The battle between the DeKalb County Tigers and the Smith County Owls has been brutal over the past couple of years, and this year’s match was no exception. DCHS went into the game missing two prime players as a result from injuries from the previous week’s game with Warren County. Last Friday’s game with Smith would claim yet another star on the Tiger’s team.

The Owls won the toss and deferred until the second half. The Tigers would start the game at their own 25, and would soon find themselves moving in the opposite direction. A run by Ari White was stuffed for no gain, then a keeper would end with a holding penalty. Backed up to their own 15, QB Briz Trapp took to the air, incomplete to Jon Hendrix, then throwing it away on third and 20.

The punt would set the Owls up on the Tiger 49, but Smith would find yards hard to come by as well. They would net only two yards before they themselves were forced to punt.

The ball would roll dead at the 7-yard line, and from there DeKalb would finally start gaining yards. A Briz Trapp keeper was good to the 18, then a carry and then a pass to White was good to the 27. Another keeper gave the Tigers a first down at the 32.

A pass to Ryon Lyons gave DeKalb a first down at the 44, then a White run got them into Owl territory at the 47. There, the drive would stall. A holding call backed them up 10 yards, then a pass to White netted only three yards. Another pass was thrown away, and facing a fourth and eight from the 45 DeKalb would again punt.

The return on the punt would end with a fumble but Smith would manage to fall on the ball at their own 24. From there, the Owls would mount a scoring drive. A Jaeden Evans run was good to the 32, then another had the ball at the 33. Evans was handed the ball once again for the first down at the 37. It was then that a Riley Martin pass connected with Jermaine Cason for a 63-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Owls were up 7-0 with 2:12 left in the first.

DeKalb would start from their own 41 on their next drive, but an incomplete to Austin Nicholson, then a pass to Cecil Ketchum netted only two yards. A keep on the next play fell five yards short and the Tigers would punt once again.

Smith would do no better as the game moved into the second quarter. Sticking to the running game, the Owls would gain eight yards before themselves having to punt.

The Tigers would start at their own seven, but looked to finally start moving the ball. A second down pass to Colin Dickens was good to the 28, but a roughing call gave DeKalb 10 more. A Trapp pass to Jordan Parker was good to the Smith County 47, then a completion to White was downed at the 43.

A third down pass to Parker was good to the 30, but then the drive stalled. A keeper was stuffed for no gain, then a White carry was stopped at the line. A pass to Lyons fell incomplete, and facing fourth down the Tigers rolled the dice. A pass was intercepted by Key Harris, giving Smith the ball.

A holding penalty after the interception backed the Owls up to their own 13, and there the Smith County drive would stall. They would manage to reach the 19, but a flag for too many men on the field, backed them up five yards. They would end up punting from their own 17, with the Tigers starting at their own 49.

With time ticking away in the half, the Tigers tried to get something going. A keeper netted only one yard, then a pass deflected and caught by Trace Hamilton was good to the 40.

It was the next play that saw another devastating injury to the Tigers. A Briz Trapp keeper was run to the sidelines where Trapp would go down with an ankle injury. The game would be stopped as Trapp was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to an ambulance. Later reports are that it was a severe sprain, but it is unknown when he will be able to return to play.

The Tiger’s star receiver and running back, Malachi Trapp, was injured with a dislocated elbow the week prior, as well as Marquez Chalfant with a shoulder injury. DeKalb was down three of their best.

From the 40, a false start backed them up five yards, then a Jordan Parker pass to Lyons was good down to the 26. There, another false start backed them up to the 31, and a pass to White would fall incomplete. Two more passes intended for Hamilton would hit the ground, and with 1:05 left in the half,

The Tigers would seemingly get a bit of luck on the Smith drive. Starting from the 20, a pass was broken up, then another ended in a fumble with DeKalb recovering at the 26. With 35 seconds left on the clock, the Tigers tried to make something happen. A pass to Hamilton was good to the 20, then another was good to the 10. With a first and goal and 13 second left in the half, a Parker keeper was fumbled with Smith recovering at their own five. The Owls would end the half up 7-0.

As the second half began the Owls would receive and start from their own 30 yard line. There, Smith would drive deep into Tiger territory. Three carries had the Owls to the DeKalb 46. Mixing in the air game, Smith County drove to the 37, where on a fourth and eight a pass was good to the 20 for a fresh set of downs.

An Evans run was stopped for a one-yard loss, then a false start backed them up to the 26. A pair of incomplete passes looked as if the Tigers defense had done their job, but on a fourth and 16, Smith went for it. The keeper was down at the 11, one yard shy of the first down. The Tigers would take over.

DeKalb had the ball deep on their side of the field, but couldn’t get moving. A pass to Lyons fell incomplete, then a White run netted only one. Pressure on Parker led to an incomplete pass on the next play and again the Tigers would punt. The ball would roll dead at the Smith 49.

This time the Owls would make the Tigers pay. Again mixing up the ground and air game, Smith would move to the DeKalb 38 before a false start backed them up to the 43. There, a reverse handoff to Evans then to Peyton Hix was good to the 41. On a fourth and 11 play, Martin found Clayton Rigsby wide open and down to the 20. The next play, a pass to Cason was good for six. The extra point was good and the Owls commanded a 14-0 lead with 49 second left in the third.

The Tigers would start at their own 37 on the next drive but right away a false start backed them up five. Parker would take a sack on the next play, but a facemask penalty on the Owls gave DeKalb a first down at the 47. DeKalb would lose a couple of yards before again having to punt at the 45.

The Owls would start at their own 20, but a pass was intercepted by Hendrix at the 26. The Tigers had new life, but penalties would doom the drive. A hold on the first play backed them up 10 yards, then Parker would take a sack at the 41 on a second and 20 play. A pass to Nicholson fell incomplete, and a fourth down punt ended with the ball rolling dead at the 10.

The Tiger defense stepped up and held the Owls to a three and out, pushing Smith County back to their own six before they punted. It looked as if DeKalb would have good field position, but a muffed return ended with the Owls falling on the ball at the Smith 44. Smith would seal the game shut on this drive.

Sticking to the ground game, three carries had the ball at the DeKalb 46. There, a substitution infraction backed them up five, then a bad snap pushed the Owls back to the Smith 41. A block in the back call had the Owls with a second down and forever, but an Ethan Madewell carry would go all the way in for six more. With the extra point, the Owls were up 21-0 with 5:02 left in the game.

Things got even worse for DeKalb on their next possession. Starting at their own 32, a Parker pass was intercepted by Harris at the 44. The Owls would run down the clock and claim the 21-0 win.

The 0-2 Tigers will face their first regional opponent this Friday as they host Livingston Academy at 7 pm.