JV Tigers battle Arp to 6-6 tie

Photo/Charlotte Smith Jamaal Martin breaks up a pass in last Thursday's Troup JV game with Arp. The two Tiger teams played a close game and ended in a 6-all tie.

Led by a nice performance from running back Jacob Moody, the Troup Tiger junior varsity squad battled backyard rivals Arp to a 6-6 tie last Thursday in Troup.

Moody scored the team's only touchdown late in the fourth quarter, setting the teams up for an exciting finish as Arp made one final drive, but came up short.

The hometown Tigers opened the game with a solid drive. Consecutive runs by Moody and a quarterback keeper by Tyler Davis advanced the ball from the Troup 19 and picked up two first downs.

Facing a first and five after an Arp penalty, Troup's Mason Ballard made a nice catch on a pass from Davis and moved the home team to the opponent's 30 yard line. Another solid run from Moody moved the chains to the eight-yard line where the team's promising opening drive hit a snag.

A first-down fumble set the team back eight yards, only to be followed by a five-yard penalty. Two short yardage downs and another penalty left Troup facing a fourth and long with 25 seconds left in the first quarter. An incomplete pass intended for Casey Rinehart ended the drive and gave Arp the ball on its own 27.

The visiting team put together its own opening drive, marching down to the Troup four-yard line before a QB keeper to take the lead 6-0.

Troup had a chance to score before halftime, advancing down to the Arp 14 with about 30 seconds left. After a failed pass into the end zone, the Tigers picked up a first down just as the buzzer sounded.

Moody's fourth-quarter TD was set up by a nice heads up play from Ryan Nichols, who recovered a live ball after a Troup punt to give his team the ball on the Arp 46.

From there, Troup marched down to the Arp nine-yard line, with Moody scoring on third and goal from the six.