Greater Chattanooga area top 10 high school football poll.WHITWELL, Tenn. - Whitwell took a dive Friday night
With a light rain falling on their home field, the victorious Tigers - almost every one of them - took a running start and dived in the mud toward the 50-yard line in a unique celebration of their 19-7 win over Moore County in the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs.
"I haven't done anything like that since I've been big," said running back Clay McHone, who had 19 carries for 107 yards on offense and ended all hopes of a Raiders comeback with an interception. "It may not have been pretty tonight, but it got the job done."
Whitwell 19, Moore County 7
The star: Whitwell senior Jake Sartin scored three touchdowns and rushed for 172 yards on 23 carries.Up next: Whitwell will play at Columbia Academy next Friday.
The first part of a laundry detergent commercial could have been filmed at Vernon Holtzcamp Field. Mud covered the field before kickoff, a steady rain through most of the game blurred the yard lines and Moore County players - who all started with starch white jerseys - were indistinguishable by halftime.
That's just how Whitwell coach R.C. Helton wanted the game - muddy. And the Tigers won their first home playoff game since 1993.
"It wasn't a pretty ballgame, but it was a beautiful ballgame," Helton said. "These young men kept their heads up when they heard negative in the community. They overcame the expectation to not win. They now have an expectation to win."
Senior fullback Jake Sartin participated in the postgame slide. His jersey couldn't get any dirtier. The captain scored three touchdowns and rushed for 172 yards on 23 carries. He earned 91 of those yards in the second half.
Sartin carried the ball seven times on the Tigers' final drive, which he concluded with a 28-yard touchdown. As he had done all night, Sartin followed the lead of his linemen.
"I went to hit the middle linebacker and laid on him for a second," left guard Matthew Carter said. "Then I looked up and Jake was gone."
Sartin's first touchdown ended the opening possession of the game for the Tigers (6-5). Sartin, who crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the season Friday, burst through a hole for a 39-yard score.
Sartin scored again on the first play of the fourth quarter after both defenses held their ground despite little footing. He made an 11-yard run through the right side for a 19-7 lead.
"It's really hard to keep your feet and every time you get tackled you're sliding, but it's very enjoyable," Sartin said. "It was a pretty close game. They made a couple mistakes, and if they didn't it would have been a closer game."
Whitwell's defense held the Raiders (6-5) on fourth down twice in the first quarter. It also forced a fumble and McHone made an interception on the Raiders' final drive, ensuring that he'd get to take a victory dive in the mud.
"I saw the guy going out into the flat and I read the quarterback's eyes," McHone said. "I acted like I didn't have good coverage, but I did."
He slid into the field, safe at home.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.