitors 15 extra yards and a first down.  Four plays later, Curtis Hayes had his second rushing TD of the quarter and Livingston Academy led 14-0 with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter.

Will Molander tries to split a pair of Livingston defenders in Friday's 4-7 loss. (Tisha Self Photo)

The Tiger offense made the most of its second opportunity.  Return man, Will Molander gave the Tigers excellent field position after a 31-yard kickoff return.  The Black and Gold set up shot at the LA 49 yard line and scored on a three-yard touchdown run by Taylor nine plays later.  DC now trailed just 14-7, with 8:41 left in the first half.

The Wildcats jumped back up by two TD’s as quarterback, Brock McCoin reeled off a 10-yard touchdown run at the 5:12 mark of the second quarter.  This drive covered 65 yards, all on the ground and gave LA a 21-7 lead.  With just over five minutes remaining in the half, the Tigers offense looked to make it a one score game and perhaps even things up, as they would receive the ball first in the third quarter.  However, Sebastian Phillips’ six-yard run on a second-and-goal play was marked down just short of the goal line and time expired as the Black and Gold were out of timeouts.

Cody Puckett (3) and Alex Hayes (9) give chase to Wildcat QB, Brock McCoin. (Tisha Self Photo)

Who knows how much this may have deflated the team, but it looked as if there was a different team playing in the second half.  DC was driving on the opening possession of the third quarter, however, some miscommunication resulted in a Lucas Phillips interception as his receiver was not looking for the football.  The Wildcats turned the miscue into seven points as McCoin picked up his second rushing TD of the game, which gave the visitors a 28-7 lead.  Livingston scored on its next two possessions and went on to win the game 42-7.  The victory earned the Wildcats second place in District 8-AA, as well as their 13^th straight win over the Tigers.

DeKalb County will have to put this disappointing loss behind them quickly and use it for motivation to get ready for a good Giles County team that will be in here on Friday night for the historic first ever playoff game in school history.  Come on out and support the team as they look to make a push deep into the playoffs and compete for a State Championship.

After getting a week of rest, the DeKalb County Tigers (8-1, 3-1 in District 8-AA) will look to match the best regular season in school history.  The Tigers will take on district foe, Livingston Academy (7-2, 3-1 in District 8-AA) this Friday night in Smithville.  The winner will clinch the number two spot in the district and be assured a home playoff game.  Smith County has already locked up the top spot in District 8-AA.

DeKalb County has had two previous seasons in which they finished the regular season 9-1 (1973 and 1979).  In 1973 the Black and Gold finished the regular season 9-1, only to lose in the Lion Bowl 34-18, to Jackson County.  The 1979 team started out 9-0 before losing to York Institute 7-0 in the regular season finale, then dropping a heartbreaking 7-6 game to Goodpasture, in the Industrial Bowl.  Both teams ended the season 9-2.

Seastian Phillips (44) chases Livingston Academy's Creed Hayes (2) in last year's 31-19 loss to the Wildcats. (Tisha Self Photo)

The Tigers will have to break a 12-game losing streak to the Wildcats in order to top those two teams of the past.  A streak that dates all the way back to 1995 and has continued through last year’s 31-19 loss in Livingston.  The last DC win in the series came way back in 1994, 32-14 at LA.  The Wildcats lead the overall series 21-11, which dates back to 1975.  DeKalb County is 7-9 versus the Wildcats in Smithville, while their record stands at 4-12 while playing in at Livingston Academy.

If you like to compare common opponents, this is a good matchup for you.  The two teams have five common Opponents-Smith County, Upperman, Cannon County, York Institute and Macon County.  Of course, both teams were knocked off by Smith County.  Livingston fell 19-7 in their own back yard, back on September 2^nd, while everyone knows the Tigers only loss came via the Owls 50-30, in Carthage.

The two teams have beaten three of the same teams – Cannon County, Upperman and York Institute.  The Wildcats knocked off Upperman 38-14, in Baxter, while the Tigers hammered the Bees 63-14, in Smithville.  Both teams traveled to Jamestown where LA won by a score of 37-8 and DeKalb County won similarly, 37-10.  Cannon County didn’t pose much a threat for either team as Livingston won 62-16 and DeKalb won 56-6, both in Woodbury.

Lucas Phillips (18) and Gage Brown (50) celebrate after a touchdown in last year's game in Livingston. (Tisha Self Photo)

The only team in which the outcome was not the same was Macon County.  The Tigers came from behind to defeat Macon County 31-25 on October 7^th, in Lafayette.  Livingston Academy laid a goose egg in Lafayette last Friday night as they fell 19-0.

The Wildcats have two major offensive players that the Tigers will need to slow down in order to win the game, running back Creed Hayes and quarterback, Brock McCoin.  Look for a strong running attack from the Wildcats as they like to run Hayes behind that big offensive line, as well as McCoin on plenty of option reads.

