Friday's second-round Tennessee playoff pairings
(All kickoffs at 7 p.m. local time) CLASS 6A Bradley Central (9-2) at Blackman (8-3) CLASS 5A Farragut (10-1) at Rhea County (9-2) Walker Valley (7-4) at Ooltewah (9-2) CLASS 3A East Ridge (6-5) at Red Bank (8-3) Notre Dame (7-4) at Sequatchie County (11-0) CLASS 2A Watertown (10-1) at Marion County (10-1) Meigs County (10-1) at Forrest (10-1) CLASS 1A Fayetteville (9-2) at South Pittsburg (10-1) Whitwell (6-5) at Columbia Academy (10-0) DIVISION II McCallie (7-4) at Brentwood Academy (7-2) Baylor (7-4) at MUS (10-0)
DECATUR, Tenn. - Rebounding from a slow first-half start and an eight-point deficit, Meigs County scored six consecutive touchdowns and finished a 49-14 victory over Jackson County with a running clock.
"We have played so many guys, everybody has been there. Nobody panicked when we got behind," said Meigs coach Jason Fitzgerland, whose team secured the school's first playoff victory in 16 years.
Behind a bruising performance from their offensive line, the Tigers rolled up 424 yards with Zy Moore getting 132, Logan Fowler 118 and Aaron Swafford 73. Martin Smith added 75 on a single carry that accounted for Meigs' final score.
Moore scored three touchdowns, Fowler two plus a pair of 2-point conversions and Swafford and Smith one TD each.
"We like to think we have a three-headed monster back there and any of them can go the distance. And we didn't show it much tonight but we also have a couple or three guys that can catch it," Fitzgerald said.
Winning the toss and electing to receive, Meigs County swept down the field and scored on its first possession with Fowler's 9-yard run capping a 71-yard drive. However, the Tigers missed the PAT, which cost them the lead when Jackson County answered on Tyler Boling's 8-yard run and Ian Finch's kick.
The Blue Devils extended their lead to 14-6 on a 36-yard run by pesky Colby Long, who finished with 91 yards on 15 carries and three receptions for another 37 yards.
And then the visitors' fun was over. In the final 3:35 of the first half, Meigs regained the lead on TD runs by Swafford and Moore.
The Tigers put the passing in their back pocket and slashed and gashed, going up 35-14 by the end of the third quarter on a pair of tackle-breaking runs by Moore.
Fowler added another with a 24-yard burst that took him over the 100-yard mark, and Smith, a sophomore backup at running back and linebacker, split the line with a long dash for the Tigers' final TD.
Meigs had its share of defensive standouts including Conner Pursley, whose blocked punt led to a score. He also had a lost-yardage tackle. Casey Tate had a sack and a lost-yardage hit, Luke Hair recovered a fumble and Jason Vincent intercepted a pass.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.