Despite a disappointing regular season this year, 2018 Class 1A state champion Whitwell proved it still has plenty of fight left.
The Tigers put together the biggest upset of the first round of the TSSAA football playoffs in any classification Friday night, traveling to fourth-ranked Monterey and winning 21-7 against the previously unbeaten Wildcats.
Whitwell jumped out to a 14-0 first-half lead, and after Monterey cut the deficit in half just before halftime, the Tigers added a fourth-quarter score and made the lead stand.
After recovering a fumble on the game’s opening possession, Whitwell needed just one play to find the end zone as Brandon Hammill connected with Cole Burns on a 25-yard touchdown pass.
On the Tigers’ next possession, they covered 83 yards in five plays, with Trenton Stockwell scoring on a 58-yard run for a two-score lead late in the first quarter.