Come out and support the Tigers this Friday and help Coach Trapp and his staff break the 12-game losing streak and keep momentum heading into the playoffs.  Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Head to Head - Dylan Freeney wins this battle as he plows in for his second TD of the night. Freeney had 78 yards and two TD's in the game.(Tisha Self Photo)

Smithville — The DeKalb County Tigers ran their record to 8-1 on Friday as they pounded the Upperman Bees 63-14.  It was a game that saw DC score on five-of-seven first half possessions and take control early, while the Black and Gold defense continued its dominance forcing four first half turnovers and seven total in the contest.  Quarterback, Lucas Phillips threw for 220 yards, including five touchdowns to five different receivers against just one interception.  Dylan Freeney kept the Bee defense in check as he rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns.

Zach Thompson looks toward the end zone after catching the pass last Friday night. Thompson had one reception for 53 yards and a touchdown. (Tisha Self Photo)

The game started very quickly for DeKalb County as Phillips hit Zach Taylor for a 28-yard touchdown strike with 10:09 left in the first quarter.  After the ensuing kickoff, Will Molander intercepted the Conner York pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.  With just two minutes gone in the game, DC led 14-0.

After the Tiger defense forced Upperman off the field two straight trips without a first down, the offense went back to work.  Phillips found Molander on the first play of the series for a 57-yard bomb.  The score gave the home team a commanding 21-0 lead, with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.  The Bees managed to get on the board with 1:12 left in the opening quarter as York hit Tyler Hadynski for a 61-yard touchdown.  However, the pass was thrown up for grabs and the DC defense  just mistimed  its jump, which allowed Hadynski to come down with the football and take it the distance to cut the Tiger lead to 21-7.

The Black and Gold battled right back as they marched 63 yards, in six plays.  Freeney rumbled his way across the goal line on a 14-yard run which put the Tigers back up by three scores.  After a Cody Puckett interception on the Bees next play, DC committed its only turnover of the night as Joey Butler picked off the Phillips pass attempt.  However, three plays later, Ricky Spare came up with a fumble recovery, which gave the football right back to the home team.  From there, Phillips hit Zach Thompson for a 53-yard touchdown pass.  The TD gave DeKalb County a 35-7 lead, with 9:24 remaining in the second period.

Caleb Cantrell (68) picks up the Upperman fumble as Zach Taylor (24) looks on. (Tisha Self Photo)

The sixth touchdown of the half came after Jake Odom recovered another Bee fumble at the Upperman 26 yard line.  This time it was the Phillips to Phillips connection.  Lucas Phillips hit older brother, Sebastian Phillips on a 24-yard touchdown strike with 8:29 left in the first half.  This made the score 42-7, after Zach Taylor’s sixth PAT of the half.

Upperman managed to sustain a lengthy drive, which kept the DC offense off the field.  The Bees kept ball the rest of the quarter on a 13-play, 80 yard scoring drive just before the half ended.  York, on a QB keeper, snuck across the goal line on a fourth down play that was questionable on whether or not it actually was a TD.  However, Upperman was awarded the score and cut into the Tiger lead as they now trailed 42-14, at halftime.

The third quarter started right where the first half left off- with another Upperman turnover.  Caleb Cantrell pounced on this Bee fumble and was dragged down at the Bee 24-yard line.  Four plays later, Freeney found the goal line for the second time in the game as he scooted in from four yard out.  Taylor’s PAT made the score 49-14 and allowed the mercy rule to go into effect, which will really shorten a game as the clock runs unless there is a timeout on the field of play.

Jason Judkins streaks in for the touchdown in DC's 63-14 win over Upperman. (Tisha Self Photo)

Phillips slung his fifth and final score of the game at the 11:15 mark of the fourth quarter.  He found Jason Judkins for 13 yards and the touchdown.  With the game being well in hand, Coach Trapp used mass substitutions allowing his younger guys some action.  They picked up right where the regulars left off, marching nine plays, 30 yards for the game’s final touchdown.  Luke Boss had an apparent seven-yard TD run when he fumbled just as he crossed the goal line and ball bounced right into the hands of Sam Giles, who was credited with the score.  This made the final score of 63-14.

The Tigers will enjoy a week off before taking on Livingston Academy in Smithville on October 28th.  Each team has only one loss on the season, as both teams fell to Smith County.

The DeKalb County Tigers (7-1 overall, 2-1 in District 8-AA) will return home this week after a four game stint on the road, in which the team boasted a 3-1 mark.  The Tigers will play host to the Upperman Bees (3-5 overall, 1-2 in District 8-AA), a team that started out 3-1, but have dropped their last four games.

