RINGGOLD, Ga. – Somewhere along the line in what could have been a lost season, the Ringgold Tigers found themselves.
Ringgold (6-4) won its third consecutive game to close out the regular season on a sloppy Friday night at Don Patterson Field, downing North Murray 28-6 to earn Region 6-AAA’s final playoff berth. The Tigers, who will go to the playoffs for the fourth season in succession, will travel to Dawson County next Friday.
“This is big for us,” Ringgold coach Robert Akins said. “We had a slow start and some really major setbacks, but our kids have battled all year. We’re playing better now, especially defensively. We’re excited to have the opportunity to be 0-0 and head over to Dawson County for the playoffs.”
The Mountaineers (4-6) came in with a defensive plan to stop Ringgold’s high-powered passing game. That came at the expense of the run defense, however, and the Tigers’ Dee King took advantage to rush for a season-best 186 yards and two touchdowns.
People either try to blitz us and play man-to-man or zone to stop the pass game,” Akins said. “They were giving us the run and Dee ran hard and the line blocked well. It’s nice to have a run game that can complement our passing.”