Tigers Open Season with 42-25 Win Over Warren County

The DeKalb County Tigers opened the football season with an impressive 42 to 25 win over border rival Warren County Friday night in Smithville. It was the Tigers’ first win in a season opener since the 2004 season, and the team’s first win in their four-game series with the Pioneers.
Junior quarterback, Hunter Poteete, threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns, while the Tiger defense logged six sacks and forced three Warren County turnovers. Poteete got DeKalb County on the board with a seven-yard rushing touchdown to cap off the game’s opening drive. The Tigers went up 7 to nothing and never trailed throughout the game.
J.J. Herriott put up the next Tiger score, as he ran in from five yards out, with 5:40 left in the first quarter. Freshman kicker, Zach Taylor, nailed DC’s first PAT attempt, but had his second one come up short as the Tigers took a 13 to 0 lead.
The Pioneers scored on their ensuing drive on a 32-yard touchdown run, but the Tigers added two more touchdowns to open up a 26 to 7 lead. Poteete hit Abram Edwards on a 31-yard scoreing strike, then found Nick Lester on a 15-yard pass to the end zone. The Pioneers made it a 26 to 13 game at the half, as they scored on a 15-yard halfback pass to the end zone with one minute remaining in the half,
DeKalb County added another score early in the third quarter on a 12-yard pass from Poteete to Herriott, which gave the Tigers a 33 to 13 lead, but the Pioneers answered with 1:52 left in the quarter on a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown. That score cut the Tiger advantage to 33 to 19 at the end of three quarters.
The Tigers scored their last touchdown of the game midway through the fourth quarter on a 23-yard Poteete pass to Travon Johnson. Taylor booted the extra point to give DC a 40 to 19 with 7:27 left in regulation.
The Pioneers would get one more score late in the game on a one-yard touchdown run. DeKalb County capped off the season-opening rout with a safety by Matthew Lawrence, who tackled the Warren County quarterback in the end zone, with 17.2 seconds left in the game.
DeKalb County, now 1-0, will travel to Watertown next Friday night.
WJLE will have live coverage.