By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Adveritser

The Chilton County Tigers fought tooth and nail on Friday night in an attempt to pick up a much needed area win, but a couple of missed opportunities along with penalties cost the Tigers in a 40-32 loss to the visiting Wetumpka Indians.

With a scoreless first quarter in the books, it was the Indians that got on the board first on a 10-yard touchdown run by Wetumpka running back Kavosiey Smoke to give the Indians an early 7-0 lead.

The lead was short lived as the Tigers (1-4 Overall; 0-3 Region) answered right back on a 29-yard touchdown run by Chilton County quarterback Kendall Davis. The missed PAT would leave the Tigers in a one-point deficit, 7-6.

The Indians (4-1;1-1) answered right back with a 60-yard drive that ended on a three yard touchdown run by Deandre Williams to put Wetumpka up 14-6 late in the second quarter.

Chilton County again showed that they could go blow for blow with the Indians and would again answer with a touchdown scoring drive. Nine plays and 76 yards ended with a 52-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Keshawn Williams to make the score 14-12 with 1:15 to play in the first half.

Wetumpka was not quite ready for the halftime break and again found pay dirt on a 3-yard touchdown run by Williams to take a score of 21-12 to the locker room for the halftime break.

Down eight with 2:17 to play in the game, the Tigers set up first and ten at their own nineteen. A Wetumpka penalty on second and six gave Chilton County a first down at their own 37, but a pair of incomplete passes along with a pair of sacks turned the ball over on downs while sealing the fate of the Tigers.

“The guys totally sold out tonight. I hate we didn’t get the win. For the first time they come out and laid everything on the line,” said CCHS head coach Brian Bradford, “Wetumpka has a great football team. Coach Perry has them boys playing well. They have a couple of D1 players on the team that play really well but our guys stuck in there and played well with them. A couple of mistakes here and there but we were in the game to the very end and that’s what you ask of the kids, we just came up a little short.”