Tigers outgun Kerens in offensive shootout
Davis racks up 385 yards, 5 TDs
BY CHARLOTTE SMITH Editor

Photo/Jeff Mills All-state running back Chris Davis splits the Kerens defense in Troup's 60-51 victory.

Forget about a quick trip to the bathroom or the concession stand; just taking your eyes off the field for a few seconds meant missing the next big play, as the Troup Tigers outgunned the Kerens Bobcats, 60-51, in an impressive display of offensive fireworks Friday night.

With Bobcat quarterback Austin Bell hitting on touchdown passes of 63, 25 and 41 yards, and Tiger running back Chris Davis counterpunching with five TDs, including runs of 25, 48 and 47 yards, just about any spot on the turf at Bruce Field in Athens was "within scoring distance" for the teams engaged in a fierce battle for the bi-district championship.

The Tigers will next take on Hooks, a 27-26 winner over Harleton, Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Gladewater's Jack Murphy Stadium.

Things started off conservatively enough, with the Bobcats beginning their first possession on their own 40-yard line. Operating from the shotgun the entire contest, Bell opened with a 9-yard pass. Following an incompletion, the team converted on a third and one and got a new set of downs.

Photo/Jeff Mills Jaron Hasley puts pressure on Bobcat QB Austin Bell.

On second and 10, the Tiger defense applied pressure and forced Bell out of bounds for an eight-yard loss, setting up a third and 18 from their own 42.

This time Bell handled the pressure and found a receiver, advancing the ball to the Tigers' 10-yard line.

The Bobcats tried a hand-off, but Thacher Riddle was there to make the tackle at the line of scrimmage. After two straight incompletions, the Bobcats settled for a field goal, making it 0-3 with 9:33 left in the opening quarter.

Following Cody Deese's fair catch, the Tigers took over at the 34. Making his first appearance after missing two games due to injury, Davis handled three straight hand-offs to pick up a Tiger first down. Before the Tigers could establish their drive, a fumble on the next play gave the ball back to the Bobcats.

The celebration didn't last long, however, as Troup's Reggie Wade picked off a second down pass and returned it for a touchdown. Harrison's extra point was blocked, giving Troup the lead, 6-3, at 7:23.

Photo/Jeff Mills Davis carries a Kerens defender along for the ride.

Before the Tiger fans were back in their seats, Kerens was on the scoreboard again, with Bell connecting from his own 37 on the first play from scrimmage following the kickoff. With the PAT, the Bobcats regained the lead, 6-10, less than five minutes into the first quarter.

The Tigers began their second possession of the game from the 38-yard line. Again, it was all Davis on four straight plays, picking up short yardage and converting the fourth and one. A flag sent the Tigers back five yards, and Harrison's first pass attempt of the night fell incomplete to Davis.

He found his targets on the next two tries, however, giving the Tigers a first down at the Bobcat 29-yard line.

Harrison connected again, hitting Wade on a quick pass down the sideline, picking up 17 yards and another first down.

On third-and-goal, Harrison called his own number and put the Tigers back on top, 12-10, after a two-point conversion pass went incomplete.

The Kerens offense stalled on their next possession, going three and out, giving the ball back to Troup with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

Flags plagued the Tigers on this drive, moving them back across midfield a couple of times before Harrison completed a second-and-20 pass, giving the Tigers a first down on the Bobcat 22-yard line. Davis picked up four yards before the teams changed ends for the start of the second quarter.

A series of short-yardage runs by Davis gave the Tigers a third-and-goal. Harrison took the snap and lowered his head and broke the line of scrimmage; however, the officials ruled him short of the goal line. On fourth-and-one, Harrison left no room for doubt, staying on his feet as he entered the end zone. Another two-point conversion failed, leaving the Tigers with an 18-10 advantage at the nine-minute mark.

It took Kerens just over two minutes to strike back, hitting on a third-and-six TD pass. The extra point cut the Tigers lead to one, 18-17.

The Tigers made the Bobcats' previous two-minute scoring drive seem like an eternity, as Davis took a first-down handoff on his own 31-yard line and rumbled to the Bobcat 30. A face mask penalty against Kerens tacked on five more yards, putting the ball on the 25.

From there, Davis took the snap up the middle and went untouched for his first touchdown of the night. With Harrison's kick, the Tigers cushioned their lead, 25-17, just 21 seconds after Kerens reduced it to one.

Wade delivered a hard hit on the kickoff, stopping the Bobcat return on their 41-yard line. A Kerens receiver got behind the Troup defense and, with a face-mask penalty assist, advanced the ball to the Tigers' 14- yard line.

