Tigers scalped by Choctaws
Published 12:13 am Saturday, November 1, 2008
Chilton County High School’s Tigers (3-7, 3-3 region) lost a barnburner to Bibb County High School’s Choctaws (9-1, 6-1) last night in Centreville, 33-27.
Bibb County set up its game-winning touchdown with an interception that gave the ball to the Choctaws on the CCHS 22-yard line with less than a minute to play. A 22-yard pass seconds later sealed the hard-fought contest for Bibb County.
Chilton County Quarterback Taylor Hughes had a 183-yard passing night and scored two rushing touchdowns. The Tiger defense played well, holding the favored Choctaws to eight first downs.
Zachary Stacy scored the game’s first touchdown on an 18-yard run with 7:36 left in the first quarter. Jaquail Rutledge ran in the two point conversion, giving Bibb an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Hughes scored the first of his two touchdowns on an eight-yard run around the Tigers’ right end with 5:39 left in the half. Kendrick Woods added another Tiger score on a 10-yard run with 2:27 left in the half. Patrick Norman kicked the extra point, and the Tigers led, 13-8, at the intermission.
Hughes scored again with 6:31 left in the third quarter, and Norman’s point-after gave the Tigers a 20-8 lead.
Stacy cut the Tiger lead with 2:07 left in the third quarter when he scored for Bibb County on a six-yard dash. The 2-point conversion made the score 20-16 at the end of three quarters.
Gheryme Reed scored on a 6-yard run with 9:03 left to play, and Norman’s point-after kick gave the Tigers a 27-16 lead.
Stacy scored on a 46-yard run with 7:30 remaining on the game clock. The Tigers held the Choctaws three times inside their 10-yard line, but Bibb kicked a field goal that tied the score at 27 with 1:13 left in regulation.
Chris Felder returned the Choctaw kickoff to midfield before Darren Whatley intercepted a Tiger pass that set up Bibb’s go-ahead touchdown.
Unofficially, the Tigers booked 15 first downs, passed for 183 yards and rushed for 117 yards. They fumbled twice, losing one fumble, and were penalized four times for 35 yards. The Choctaws had eight first downs, rushed for 208 yards and passed for 32 yards. They were penalized twice for 10 yards.
Next week, Clanton will travel to Columbiana where they will play the Shelby County Wildcats (10-0) in the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Championship Tournament. The game will kick off at 7 p.m.