Defense lifts Tennessee to 21-10 victory in All-Star Football Classic
A steady rain last Saturday night made the turf field at Chattanooga Christian School a little sloppy at times.
The play, at times, was a little sloppy too.
However, the defense for Team Tennessee would overcome the damp conditions and lead the way to lift the Volunteer State to a 2110 win over their counterparts from Georgia in the 13th Annual Tennessee-Georgia All-Star Football Classic.
Recent LaFayette High graduate, Mark Bennett, provided the lone offensive highlight in the first half as he connected on a 48-yard field goal on the final play to stake Team Georgia to a 3-0 lead. The kick set a new AllStar Classic record.
Team Tennessee, however, answered the bell in the second half as quarterback Jackson Guy (McMinn Central) engineered a 15-play, 71-yard drive that ate up over eight minutes off the clock. Tailback D.J. Kimpson (McMinn County) capped the march with a 2-yard plunge for the first touchdown of the night. Guy added the extra point to stake Tennessee to a 7-3 lead.
But on the very first play of the fourth quarter, Georgia would strike and strike quickly as quarterback Will Swantic (Southeast Whitfield) shook off three would-be tacklers and raced 47 yards for a score. Bennett booted the extra point to put Georgia back in the front, 10-7, with 11:45 left to play.
Tennessee was forced to punt on its ensuing possession as Georgia took the ball at its own 29-yard line. Two Swantic passes missed their mark to bring up third-and-10 with 8:39 remaining.
What happened next will go down as one of the more bizarre plays in the history of the series.
The shotgun snap to Swantic was low and squirted past the quarterback, who then tried to outrun the onrush- ing defense to the ball. The pigskin had traveled nearly 15 yards when Swantic tried to kick the bouncing ball through the back of the endzone, hoping to just give up a 2-point safety.
Swantic got a foot on the ball and sent it toward the back of the endzone. However, the ball would slow down and come to almost a complete stop just inches shy of the end line. Jeremiah McKibbon (East Ridge), tracking the ball on the play, was able to dive on it at the last second to give Tennessee the go-ahead touchdown with Guy tacking on the extra point to put his team back up, 14-10.
Michael Bush (East Hamilton) would end Georgia’s next drive just three plays later on an interception, which he returned to the 9yard line. However, Drake McCowan (Dalton) would make a spectacular diving interception of a Guy pass at the 2 to get the ball back for Georgia with 5:28 to play, needing a 98-yard drive to take the lead.
However, on the third play of the possession, Swantic was picked off by JaDarius Paris (Tyner) and a Georgia penalty at the
end of the play would move the ball to the Georgia 14 with just under 3:30 to play.
Four plays later, on fourth-and-2, Kenrick Fuller (Tyner) crashed into the endzone and Guy would add one final kick to seal the victory with 1:44 left.
Fuller, who also shined on defense with six tackles and a pass break up, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, while his former Tyner teammate, Chris Hawkins, earned Tennessee Player of the Game honors with five tackles and a sack.
McCowan had four tackles to go with his interception and was named the Georgia Player of the Game.
Georgia outgained Tennessee, 158-123, in total offensive yards, but four turnovers
would spell doom for the Peach State.
Swantic had a teamhigh 58 yards on seven carries, but was just 2 of 11 in the air for 18 yards and was picked off three times. Tyler Brown (Southeast Whitfield) ran 12 times for 48 yards, while Thaddeus Bowers (Gilmer) was 4 of 8 passing for 21 yards.
Guy had a team-best 19 yards on eight carries for Tennessee, who managed just 53 yards rushing on 36 attempts. However, Guy was 5 of 11 in the air for 69 yards with the one interception. His McMinn Central teammate, Jordan Brooks, caught two passes for 43 yards to lead all receivers on the night.
Swantic’s TD run tied the All-Star game record for longest touchdown run from scrimmage.
Tennessee now leads the all-time series, 10-3.