COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Ensworth did at the end of the second half what Baylor couldn’t do at the end of the first.
David Dingess hauled in Drew Parker’s high lob pass in the back of the end zone on the right side of the field with 7.8 seconds to play and Ensworth won the first state championship in the school’s fourth year of varsity football with a 28-21 victory over the Red Raiders in the TSSAA Division II-AA final Thursday at Tennessee Tech University.
The Tigers were in field-goal range at the 11 but decided to take a shot at the end zone. Parker’s pass was into traffic and could’ve been a simultaneous possession with a defender. The referee ruled a catch and a touchdown.
“In the official’s judgement their kid came down with the ball. Our angle was terrible,” said Baylor coach Phillip Massey, who was on the opposite sideline. “He made the call.”