Sebastin Phillips (44) led the defensive charge in last year's 26-2 win. (Tisha Self Photo)

The Bees and Tigers have two common opponents this season- Smith County and York Institute.  Both teams got the same results in those games, a loss to the Owls and a victory over the Dragons.  Upperman defeated York back on September 2^nd in Baxter by a final score of 34-15, while DeKalb County hammered the Dragons 30-14 two weeks ago.  Of course, DC’s only loss of the season was a 50-30 loss in Carthage, while Upperman fell 45-0 at home to Smith County two weeks ago.

The Tigers have defeated Upperman in the last four meetings, including last year’s 26-2 victory in Baxter.  The Black and Gold own a 17-13-2 record against the Bees, dating back to 1963; including a 0-0 tie in 1966 and another 0-0 tie in 1968.  Prior to DC’s four game winning streak, which started in 2007, the Bees were winners of eight straight from 1997 through 2006.  DeKalb County has a 9-7 mark against the Bees in Smithville, while they are 7-6-2 in Baxter.  The Black and Gold are 1-0 on neutral sites, a 33-14 win at Tennessee Tech in 2009.

Dylan Freeney in action last year in Baxter. (Tisha Self Photo)

Upperman comes into the game with a balanced offensive attack, averaging 178 yards through the air and 125 yards per game on the ground, while scoring 23 ppg.  Sophomore, Conner York (6-0, 155 lbs.) leads the team at the quarterback position.  He has thrown for 1427 yards, 13 TD’s and 5INT’s this season, including 319 yards last week, against Grundy County.  York is also dangerous with his legs, as he has piled up 414 rushing yards, along with five rushing TD’s.  York’s favorite target is senior, Tyler Hadynski (6-2, 170 lbs.) who had totaled 639 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season, not to mention 129 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

It should be an exciting game as the Tiger defense will look to slow down Conner York and the Upperman offense, while Lucas Phillips and the offense look to continue their good play.  If DeKalb County can win its two remaining games, it will be the best regular season finish in school history.

Will Molander may be small, but he gets up pretty well while defending 6-3, Tyler Manning. (Tisha Self Photo)

Lafayette,TN — Wow!  If you like excitement, then the DeKalb/ Macon game was the place for you on Friday night.  The fourth quarter saw more twists and turns than some teams see in an entire season.  The Black and Gold led the entire second half until Macon County head coach, Mark Pemberton decided to try  a gutsy two-point conversion attempt, after an unlikely touchdown that pulled the home team to within a single point.  DeKalb County went on to win the game, 31-25 in dramatic fashion, as Lucas Phillps scored the winning touchdown with just 9.9 seconds in the game.

The game did not start the way defensive coach, Don Berninger had in mind.  After receiving the opening kickoff, MC easily marched straight down the field, 65 yards and eight plays for the game’s first score.  Nevertheless, the Black and Gold offense came out strong as well.  After Lucas Phillips moved his team down the field through the air, he capped the drive off with a five-yard QB keeper to tie the game with 5:39 left in the first quarter.

The home Tigers appeared to have a solid game plan, at least offensively, as they needed just seven plays on their next possession to find the goal line.  Dallas Clark found Jacob Salyer on an 11-yard TD pass with 3:17 remaining in the opening quarter.  MC to this point had run 15 plays doing pretty much what they wanted.  However, that lead lasted all of about two seconds as senior, Zach Taylor took the ensuing kickoff 91 yard to pay dirt, knotting the game at 14 apiece.

Alex Hayes came up with another big DC interception for the Tigers this Friday. (Tisha Self Photo)

Coach Berninger settled his defense and did not allow another point in the first half getting a couple of three-and-outs along the way.  Alex Hayes made the biggest play for the defense as he picked off a Dallas Grace pass on his own 10-yard line and returned it out to midfield.  The offense capitalized on the Hayes interception, marching down the field in just four plays and scoring on a 13-yard run by Dylan Freeney.  The score gave  DC a 21-14 lead at the 2:08 mark of the second quarter, which stood till halftime.

DeKalb County took the second half kickoff and drove into Macon territory before stalling out.  MC took possession and rushed the football the next 14 plays eating up most of the third quarter clock.  The home team pulled to within four points, 21-17, on the 15th play as Carson Cook connected on a 29-yard field goal with 50 second remaining in the  quarter.  Taylor answered the MC field goal with one of his own as the Black and Gold’s drive stalled out inside the Macon County 20 yard line.  The 34-yard kick put DC back in front by a touchdown at 24-17, with 10:47 left in the game.

