By De’Issac House

Two of the three teams for the Batesville Tigers advanced to the Super Bowl. 

The road was tough for all three teams and two surpassed to the end of the tunnel. The first game was the 7-8-year-old team against Pope. 

There was a lot of tension in the air as the two teams faced off in their second game of the year. Pope was looking for a win to avenge the loss at the last meeting. 

Starting off the day was a touchdown run by Tiger Keyshun Rudd. Then it all turned into the Juluis Pope show. His first touchdown run was on a quarterback keeper that gave the Tigers a two touchdown lead. 

Only minutes later he threw a touchdown pass to Rudd for 47 yards. While still in the first quarter, Pope scored on a 55-yard run that gave the Tigers a 27-point lead. 

Then Pope returned the favor with a 25-yard run by Jaiden McKinney. Then back came the Tigers with a 75-yard run by Pope for the 33-6 lead. 

Right after the score the Tigers got the ball back and scored on 15-yard run by JaMaury Thorton. Pope got the Tigers’ last touchdown, and also the last one of the day, on a 60-yard race by D’Marian Perteet for the  final 39-12 score. 

Between the games, coach Fred Hentz awarded Antwoine Williams with the Man of the Year.

9-10-year-olds

Later in the day was the game that was said to be one of the games to watch. The 9-10 Tiger team faced an always tough Oxford Buccaneer team. 

The game was a defensive game that went down to the wire. Oxford scored first with a 10-yard push that started them on their way. The Tigers were very frustrated because it was so difficult to get anything going. Then Oxford punched it in again on a six-yard run that gave them a 13-0 lead. 

The Tigers felt as though they were done until Katerrious Jones took a fumble back to the house, cutting the lead down to seven at 13-6. The Tigers could not seem to put together another drive to push over the top, and the final was 13-6. 

11-and-12-year-olds

The final game of the day featured the 11-12 undefeated Tiger team against Grenada. The Tigers received a bye for round one.

The game got out of hand from the beginning. 

The unstoppable Janari Dean showed up to play and had a great game. His first touchdown was on a 78-yard run that seemed easy. 

His counterpart quarterback then scored on a tough touchdown from five yards out. This gave the Tigers a 12-0 lead. 

Dean came back with a 33-yard run, giving them an even bigger lead. Atataie Bobo, one of the smallest Tigers with the biggest smile, later scored on a 40-yard interception return. 

Then Dean enforced his will on defense as he scored on his own 50-yard interception return for a final score of 32-0. 

The 7-8 and 11-12-year-old teams both advance to the Super Bowl this Saturday, Nov. 2, at Oxford High. Kickoff times are 2 and 3:15 p.m., respectively.

Both teams will play Oxford.