by
Scott Shasteen
on Monday, August 27, 2007
Senior all-state linebacker Matt Moran, who also lines up at fullback
on offense, took a swing pass from quarterback Chris Shelton and
dashed 78 yards for a touchdown with 3:11 left in the contest
to give the Lincoln Co. Falcons a hard-fought 22-18 win over the
Tullahoma Wildcats to open the 2007 football season.
The first half of the contest was played on Friday
night at Wilkins Stadium, with Lincoln Co. leading 12-7 at intermission.
It was then that a violent thunderstorm hit the midstate, forcing
the game to be suspended until 3pm Saturday.
Although Tullahoma held the edge in time of possession
and first downs, a familiar foe in the form of big plays snuck
up and bit the Wildcats as it has so often done in the last few
seasons.
The Falcons had 348 total yards to the Wildcats 247,
but 150 of those yards for Lincoln Co. came on just two plays.
Meanwhile, Tullahoma held a 17-9 advantage in first downs and
forced the visitors to kick three field goals when it appeared
each time the Falcons were destined for the end zone.
Except for the two long runs both defenses played exceptionally
well. The Falcons limited the Wildcats to only 77 rushing yards,
with senior quarterback Chris
Bishop accounting for 40 of those net yards. The Wildcat defense,
with nine new starters, allowed 146 yards on the ground.
Lincoln Co. got on the scoreboard first after forcing
Tullahoma into a three-and-out on the first series. A strong punt
return gave Lincoln Co. a short field at the Wildcat 30, but the
Tullahoma defense stiffened early and forced R.J. Sandmeyer, the
best kicker we will see this year, to nail a 42-yard field goal
with 9:01 left in the first quarter and the visitors led 3-0.
On Tullahoma's next series a Falcon defensive back
tipped Bishop's pass
into the hands of teammate Will Golden, and once again the Falcons
had a short field at the Wildcat 20. A holding penalty and a determined
Tullahoma defense forced another field goal, this time from 40
yards, and the Falcons led 6-0 with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
The game turned into an exchange of punts until Bishop
hit Derek Welker with
a 28-yard pass to give Tullahoma a first down at the Falcons'
13 yard line. Bishop
then connected with junior Jared
Olive for a diving touchdown, and Craig
Roper's kick gave the home team a 7-6 lead with 8:42 remaining
in the half.
The lead was short-lived however, as speedy Falcons tailback Britton
Twyman broke loose on the next play from scrimmage and raced 72
yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed,
and despite both teams mounting significant drives the half ended
with the visitors leading 12-7.
The second half, played on a hot and sticky Saturday
afternoon, saw both teams spend the third quarter exchanging punts.
Tullahoma took over with four minutes left and ran 13 plays, but
had to settle for a 30-yard Roper
field goal with 11:50 left in the game to pull within 12-10.
But the Falcons showed their grit, coming right back
and driving to the Tullahoma 25. The Wildcats defense showed its
fans some determination also, forcing another 42-yard field goal
from Sandmeyer with 10:02 remaining to give the Falcons a 15-10
lead.
Tullahoma got a break after its next series stalled,
with Dylan Smith recovering
a Lincoln Co. fumbled punt at the Falcons 43. However, the Wildcats
couldn't capitalize and punted it back. What the turnover did
was change field position, and after Lincoln Co. took over at
its 16 it was again stopped and forced to punt.
Junior Tryston
Horton's 17-yard punt return set the 'Cats up at the Falcons'
38. Bishop hit Welker
for 12 yards, then let a 24-yard pass loose that Olive
made a great sideline catch of. Bishop
punched it in from three yards out, then tacked on the two-point
conversion to give the home team a short-lived 18-15 lead.
The next play made the difference though, as Moran
took the swing pass 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, then
cut back against the grain and outran every Wildcat defender. Bishop
hit junior Derek Lawson
for 19 yards on second down
following the kickoff, giving Wildcat fans a glimmer of hope,
but the drive soon stalled the Tullahoma elected to punt it back
to the visitors, who simply ran out the clock to seal the win.
Tullahoma will take another crack at a Region 3-5A
opponent this week when the Wildcats travel to Winchester to battle
Franklin Co.