Harrison broke up a pass in the end zone on first and 10, but the Bobcats struck gold on the next play when another run caught the Tiger defense off guard. Just 36 seconds after the Tiger score, Kerens again cut the lead to one, 25-24, at 5:54 in the second quarter.

Harrison came out firing on the Tigers' next possession, but a pass to Wade was almost picked off. In a stellar defensive turn, Wade managed to strip the Bobcat defender and prevent the turnover.

Harrison's aim was off on the next two downs, and the Tigers were forced to punt from their own 37, and Harrison delivered a beauty. With a short return, the Bobcats took over on the 26 with 5:18 to go in the half.

Relying on short-yardage completions, the Bobcats advanced the ball to the Troup 48- yard line.

After a first down incompletion, the Bobcats recovered with a strong secondand 10 rushing play that backfired when the Tigers forced a fumble, giving them possession on their own 32 with 3:18 to go.

Troup wasted no time, as Harrison hit Riddle over the middle on second down, advancing the ball to the Bobcat 42. Freshman Der'rick Thompson picked up 7 on first down, and then Harrison had a pass batted down on second and three. A 12-yard completion to Jason O'Steen on third and three kept the Tiger drive alive.

With Harrison in shotgun formation, a quick hand-off to Davis netted 10 yards and new downs. On first and 10, Harrison rolled to his left and avoided the Bobcat pressure, hitting Riddle who advanced the ball to the 1-yard line with 40 seconds left in the half.

Thompson picked up a 1- yard TD and the PAT was good, giving Troup a 32-24 advantage.

The Bobcats went to work quickly after the kickoff, picking up 7 yards on a short pass before the receiver was forced out of bounds with 15 seconds left on the clock.

Tiger fans and coaches responded angrily when the team was hit with a personal foul penalty, called by the official the most distance away from the play.

With the 15-yard penalty putting them in Tiger territory, the Bobcats came out of a timeout and threw a Hail Mary on second and seven. With two Kerens receivers and two Troup defenders all converging at the same time, the Bobcats miraculously came down with the ball. The TD and PAT cut the Tiger lead to one, 32-31, with nine seconds left and gave the Bobcats the momentum going into halftime.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third, with each scoring twice, including the Tiger's first strike just 34 seconds into the new half. Davis did the honors on both TDs.

Of the two defenses, the Tigers fared a little better, coming up with a couple of nice stops here and there, but failing to contain the Bobcats' air attack and quickness. Bell finished 18 of 32 on the night, for 374 yards.

As for Kerens, they had no answer for Davis, who firmly established himself in the second half and shouldered the burden of the Tiger offense, including the first score of the fourth quarter, protecting Troup's lead, 52-45 at 11:52.

The Tiger defense made two nice plays on the Bobcat's next possession, as John Ross broke up one pass and Thompson intercepted another and found running room down the Kerens sideline. The Tiger crowd again found a reason to question the officials, as an apparent late hit on Thompson's return did not draw a penalty. It's doubtful there were any flags left to throw at that point, however, since there was a flurry of them immediately after Thompson's pick, nullifying the return but giving the Tigers the ball deep in their own territory.

The team couldn't capitalize on the turnover, picking up a pair of first downs before being forced to punt.

The Bobcats took over on their 28 with 4:31 left in the game. The Tigers missed a chance to drop Bell for a loss as he slipped out of their grasp and picked up 13 yards before Riddle stopped him. The team steadily advanced the ball into Tiger territory, before hitting pay dirt on second and three with a TD pass at 2:18.

The Tiger defense came up big on the PAT attempt, storming the kicker and blocking the extra point, which would have tied the game. Instead, Troup held onto a one-point lead, 52-51.

Jami McGowan recovered an onside kick attempt by Kerens with 2:18 on the clock, and Davis did the rest, picking up first downs on two consecutive runs before scoring on first-and- 10 from the 11-yard line.

Davis delivered again on the two-point conversion, scoring the final points of the night and sealing the bi-district championship for the Tigers, 60-51.

With 58 seconds left, Kerens had one last possession, and though they moved the ball deep into Tiger territory, they were unable to score again.

Individual Statistics

RUSHING - Davis 40-385, Thompson 4-21, Riddle 2-7, Harrison 6-(minus 7).

PASSING - Harrison 9-14-0- 141, Davis 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING - Riddle 3-39, Jason O'Steen 3-39, Wade 2-29, Terrence Franklin 1-34.