WHITWELL, Tenn. - Drive into the heart of this map-dot town and it becomes clear that, at least for now, even Christmas is taking a back seat to the pride the Whitwell High School football team has brought to the community.
Instead of festive green and red holiday trim, many of the storefronts are decorated with Tigers paws, red and white balloons swaying in the breeze and large signs proclaiming to everyone driving along Highway 28 that their team has reached the pinnacle of Tennessee prep football.
Today, for the first time in program history, Whitwell will play for a state championship, taking on Cornersville at noon EST in the TSSAA Class 1A BlueCross Bowl at Tennessee Tech University.
When the team left Thursday evening, it was given a send-off that included emergency vehicles blaring sirens and flashing lights, fireworks lighting up the night sky and hundreds of folks lining the streets to let the Tigers know they were towing the town's hopes with them on the trip to Cookeville.
"These kids have brought a lot of pride to our community," Tigers coach Randall Boldin said. "It has really hit home for a lot of people, and I've even gotten messages from former players who live out of state now and just wanted to reach out and wish us luck. Everywhere you go in town, you can hear people talking about it, and you just know it's a really big deal.
"It makes you proud, but we also know we've got to go finish the job and win it now."
Today's game will mark the ninth time in 12 years that a team from Marion County has played for a state title, an impressive feat for such a small, rural area.
Led by a group of nine senior starters, Whitwell (14-0) has rewritten its program record book this season. Along the way, the Tigers defeated Trousdale County - which finished as the Class 2A state runner-up Thursday - on the road in overtime, snapped a 28-game losing streak to county rival South Pittsburg, then beat the Pirates a second time in double overtime in the quarterfinals before knocking off last year's state champion, Greenback, on a last-second field goal in the semifinals.
As dominant as Whitwell has been against outmanned opponents, the Cardiac Cats have been even more impressive when facing a perennial power, answering each challenge.
"Our kids are resilient," Boldin said. "Our message from day one has been that every play has a life of its own and we want to win each play. Even when they haven't, they have come back to stay the course. We've played some really big games already, and our kids have answered the challenge."
Cornersville (14-0) was last year's 1A state runner-up, losing by 21 points to Greenback, but returned most of its starters to lead the way to a repeat trip to the title game. After giving up 20 points in the season opener, the Bulldogs shut out their next nine opponents and have allowed an average of just 4.5 points per game.
The Bulldogs are led by Mr. Football finalist Cameron Whitaker, who has accounted for more than 20 touchdowns and guides an offense that has averaged 43 points per game.
For Whitwell, which has also averaged 43 points, Hudson Petty has continually proven why he was a Mr. Football semifinalist. One of the more versatile players in 1A, Petty stepped in last week when starting quarterback Warner Ashworth was injured late. Petty completed all five of his passes, including a 66-yard touchdown toss with two minutes remaining and his team trailing. He ran for 108 yards and a pair of scores last week and was responsible for three touchdowns - including the game-winner - in the quarterfinal win.
For the season, Petty has nearly 1,500 total yards and 22 touchdowns and also leads the state in tackles, with 13 for loss and six interceptions. Fellow senior Thundur Roberts, also an all-state selection, is close behind in total tackles, has nine for loss and has forced four fumbles.
"We wouldn't be here without that kid," Boldin said, referring to Petty's versatility. "We can play him anywhere he's needed and have confidence that he can do a really good job for us.
"We have to take care of the ball. Any mistake could be the difference because everything is magnified in this game. I'm really proud of our kids for getting here. Now we have to go get it done one more time."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.