Dylan Freeney dives for extra yards in his teams 31-25 thrilling victory over MC. (Tisha Self Photo)

Each team squandered their next opportunity to score, but Macon stepped up with their final possession as they started a drive from their own 20 yard line and marched 80 yards for the score.  The drive proved to be somewhat fortuitous as Macon County fumbled twice in the drive only to regain possession both times.  The first came on a fourth-and-four from their own 41 yard line, in which the ball trickled out of bounds allowing the home team to retain possession.  The second came as the DC defense appeared to have forced a turnover as Macon County fumbled inside the DeKalb County five-yard line; however, a fortunate roll for the home team saw Tyler Manning pounce on the football in the end zone for the score.  After a timeout and some heavy thought by the MC coaching staff, Dallas Grace found Jacob Salyer on the two-point try, which gave MC a 25-24 lead, with just 1:22 remaining in the game.

Caleb Cantrell (68) protects his QB, Lucas Phillips in Friday night action. (Tisha Self Photo)

If DC is a team that wants to go deep in the playoffs this season, this was the perfect opportunity to test their hearts and attitudes and see how they would respond to such a devastating blow in a game they had controlled throughout the evening.  After the kickoff, the Tigers had the football on their own 36 yard line with 1:21 left in the game and needed roughly 30-35 yards to get into field goal range for Taylor.  The first play saw Lucas Phillips hit Will Molander for  12 yards, while the duo hooked up again on the second play, this time for 11 yards.  Molander caught the ball and headed for the sidelines to stop the clock when he was hit two steps out of bounds- a “no call” as had been the case most of the night.  Anyway, Phillips found Taylor on the next play from scrimmage for 14 yards down to the 27 yard line, well within field goal range.

Zach Taylor during his 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. (Tisha Self Photo)

Coach Trapp decided to keep the ball on the ground to chew up the remaining few seconds and give Taylor the chance to win it with a kick.  However, on a third-and-10 play from the MC 27 yard line, Lucas Phillips was just trying to push forward for a little closer field goal on the QB keeper, but rambled all the way across the goal line for the winning score.  It came with just 9.9 tics left in the game!

Macon County had one final play to try for a miracle win, but was disappointed as Dallas Grace’s pass was picked off by Cody Puckett ending the game and giving DeKalb County the 31-25 victory.

MC falls to 3-4 on the season, while the Black and Gold improve to 7-1 and will host Upperman next Friday, in Smithville for a District 8-AA showdown.

Eli Gill attempts to block the Macon County kick. (Tisha Self Photo)

Friday night DeKalb County will take its 6-1 record outside of District 8-AA as they travel to Lafayette to take on Macon County (3-3 overall, 2-1 in District 9-AA).  The Black and Gold will look for some revenge after being embarrassed by last year’s 55-14 home defeat.  DeKalb County leads the overall series 14-8, including an 8-3 mark while playing in Lafayette.  DC holds a slight 6-5 advantage in Smithville.  The series dates back to 1985 when the two Tigers first met and it has been a series of streaks with DeKalb winning the first five meetings.  Before last year’s disaster, DC had won three straight over the Macon Tigers.  Before that, MC had a six game winning streak from 2001 to 2006.  Prior to that streak, DeKalb County dominated for five years.  Hopefully, the Black and Gold can right the ship and get back into the win column vs. Macon County this week.

Doing that may be easier said than done.  Despite being just 3-3 on the season, MC is a pretty good football team and a big football team.  Their three loses have come from some pretty stiff completion in Trousdale County, Goodpasture and Smith County, teams with a combined 15-4 record.  The three wins came via Jo Byrns, Sycamore and Greenbrier, which carry a decent combined record of 10-10.  The one common opponent is Smith County, who knocked off both Tigers.  For DeKalb County, the 50-30 loss was their only of the season, while the Owls defeated MC 38-21.  Both games were played in Carthage.

Macon County has six players that are 6-2 or better, including their senior quarterback, Dallas Grace (6-3, 190) and two receivers and two tight ends.  Grace is completing   58 percent of his passes this season and has nine touchdowns versus just three interceptions and five rushing touchdowns as well.    Grace’s favorite target is senior wide out, Tyler Manning (6-3,175).  Manning has 685 receiving yards this season along with six touchdowns.  The Tigers, however, have a balanced attack as they also average 150 yards per game rushing.  Leading the way is senior tailback, Jessee Newberry (5-8,190) and junior, Tyler Drown (5-9,215).  Between the two, they have nearly 100 carries for just fewer than 500 yards and four touchdowns.

“There size will be a challenge for our football team,” said DC head coach, Steve Trapp.  “ They are good football team and very well coached.  Our guys will be ready for it after they pretty much embarrassed us last year at home.  We are going down there to play a good football team, they (Macon County) will be playing a good football team and we are going to rise to the occasion and play as hard as we can.  I hope we can put four quarters of good football together this week.  We have played really good at times, but have not played a complete game yet.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.