It would turn out to be a sloppy, wet night for football in DeKalb County. Some say that’s the way it should be with football being one of the few sports that play through sun, rain or snow. The remnants of Hurricane Helene were moving into the area, and it would come down to who could handle the weather better, the Stone Memorial Panthers or the Tigers. It would not be the Tigers.

DeKalb would get the ball to start the game, and things would start out well for the home team. After a squib kick, the Tigers fell on the ball at their own 40. There, a Jordan Parker keeper would be good to the 48, then a Cecil Ketchum run was down at the 49. Another keeper would end with a facemask call against Stone Memorial, giving the Tigers a first down at the 22.

A Ketchum run carried the ball to the 15, then an offsides penalty set DeKalb up at the 10. It was Ketchum again, this time to the eight, then Parker connected a pass to Wyatt Carter in the end zone for the touchdown. The Adrian Prater PAT was good and with 8:38 left in the first, DeKalb had a 7-0 lead.

On the kickoff, the ball flew out of bounds, setting the Panthers up at their own 35. A Noah Porter keeper was good to the 37, then another was down at the 40. Another keep had Stane facing a fourth and one at the 44, and they would go for it. Brighton Oquendo was handed the ball and pushed in for two yards. The next play, Oquendo would run again, this time breaking loose for a touchdown. The extra point attempt failed with a bad snap, but the Panthers were on the board, 7-6, with 7:01 left in the first.

What started as a light rain, steadily began to fall harder as the game went on, and the wet weather began to affect the play. DeKalb would start their next possession at their own 38, but Parker would take a sack back at the 31, then only reach the 32 on another keeper. A fumbled handoff on the next play doomed the drive and the Tigers would have to punt.

The ball would roll dead at the Stone 14, where a penalty on DeKalb put the ball at the 19. There, a Potter pass would fall incomplete, then a keeper was called back to the 10 for a hold. The drive would end with the Panthers punting, giving the Tigers the ball at their own 34.

A Parker keep would end in a two-yard loss, then a Jon Hendrix run was good to the 41. On third down, a fumbled snap ended in DeKalb falling on the ball at the 36, and again they would punt.

As the second quarter began, Stone had trouble moving the ball as well. They would end up punting, giving the Tigers the ball at the 43. There a Parker keep was stuffed, then a pass was intercepted, with Stone running down the field to the 22, but a block in the back call would put the ball down at the DeKalb 32.

A Potter keep was stuffed at the line, then an Oquendo carry gained five. Another keeper was good for a fresh set of downs at the 20, then another run was down at the 10, then a keeper was into the endzone for six. The PAT was no good, but the Panthers were on top, 7-12 with 7:34 left in the half.

The woes for DeKalb continued and they would only net five yards on their next series before having to punt from their own 45.

The punt would roll out at the 30, and Stone Memorial looked poised to strike again. A Potter keep was good to the 46, then a Oquendo carry was down at the DeKalb 43. Another keep was good to the 34, then a Oquendo run had the ball to the 19. Another Potter carry was down at the 12, but an unsportsmanlike call put the ball back at the 21. There, a Dylan Phillips carry was back to the 19, then false start backed them up to the 24. Phillips ran again to the 18, then a pass play fell incomplete. Facing fourth down, the Panthers went for it. Potter would be caught in the backfield for a sack, with the Tigers taking over at the 24.

The Tigers seemed to got back on track on their next drive. A Parker pass to Ryan Lyons was good to the 38, and later a keeper was good for a new set of down at the Stone 46. Parker would be sacked back at the 42 on the next play, but a pass to Hendrix would set the Tigers up with a fourth and one at the 37. The keeper was downed at the 28, and DeKalb kept rolling.

With only 32 seconds left in the half, the Tigers rushed to the line and spiked the ball. A Parker keep was then down to the 15, then another to the eight. Again, Parker spiked the ball with eight seconds left on the clock. The next play, a pass to Hendrix, was in the endzone for six points. Ketchum would power his way in for two more points and with 2 seconds left in the half, DeKalb had retaken the lead 15-12.

The rains only intensified as the second half began. The kick gave Stone the ball at their own 31, where the Panthers would only push to the 34 thanks in part to a holding penalty.

The punt would roll dead at the DeKalb 22, where a Parker run gained six yards. Ketchum would carry to the 30, then a pass to Lyons was incomplete. The Tigers would set up to punt, but a flag for too many men on the field gave DeKalb new life at the 35.

A Parker keep was called back after a hold, then a pass to Hendrix ended at the 27. Another keep was good for 10, but another hold killed the gain. Ketchum would run next, gaining two yards, then a pass to Lyons was incomplete. The Tigers would punt. The snap would go over Prater’s head and he would fall on the ball at the 12-yard-line.

This time the Panthers made them pay. A Potter keep was good to the nine, then a Oquendo run was down at the two. Another keep was in the endzone, but a holding call nullified the points. On a first and goal from the 12, a pass fell incomplete, then another Oquendo carry was back at the two. Potter called his own number and this time he was in for six. A blocked PAT kept the score 15-18 with 3:20 left in the third.

The Tigers seemed deflated, and just couldn’t get going after that. A squib kick had them set up at their own 40, but they would go three and out after only gaining three yards.

The Panthers would get the ball at their own 20, where a Oquendo carry took the ball to the 40. A hold on the next play backed them up 10 yards, but another Oquendo run was back to the 39.

As the fourth quarter began, a keeper was down to the 46, then another was good to the 49. Oquendo was handed the ball again, this time he broke away for a touchdown. A pass for a two-point conversion was no good, but with 10:41 left to play, the Panthers were up 24-15.

The air was out of the Tigers, and once again they would go three and out on their next possession.

The Panthers would get the ball at their own 10, and push downfield to sealed the game shut. Sticking to the ground game, DeKalb got a big dose of Oquendo. He would run to the 16, then 17, and then 31. Carson McCoy ran the ball to the 32, then a pass to Phillips was good to the DeKalb 38. It was Oquendo again for two more carries, reaching the 31, then a keep was down at the 27. Oquendo carried three more time, to the 25, the 21, then into the endzone. With the PAT and 2:34 left in the game, the Panthers led 31-15.

DeKalb would manage some first downs on their next possession, and drive down to the Stone 27, but time was running out. In some desperation plays, a Parker pass was intercepted with 44 seconds left in the game. Stone would go on for the 31-15 win.