By Michael Lindsay
Stone Memorial and DeKalb County put on a show for the UCR Game of the Week Friday evening in Crossville as the homestanding Panthers pulled out a narrow 27-24 victory over the Tigers in Region 4-4A play.
“The region is so tough and the margin for error is absolutely zero,” said Stone Memorial head coach Derik Samber. “We played disciplined football tonight; so much credit to our coaches for holding our kids accountable. We raised our standard this week and it showed tonight.”
Samber credits his team’s growth in discipline from last week as a key factor in Friday’s win.
“Last week again Meigs was a B- game, but it was an F- in discipline, and that’s what cost us,” he said. “The kids knew it and they took ownership of it. That translated to tonight and was the difference in the ball game.”
Stone Memorial (5-1, 3-0) took a 10-point lead in the second half before DeKalb County cut the deficit to 3 and had the ball on the final possession of the game. DeKalb County marched from their own 4-yard line into field goal range in under 2 minutes, where they ultimately missed a game-tying field goal as time expired.
“We told our guys to keep everything in front of you and no big plays,” Samber said. “So much respect for coach Steve Trapp; great call on the screen play. Situational football; we did what we had to do to win the football game.”
Stone Memorial was led by a balanced offensive attack as quarterback Nick Osmun went 13-23 through the air for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 75 yards and a score. Panther running back Maddox Oquendo rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown.
“We thought we had some sets where we could get numbers in the run box and we had a long list of shot plays,” Samber said. “We balanced those out; we wanted to grind the ball out and throw it downfield, too.”
DeKalb County struck first as Tiger kicker Adrian Prater nailed a field goal with 4:19 remaining in the first quarter to give his team a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers answered late in the first period as Osmun hit Bear Eldridge uncovered on a 22-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left in the opening frame to give Stone a 6-3 lead.
DeKalb County wasted no time responding as Tiger freshman Ryan Lyons took the ensuing kickoff down the right sideline to the end zone for a touchdown, giving DeKalb County a 10-6 lead to end the first quarter.
Stone Memorial retook the lead through the air midway through the second period as Osmun connected with Chris Hannah on a 41-yard touchdown pass with 6:47 remaining until halftime to give the Panthers a 13-10 lead.
Stone Memorial would march inside the DeKalb County 10-yard line late in the second quarter but failed to find the end zone before time expired, sending the game to halftime at 13-10.
The Panthers opened the third quarter with a 45-yard touchdown run by Oquendo to go ahead 20-10 with 10:21 left in the third period.
“Maddox is a playmaker and a baller, and we’re glad he’s on our team,” Samber said. “We try to find creative ways to get him the ball and he finds a way to make things happen. He makes me look smart when we call something for him.”
DeKalb County wouldn’t go away quietly as the Tigers took advantage of a Stone Memorial fumble late in the third quarter to set up a 3-yard Brizz Trapp touchdown rush with 3:25 left in the third period, making the score 20-17 Stone.
The Panthers answered with a quarterback rushing touchdown of their own as Osmun rushed in a 1-yard score with 37 seconds left in the third quarter to put Stone back ahead by 10 entering the fourth quarter, 27-17.
The Tigers went to the air early in the fourth period as Brizz Trapp hit receiver Malachi Trapp on a 33-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field to cut DeKalb County’s deficit to 27-24 with 10:25 left in the game.
DeKalb County would get the game’s final possession as the Tigers took over at their own 4-yard line with 1:29 remaining. The Tigers moved the ball into Stone Memorial territory where they had a shot at a long field goal as time expired that came up just short, preserving Stone Memorial’s 27-24 victory.
The Panthers improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in region play while DeKalb County falls to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Both teams stay in Region 4-4A action next week as DeKalb County hosts Macon County while Stone Memorial hosts Livingston Academy.
