HUNTER COOKSTON
Writer
The Whitwell Tigers were looking for their third straight win last Friday night as they welcomed the Midway Green Wave. The Tigers were coming off back-to-back blowout victories, but Midway proved to be no easy opponent. Whitwell lost a heartbreaker, 41-36.
The Tigers received the opening kickoff and put together a solid drive that featured short runs and timely passes. Halfway through the first quarter, sophomore Brody Harvey punched it into the end zone with a 3-yard run—his third consecutive game with a rushing touchdown. With 36 seconds left in the quarter, Midway responded with a 2-yard rushing touchdown of their own. However, it only took one play for Whitwell’s Talan Beason to regain the lead, as he launched a 54-yard bomb to fellow senior Xander Morgan.
The second quarter was mostly quiet until the Green Wave scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass. Once again, the Tigers had a quick answer—Beason connected with sophomore Gabe Ross for a 34-yard touchdown pass to close out the half, giving Whitwell a 19-13 lead.
As if a touchdown on offense wasn’t enough for Ross, he made an impact on defense with a pick-six just a minute into the third quarter. Harvey followed up with a successful two-point conversion run. A little over halfway through the quarter, Beason found the end zone again for his third touchdown of the game. The Tigers seemed to be in control, but Midway wouldn’t go away. Less than a minute later, the Green Wave broke off a 30-yard touchdown run.
In the fourth quarter, three straight turnovers by the Tigers gave Midway short fields to work with—and they capitalized with three touchdowns. Now trailing by a score, Whitwell drove all the way to the 2-yard line with a chance to tie the game. However, they failed to convert on fourth down, seemingly sealing the game. But Midway handed them a lifeline with a bad snap, resulting in a safety.
The Tigers got the ball back with just over a minute left, but couldn’t put together a game-winning drive.
Beason threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers led in total offense, but ultimately lost the turnover battle and were flagged for 102 yards in penalties.
Whitwell returns home this Friday to face district rival Sale Creek at 7 p.m. Senior Night festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Photos by Kristie Eggert