Before a hometown crowd, the Tenaha Tigers varsity football team defeated neighboring Timpson High School’s Bears by a decisive 48-6 score. The game happened last Friday at newly named Raymond Jackson Stadium. The Tigers finished the season with an unblemished 10-0 mark and a perfect 5-0 District 11 2A standing. The Tigers haven’t lost a district football game since October of 2008.
The Tigers used a 424-143 yard advantage in total offense. They outgained the Bears 282-75 yards on the ground and completed 10 of 14 passes, for 142 yards, while holding Timpson to 3 completions of 7 pass attempts, totaling 68 yards.
Tenaha never trailed and struck first when Trai Gardner intercepted a Bears’ pass and returned it 33 yards for a Tigers’ score with 10:06 left in the opening frame. Abel Rodrigues made good on the Tigers extra point attempt and Tenaha led 7-0 early.
The Bears got the ball back with 2:40 left in the opening stanza when the Tigers punted from within the end zone and the ball bounced backwards to the Tigers own 4-yard line. Moments later Kendall Davis scored on an 11-yard scoring run, on third down, to pull the Bears to within 6-7, after a missed extra point attempt.
Tenaha went up 14-6, with 2:24 in the first half, on a 12-yard Jay Lloyd touchdown reception from quarterback CJ Horn. Tenahas’ Cody Foshee added a second touchdown reception, from 42 yards out, with 20 seconds left in the first half. This gave the Tigers a 21-6 advantage at the midway break.
Less than one minute into the second half, Horn scored on a weaving 27-yard keeper run for a touchdown. Tenaha then led 27-6. The Tigers never looked back from this point and added another touchdown in the third stanza, and two more touchdowns in the final period to balloon the game’s final tally to 48-6.
Timpson ended their regular season at 5-4 overall and 3-2 in District 11 2A competition.
The Bears will face the Evadale Rebels at 7 p.m. on November 11 at Bulldog Stadium in Jasper. The Tigers will play the Sabine Pass Sharks on Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at Raider Stadium in Lumberton.
