No matter the pressure, the Tigers couldn’t be tamed.
For the third game of this still sprouting season, the Tigers found themselves in a hole with a lead to surmount to even the score or take the lead, this time in the fourth quarter as Wellborn led 14-7 with seven minutes to go before the final whistle.
Dadeville stuck to hard-nosed football on its final drive of the night and punched the ball in with a Jay Burns rushing touchdown, following that up with a Burns two-point conversion to grab the lead back and a fourth down stop by Avontae Wilson and company to seal the Tigers’ third region win of the season.
Dadeville walked away with a 22-14 win after the final whistle.
“Two tough physical teams were playing out there tonight. Our kids kept fighting their guts out, their kids were fighting their guts out, but we found a way to win there at the end,” said Dadeville head coach Roger McDonald.
Now 3-0 in the region with one of its toughest games out of the way, Dadeville looks to separate itself as one of two undefeated teams in 3A, Region 4.
A matchup with 3-0 Randolph County looms large on the Tigers’ schedule weeks ahead, but wisely taking the season game by game, McDonald isn’t looking ahead past next Friday’s matchup, “Our next big game is Friday against Notasulga.”
Depending on how the Tigers advance through the rest of their regular season schedule, Friday’s win on the road against a region rival puts the Tigers in an advantageous spot to be in the bidding for at least one home playoff game.
Sign up for our Free Newsletters
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Each team’s first points of the game seemed to be their last for much of the game as neither team could sniff the end zone until the two full quarters passed and a halftime break was spent.
A first quarter fumble by Wellborn on its opening drive was called back for forward progress, but the Panthers’ offense was swiftly shut down and forced to punt the ball away to a Dadeville offense averaging 36 points a game.
Antojuan Woody put on a show in the opening minutes, scoring a 15-yard touchdown from a ball in stride from Dadeville quarterback Jordan Rambo, and snagging an interception on a Wellborn quarterback rollout on the very next drive.
Wellborn tied the game but botched the point after kick, giving the away team the lead for much of the game until a fourth quarter drive off of a Dadeville goal line fumble.
Despite the pressure, the Tigers roared back with only eight minutes left and took the lead with a double scoring effort from Burns. The Tigers were content with tying the game and letting their defense do the talking, but a Wellborn penalty brought the point after attempt within two yards of the goal line. An opportunity McDonald wasn’t going to pass up.
“When we scored, it was 14-13, and we were gonna kick, but they lined up offsides, so we decided to go for two. And that was a big difference, because instead of them being conservative and playing for overtime, they had to try to come score,” McDonald said. “So that was the difference in the game when we scored that two-point conversion.”
Avontae Wilson made his presence known during the final two drives with a tackle in the backfield and pressure on the quarterback which turned into a 50-yard pick six by Daquan Doss. The Panthers’ offense only mustered 14 points against the relentless pursuit of the Tigers defense, their lowest point total of the season even after facing undefeated Anniston.
The Panthers’ final shot at redemption was cut short by linebacker Jace Kirkland who ended the home team’s hopes with a crunch time fourth down stop.
