Tigers defeat Minor in first round

For the Enquirer

The Hartselle Tigers used a big second quarter to cruise to a 64-7 win in the battle of the Tigers in the first round of the 6A State Playoffs. “I thought we stood out in all three phases of the games,” coach Bert Newton said. “The offense got rolling in the second quarter as the defense kept getting stops and giving our offense good field position.” Hartselle jumped out to a quick start when Jayden Morris took the opening kick and returned it 68 yards to set the Tigers up with excellent field position at the Minor 25 yard line. Noah Lee capped the drive with a 21-yard run through the middle of the Minor defense for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 10:31 left in the first quarter.

The defense were pressured in Minor’s first drive as they moved into Hartselle territory as deep as the 15-yard line before the Tigers’ defense forced a turnover on downs.

The teams traded possessions until early in the second quarter when Hartselle took over at their own 48 yard line.They quickly moved into Minor territory and got as deep as the eight yard line before having to settle for a 27 yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0 with 6:51 left in the first half.

After a Minor three and out, the Tigers took possession of the ball at their 40-yard line. During the drive Noah Lee connected with Marcus Tapscott for a 23-yard pass down to the Minor 36 yard line. Two plays later, Jaheim Pruitt broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run making the score 17-0 with 5:31 remaining in the half.

After another Minor three and out, the Tigers took over at midfield with 1:15 remaining. Noah Lee passed for 50 yards in the drive including a 15 yard touchdown pass to Trammell Hurley to extend the lead to 24-0 with 0:41.7 remaining in the half.

With seven seconds remaining, Hartselle took possession at the 19 yard line. Noah Lee through an 18-yard strike to Cain Falciani for another Tigers touchdown that made the score 31-0 heading into halftime.

“We were talking on the headsets that we were good going into halftime up 17-0,” Newton said. “Butthe defense held Minor to consecutive turnover on downs and the offense capitalized with two quick scoring passes and a 31-0 lead.” Hartselle’s first possession of the third quarter ended the same way as their final two drives of the first half, in the endzone. This time it was Carter Lee connecting with Brady Holt for a 51 yard touchdown pass and a 38-0 lead with 8:09 remaining in the third.

After a Minor fumble on their next possession, the Tigers took over at the Minor 23 yard line. After Carter Lee ran for 13 yards on third and long, he connected with Tapscott for a 16 yard touchdown and a 45-0 lead with 6:20 left in the third.

On the next kickoff, Hartselle recovered the ball at the Minor 21-yard line. One play later, Jai Morrow broke free for a 21 yard touchdown run, pushing the Hartselle lead to 52-0 with 6:10 left in the third.

Morrow scored his second touchdown with 2:07 remaining in the third when he took the handoff and ran 30 yards for a 58-0 lead.

Hartselle capped off their scoring late in the third when Jace Pruitt intercepted a Minor pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown and a 64-0 lead heading into the fourth.

Minor finally got on the scoreboard with 3:46 remaining in the game with a seven yard run to make the final score 64-7.

Hartselle finished with 396 yards of total offense, 172 yards rushing and 224 yards passing. The Tigers’ defense held Minor to 204 total yards, 53 yards rushing and 151 yards passing.

Noah Lee finished 7-of-15 for 117 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Carter Lee was 5-of-6 for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

Tapscott finished with four receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown, while Holt had one reception for 51 yards and a touchdown. Falciani added two receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown and Hurley added a reception and a score.

Morrow had four carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns, while Pruitt had six carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Hartselle (9-2) advanced to the second round and will travel to Oxford on Friday. The Yellow Jackets defeated Buckhorn 42-0 to advance.

“We are facing off with Oxford for the third time in the last three seasons,” Newton said. “But both teams are different this season than those of the past two seasons. It should lead to an interesting matchup for a chance to continue our season.”