Last Friday the Tigers fought long and hard for the victory as they went up against the Florence Eagles.
The Tigers have had a consistent win streak against the Eagles over the past four years, beating them 4-0 as of this past Friday. Their most recent bout ended with the Tigers securing the victory in overtime, thanks to their star kicker Daniel Smith, who kicked the extra point giving the Tigers a 42 to 41 win.
Going into the game the Tigers were completely ready for whatever was to come. Assistant Coach Mat Turner in a pre-game interview about the probability of the Tigers winning, stated,“We have prepared adequately for tonight but only the boys’ efforts will determine.” He made a additional comment on the Tigers’ loss the week prior: “Hopefully it humbled them. I sure hope the loss of last week influenced them for the better.”
With heavy spirits but an even heavier desire for the win, the Tigers satisfied that hunger and fought hard for the spoils of victory.
The game started with the ball in the Tigers’ possession. They set up their running back Jay Ulmer (#1) to secure the first touchdown of the game, with kicker Daniel Smith making the fieldgoal for a Tiger lead of 7-0. The quarter proceeded to a stale mate as Florence scored a touchdown and extra point of their own, evening the score 7-7.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Florence scored a touchdown bringing the score 14-7. The Tigers returned with a sense of urgency on defense and offense, bringing in a touchdown and extra point.
The game became intense and at the end of the second quarter the Tigers led 21-14.
During halftime Florence’s band performed their show “The Machine.” It was well received by the Eagles fans in attendance and some of the Tigers fans. Mendenhall’s marching band performed part one, two, and three of their show, “Journey of man.” Both bands have shown great improvement over the season with each of their individual shows.
The third quarter showed little progress scoring-wise. Both teams managed to keep each other at a standstill while the Tigers still had the upper hand with more points, but that would not be the case for much longer. The Eagles had a plan that would come to fruition in the fourth quarter, which became a thrilling sight to behold for everyone in attendance. The Eagles snagged two touchdowns and made the extra points each time, making the score 28-28 and sending the game into overtime. The Tigers did not allow this to hinder their determination for a win.
The rules decided for the overtime were similar to college. Each team would have a chance to score until the other did not score again. The teams went back and forth until the referees decided to go into a second overtime.
The second overtime was the most stressful part of the game overall. The Eagles made several successful plays but were flagged multiple times. The Tigers showed they meant business when they blocked multiple extra point attempts by the Eagles.
When The Tigers finally got the ball they broke through the Eagle defense, thanks to Jay Ulmer #1. The final moments were decided with an astonishing extra point that was successful thanks to Tiger kicker Daniel Smith.
The Tigers celebrated their victory in joining an interview with quarterback Tayton James, who revealed that the team had been confident in their victory, saying, “We’re a good team who has suffered a great loss but we’ve now put in the effort and dedication to dominate in our field.”
The Tigers are confident in their skills and are ready for the next challengers.
