Panthers tops in Region

Oct. 31—The Stone Memorial High School Panthers are headed into the post-season with a No. 1 finish in Region 4-4A following a 29-28 overtime win over DeKalb County Friday night.

"Get your beanies, get your hoodies, get your gloves — it's going to be a November to remember," SMHS head coach Derik Samber said as the team gathered around in a post-game huddle on the sidelines of DeKalb County's football field.

The win gives Stone the top spot in the region, which had three teams with 3-1 region records going into the last week of the regular season. SMHS was assured a spot in the post-season, but finishing first allows them to host the first round of the playoffs, with Hixson High School Friday.

Tickets are on sale now at https://gofan.co/app/events/759947?schoolId=TN27372 for $8. Tickets will be $10 at the gate. Season tickets are not accepted for post-season games.

The school is planning a tailgate beginning at 5 p.m. with kickoff at 7 p.m.

It was a hard-fought win for the Panthers, who faced a fast team on their home field. Stone won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. A short kick opened the game and the Tigers started their first possession at the 44-yard line.

DeKalb moved down the field quickly. A long pass from the 35-yard line took the Tigers to the 5-yard line and a touchdown about 2 1/2 minutes into the first quarter. The PAT made it a 7-0 game for the Tigers early in the matchup.

Stone used many of the players in its lineup to move down the field. Quarterback Hunter Heavilon looked to receivers Houston Woody and Kaleb Flowers or would keep the ball for a run. The series began at the Stone 24-yard line and saw the Panthers make it to the 4 before the Tigers forced a turnover on downs.

DeKalb took over possession deep in Panther territory, but they had to punt it away on fourth down. The Panthers again made their way down field, with a run by Heavilon, pass to Bear Eldrige and a carry by Flowers, finding the team at 1st and 10 at the 6 yard line.

Heavilon dove into the end zone with 2 seconds left in the first quarter. A Justin Barnett kick tied the game at 7-7.

The Tigers would strike back quickly, running in a long pass for a touchdown just three plays into the second quarter, putting them up by 7.

Stone would turn the ball over on its next possession. DeKalb would again move quickly down the field before facing 4th down and 4 at the 27-yard line. The Tigers chose to go for the down. A pass to the 2 yard line set up the next Tiger touchdown at 8:01 in the second quarter. That put the home team up 21-7.

The Panther offense struggled in the remainder of the half, punting the ball on their next possession. The Stone defense forced the Tigers to punt on their next possession. Stone took over at their 4-yard line with just over a minute left in the half. A Heavilon carry and pass to Kaleb Flowers gave the team momentum with a 1st down. Heavilon, under pressure from the Tiger defense, threw to Preston Mayberry for a short gain. The play also drew a personal foul call against the Tigers. But the Panthers turned the ball over on the next play at the 35-yard line, with 3.7 seconds left in the half. The Stone defense stopped the run, pushing the player out of bounds as the half expired.

"We didn't come out and play like the team we've been all year," Samber said following the game. "That was my challenge to the kids at halftime. I asked, 'Where's the team I've had all year? Where have they been? I need to see them in the second half.' We really did not make a single schematic adjustment. They flipped the switch and definitely came out with a purpose."

Stone received the opening kick of the second half. Nick Osmun returned to the Stone 31-yard line. Bear Eldrigde ran for the first down. The next play drew a flag on the Panthers for holding, bringing the play back and adding to the yards needed to progress.

Heavilon handed off to Eldridge to make a long run, putting the team at 1st down at the 50-yard line. Flowers added another 7 yards.

Heavilon connected to Eldridge on the next play for a long pass to the 5-yard line. Heavilon ran the ball in for a touchdown less than two minutes into the third quarter for a 21-14 game.

The Tigers would have to punt away the ball on their next possession.

Stone faced 4th-and-11 in next possession and punted the ball. Penalties and backfield tackles would force DeKalb to punt on their next possession.

The Panthers would turn the ball over to DeKalb with a punt as time ran out in the third quarter. DeKalb again was forced to punt the ball away in the opening plays of the fourth quarter. Stone took possession at the 50-yard line. Heavilon kept the ball for a five yard gain and Flowers gave the team a 1st-and-10 at the DeKalb 33-yard line.

Eldridge made his way to the end zone and caught the long pass from Heavilon. The point after tied the game at 21-21 with about 9:30 left to play.

The Stone defense worked to keep DeKalb from adding any points late in the game. A fourth down run by the Tigers looked to be short of the 1st down, but was just over the line, allowing the Tigers to continue. A holding call on the offense pushed them back to 1st and 20. A tackle in the backfield pushed the home team back a few more yards until they faced 4th and 25.

They punted and the kick hit the end zone for a touchback, giving Stone the ball at their 20-yard line with 2:28 to play.

Spectators wondered what happened as time kept on ticking away. The officials' remote for the clock was not working and they had to send someone to the pressbox to oversee the game clock for the rest of regulation.

When play resumed, Flowers, ran for six yards, but subsequent plays were unsuccessful in moving the team forward. Stone punted to the Tiger 39-yard line.

Stone players encouraged the large contingent of Crossville fans to get loud as the tied game entered the final moments. The Tigers punted away their possession and the Stone offense returned to the field. The Panthers were at the Tiger's 37-yard line with 4.5 seconds remaining. A long pass intended for Eldridge in the end zone was just out of reach, and the game entered overtime.

DeKalb took the first possession, scoring on the second play. The Tigers kicked for the point after, putting them up 28-21.

The Panther offense set up at the 10-yard line. Heavilon ran for the end zone but was stopped just short of the goal line. He was stopped again on second down. He made it over the line on third down, bringing up the two-point conversion play that gave the team a win earlier in the year against Upperman. Heavilon passed to Brady Lane in the end zone — and the catch was good.

"We saw what this team's made of, what they're built from," Samber said. "They put it all on the line."

Samber said the win was a team effort.

"Hunter, we put a lot on him. Brady Lane with his second game-winning two-point play of the year. Offensive and defensive line totally made a difference. You can't single an individual out in a game like this," Samber said.

Samber encouraged everyone to come out and support the team Friday.

"We had a great crowd tonight. We had a lot of people here and they got their money's worth, I believe," Samber said, noting the crowd's cheers were heard on the field. "We needed that. That was a difference in the second half."

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.