By Sam Roberts

Hartselle fought off a slow start offensively with a strong standing defense that held undefeated Briarwood to only 7 points through the first half, but the Lion defense wasn’t intimidated coming into a packed J.P. Cain Stadium as they found a way to hold a lead and shut-out the Tiger offense through two quarters.

Enquirer photo/Tom Chappell

Despite a slow first half, Hartselle got their first taste of the end-zone with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter behind a 45 yard rush into the end zone by Tiger standout Keondre Swoopes.

It was a defensive showdown for the remainder of the half until Hartselle found themselves with the ball at midfield and only one minute remaining. The Tigers drove to the Lion 29 yard line behind their rushing attack, but the clock expired without ever getting off a field goal attempt after burning their last timeout and the game headed to overtime tied at 7.

Enquirer photo/Tom Chappell

In overtime, a facemask penalty brought Hartselle to the one-yard line and Keondre Swoopes brought the ball into the end-zone for his second touchdown of the night followed by Bryan Munoz making the extra point. The Lions got the ball hoping to score and take the game into a second overtime, but an interception in the end-zone from #21 Aaron Lamb prevailed the Tigers to their 5th consecutive victory to start the season and handed Briarwood their first lost of the 2018 campaign.