BENTON, Tenn. – More than halfway through the season, Whitwell’s starters are still waiting for a full four-quarter test.
Class 1A’s fifth-ranked Tigers came in and spoiled Polk County’s homecoming festivities with an impressive 49-25 nonregion win at the Larry G. Davis football complex.
Although it was the first game they didn’t invoke the mercy rule, coming in with an average 45-point win margin, the Tigers (6-0) still had pulled their starters by the midway point of the fourth period. They had reached the end zone with both long, sustained drives and lightning-fast quick strikes in building a commanding 35-7 halftime lead over the 2A hosts, who fell to 4-2.
“I thought both sides of the ball played lights-out tonight,” Whitwell coach Randall Boldin said. “We love the home run plays and that’s what our offense is designed for, but our defense really got after them and made some big plays.
“The offense and defense feed off each other because so many of our kids go both ways, so whenever we would get a turnover, we wanted to capitalize with points, and we did that.”