RINGGOLD, Ga. — On one hand, Ringgold's win over Northwest Whitfield on Friday night featured a furious second-half rally as the Tigers came back after being down 14 points and hardly moving the ball.
On the other hand, both coaching staffs will have plenty of teachable moments to discuss with their players after a bizarre final 18 minutes at Don Patterson Field that featured a multitude of mistakes by both teams.
The Tigers made fewer, allowing them to win 21-17 for their first victory over the Bruins since 2014. Northwest lost for the first time after a 2-0 start.
"Well, the execution wasn't always there tonight, but that was a great football team on the other side," said Austin Crisp, who improved to 2-0 in his first season as Ringgold's head coach. "Our new word is grit. That's what every single player on this team has, and they showed it tonight."
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area prep football games)
Consider that in the final quarter and a half:
› A Ringgold running game that had lost 11 yards in its previous eight attempts managed to gain 60 in its next four plays to cut Northwest's lead to 17-9 in the third.
› The Tigers missed the extra-point attempt.
› A Northwest option play four plays later resulted in a pitch behind the running back that was scooped up by Ringgold's Haddon Fries and returned 35 yards for a touchdown.
› The Tigers missed the ensuing 2-point try.
› Northwest quarterback Gavin Nuckolls scrambled for what would have been a major gain inside the Ringgold 20, but a massive illegal crackback block and hit to the head resulted in 30 yards of penalties. Moments later, Ringgold's Kishaun Taylor returned the punt 33 yards to the Northwest 37.
› Two plays into the final quarter, a Ringgold false start penalty negated a touchdown. The Tigers had to settle for a Manny Saldana field goal and an 18-17 lead.
› A snap over the head of the Northwest punter moments later lost 21 yards and set Ringgold up at the Bruins' 28.
› The Tigers reached the 6 but were stuffed on fourth-and-2 with 5:19 left, giving the ball back.
› The Bruins elected to go for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 15, but heavy pressure from Ringgold's Bryce Hart forced a turnover on downs.
› The Ringgold drive quickly stalled on a personal foul, and a 38-yard field goal was missed. Saldana, however, was roughed on the play and ended up four plays later kicking a 25-yarder for a 21-17 lead with 1:04 left.
› The Bruins, behind the dangerous Nuckolls, moved to the Ringgold 24 with 18 seconds left, but a fumble on a sack — which was fumbled by Ringgold after a long return (but also recovered by the Tigers) — ended the drive and sealed the win.
"We were down a bit and were facing probably the best defense we'll see all year, so to come back and win this game says everything about this team," Crisp said with a large exhale. "Also, hats off to our defense for holding a team that's averaged 47 points in two wins to just 17."
Nuckolls finished with 248 yards on 23-for-38 passing, including touchdowns of 27 yards to Akendris Douglas and 45 to Hudson Gray to cap the team's first drive of the second half. He was 4-for-5 on the next drive to set up J.J. Plaza's short field goal and what seemed like a commanding 17-3 lead.
The Tigers, however, used a 34-yard run by quarterback Garrett Edgar — resulting in just their third first down at the time — and a 20-yard touchdown run by Taylor to get right back in it, setting up the wild finish.
Fries ended with 97 tough yards on 20 carries, while Braxton Holtcamp had 86 yards on three catches for the Tigers. Douglas had 124 yards on 10 catches to lead the Bruins.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.