Robert Akins admits he worried his team might have a hangover from losing to Rockmart last week with the Region 6-AAA championship on the line in the regular-season finale.
The veteran Ringgold football coach eventually found out Friday night he needn't have bothered to fret.
The Tigers rallied from a four-point halftime deficit against top-10-ranked Hart County to win a first-round GHSA playoff game for only the second time in program history, prevailing 30-21. Ringgold (10-1) intercepted four passes and Kori Dumas rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown to spark the win on Don Patterson Field.
Akins cited a halftime chat with his linemen as a key for the turnaround.
"We are down 14-10, and the offensive and defensive linemen came to me and said, 'Coach, we are stronger than they are,' so we made some adjustments and just took control," Akins said. "I thought our kids would be down some because we were so beat up from last week, but they rose to the occasion. We had several kids out and some others who tried to play injured.
"I really don't know how to describe them except to say they never stop believing."
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school playoffs)
Ringgold dominated early action, using the first of three Landon Eaker field goals and a Mason Parker 21-yard touchdown pass to Ty Gilbert for a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Tigers were going for another score when the Hart County defense forced a fumble, and the Bulldogs scored moments later on Austen Whitworth's touchdown pass to Malachi Kelly.
Things got worse for Ringgold when Whitworth connected with rangy receiver Paul Davis on a 47-yard Hail Mary at the halftime buzzer.
Ringgold quickly answered as Payton Williams scored on a 55-yard screen pass to open the second half, but Whitworth got the lead right back for the Bulldogs on a 18-yard pass to Tanner Ayers. The game turned on the ensuing drive when, after a third-down sack, Eaker nailed a career-best 48-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-20.
"That was a huge play," Akins said. "We could have gotten nothing on that drive, but Landon came through. It seemed to energize us."
A Brandon Orman interception set Ringgold up at the Hart 13-yard line moments later, but the drive stalled and Eaker delivered again, this time from 25 yards, for a 23-21 lead. After the Tigers lost a fumble inside the Hart 10 in the fourth quarter, senior safety Kyle White knocked the ball up in the air on a vicious hit, with Cole Carlock intercepting the pass.
Dumas then sealed the win with a 24-yard touchdown run on fourth down. Ringgold will play at Thomson next week.
Also in Class AAA, top-ranked Monroe Area (11-0) eliminated North Murray (7-4), 55-14.
Class AAAAA
Calhoun 35, Decatur 21: The Yellow Jackets (9-2) trailed 13-0 before rallying in Calhoun as Christian Lewis had two second-quarter touchdown passes. Lewis hit Cole Speer for 11 yards to get within six and moments later hit Quin Smith on a 67-yarder for a 14-13 lead with 31 seconds left in the first half.
The Calhoun lead grew to 21-13 as Lewis hooked up with Speer on a 45-yard pass, but the Bulldogs (8-3) answered when Harrison Hannah scored on a sneak on a drive sparked by a 58-yard screen pass to Jamar Worthy, with the 2-point conversion tying the game.
Calhoun, though, scored twice over the game's next seven plays to take control. Caden Williams ended a two-play drive with a 21-yard scoring run and Dustin Kerns followed by tackling the Decatur punter before he could get a kick off moments later to set the Jackets up at the 20, where Williams needed only one play to make it 35-21.
"They did a good job of making some plays on us early," said Calhoun coach Clay Stephenson, whose team will play next week at Ware County. "We didn't play great, but these kids are resilient and did what they had to do."
Class AAAA
Northwest Whitfield 36, Fayette County 33: The host Bruins (8-3) won the back-and-forth game in Tunnel Hill when Adrian Reyes scored on a 2-yard run with 13 seconds to play. Northwest fell behind 19-7 but scored the game's next 22 points as quarterback Owen Brooker ran for two touchdowns and hit Hudson Gray with a 54-yard touchdown pass.
Fayette County (6-5) rallied behind Javon Graham, who had 199 yards and four touchdowns. His scoring runs of 4 and 2 yards on consecutive drives put the visitors ahead 33-29 with 2:58 left, but the Bruins answered with the touchdown drive capped by Reyes' run.
Brooker ended with 229 yards passing and 94 rushing, with Reyes adding 46 rushing and two scores, Ray Morrison 74 yards on five catches and Braden Morrison 72 yards on seven receptions. Northwest will play at Bainbridge next week.
Luella 20, Heritage 13: The Generals (6-4) used a pair of Kaden Swope touchdown passes to take a 13-7 lead in the second quarter, but Luella tied it by halftime on two field goals. The Lions (8-3) picked off four Heritage passes, three in the second half, including one late in the third quarter that led to Destin Ingram's 17-yard touchdown pass to Markelo Green.
Class AA
Heard County 32, Dade County 27: Heard County's Isaiah O'Neal scored a 1-yard touchdown with just more than two minutes to play to lift the Braves in Trenton.
The host Wolverines (7-4) trailed 26-13 in the third quarter before Brody Cooper connected with Cody Williams on a 16-yard touchdown pass, and Williams three minutes later made it 27-26 in Dade's favor with a 25-yard touchdown run before the visitors put together the winning drive late.
Williams earlier had a 5-yard touchdown run and David Cole a 75-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Cooper.
Haralson County 34, Chattooga 7: Clay Hyatt had touchdown runs of 38, 22, 55 and 19 yards as the Rebels (10-1) eliminated the Indians (5-5). Rowan Burdick scored Chattooga's touchdown on a 17-yard run.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.