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Anderson County, outfitted in sleek white jerseys and navy pants, won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Macon County Tigers donned striking throwback red jerseys with blue and white trim, paired with white pants accented by bold blue stripes.聽

Anderson County junior Reece Russell fielded the kick, but was immediately met by a host of Tigers defenders who took him down at the Maverick 30-yard line. 聽

On the first play, Maverick senior quarterback Landen Hensley threw a quick pass to receiver Israel Small for a gain of 7 yards. The second play of the drive was a handoff to Mr. Football finalist Waylon Larue, but the Tiger defense stopped him for no gain. On third and 6, multiple Maverick players jumped offside, pushing them back 5 yards. On third and 10, Hensley completed a pass to Larue around the line of scrimmage, but the Tiger defense was there to stop it almost immediately. The Mavericks punted on fourth and 10.聽

After the punt, the Tigers鈥� offense began their drive at their own 29-yard line. On first and 10, senior Luke Gammon kept the ball on a read-option play and gained about a yard. On second and 9 from their own 30-yard line, Gammon lined up with Zach Borders on his right hip and Gabe Borders on his left hip. Gammon took the snap, and handed it to Gabe Borders (19 carries for 265 yards) going towards the visiting side of the field. He slipped through some defenders and sprinted up field for a 70-yard touchdown. An Eli Gammon PAT put the Tigers up 7-0 early in the first quarter. 聽

The next two drives resulted in a punt for the Mavericks and the Tigers.

On the Mavericks鈥� third offensive possession, they were able to find some traction. On third and 9 of the drive, Hensley found Riley Wolfenberger on a pass for a gain of 8 yards. Three plays later on third and 1, Hensley dropped back, but immediately ran straight through the pocket, gaining the 1 yard and getting the first down. On second and 6 on the Tiger 30-yard line, Hensley passed to Wolfenberger again for a gain of 10 yards, putting the Maverick offense in the red zone. On the next play, Hensley rolled right and threw a spiral pass to Trent Strickland around the 8-yard line. On the next play, Hensley took the snap and ran straight through the pocket, pushing his way into the end zone for a touchdown. A facemask penalty was called by the officials, and 15 yards were added to the following kickoff. A Jackson Payne PAT tied the score at 7. 聽

The Tigers were forced to punt on their next drive, but a Maverick defender ran into the punter. The officials decided that instead of a roughing the kicker, it should only be a running into the kicker infraction, which is a 5-yard penalty instead of a 15. 聽

On first and 10 from the Maverick 33, Larue took a handoff and sprinted upfield for 67 yards and a touchdown. A Payne PAT put the Mavericks up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. 聽

On first and 10 from the Tigers鈥� 40-yard line, the Tigers ran a reverse play with Gabe Borders taking the carry for a gain of 8 yards. On second and 9, the Tigers came out in the Gabecat. Gabe Borders kept the ball and ran right behind a blocker, jumping over a fallen defender, and was brought down around the 7-yard line. On the next play, Gabe Borders took the handoff and rumbled into the end zone untouched. An Eli Gammon PAT tied the score at 14. 聽

On the following kickoff, Eli Gammon placed a perfectly placed onside kick off of the shoulder of a Maverick defender, and Gabe Borders was there to pick it up, giving the Tigers the ball around the Anderson County 44-yard line. 聽

On second and 10, Gabe Borders took a handoff and sprinted to the 18-yard line. On the next play, Zach Borders took the handoff but was blown up in the backfield. On second and 12 from the Maverick 20-yard line, Luke Gammon faked a handoff to Zach Borders and threw a perfect pass to Kelan Hire in the end zone for a touchdown, setting the score at 20-14, after a missed PAT by Eli Gammon. The Tigers did attempt another onside, but the Maverick receiving team jumped on it quickly. On fourth and 2, Hensley hit Small on a slant route, gaining the first down. At fourth and 10 on the Tiger 36, Hensley found an open Strickland and threw a pass for a gain of 13 yards. But several plays later on fourth and 8, Hensley dropped back and threw a pass which was picked off by Gabe Borders, returning the ball to the Tigers. 聽聽

On fourth and 1 on the Macon County 11-yard line of the Tigers鈥� next drive, head coach Kyle Shoulders decided to go for it with Luke Gammon keeping it right up the gut, but the Mavericks defense stopped him short. At the same time, a flag was tossed by the official for a false start by the Tiger offensive line. The penalty caused a replay of downs 5 yards farther back, and Shoulders decided to punt.聽

On first and 10 of the Mavericks鈥� next drive, Hensley found Small on a quick pass for a gain of 8 yards. Hensley threw a pass to Wolfenberger on the next play for a gain of 41 yards before being dragged down by Tiger linebacker Matthew Wheeley. Hensley kept the ball on a quarterback draw for the third time of the evening, and was brought down at the Tiger 2-yard line. On the next play, Larue pushed his way into the end zone for a touchdown. A Payne PAT set the score at 21-20 with just 39 seconds left in the first half. 聽

On the following kickoff, Gabe Borders fielded the kick but wasn't able to get much of a return. The Tigers ran the rest of the time off of the clock and went into halftime down by a point with a score of 21-20. 聽

After halftime, the Tigers received but were not able to put together a successful drive. On the third聽first down of the possession, the Tigers were called for holding, and on the following play, Gabe Borders fumbled and Small recovered it for the Mavericks. 聽

On first and 10 from the Tiger 36-yard line, Larue took the handoff and sprinted to the 5-yard line. On the next play, Larue pushed his way into the end zone for a touchdown. A Payne PAT put the Mavericks up 28-20. 聽

On Macon County's next possession, at second and 6 on the Tigers鈥� 38-yard line, Luke Gammon snapped the ball and faked a handoff to Zach Borders, but passed to Hire for a gain of 23-yards. On first and 10 on the 15-yard line, senior Zach Borders took the handoff and sprinted 15 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. On the two-point conversion attempt, Zach Borders took the handoff and pretty much leaped into the end zone, tying the score at 28.聽

The Tigers were forced to punt on their next possession. The Mavericks were able to drive down to the Tigers鈥� 15-yard line on their next possession, but on fourth and 7 the Tigers鈥� secondary came up with a big stop and were able to turn the ball over on downs.聽聽

On first and 10 of the Tigers鈥� next possession, from their own 15-yard line, Gabe Borders took the handoff, juked a defender, and sprinted 85 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. A successful Eli Gammon PAT put the Tigers up 35-28.聽

On the Mavericks鈥� next drive, Henley found an open Larue who juked his way into the end zone for a touchdown. A successful Payne PAT tied聽the score at 35-35.聽

On first and 10 of the Tigers鈥� next possession, Zach Borders (14 carries for 85 yards) took the handoff and ran for a gain of 9 yards. On the following play, sophomore fullback Brennan Flowers pushed up the middle for 4 yards and a first down. On first and 10 on the Tiger 49-yard line, Zach Borders took a handoff and sprinted all the way to the Maverick 20-yard line. On the following play his twin brother Gabe Borders took the handoff and ran a sweep toward the home sideline and was brought down at the 3-yard line. On third and 2, Luke Gammon got behind his linemen and pushed his way forward for a yard. Many on the Macon side argued that Gammon crossed the plane of the end zone, but the officials said otherwise. On fourth and 1, Gammon lined back up under center in the wing-T offense. Zach Borders took the handoff and ran in to the end zone for a touchdown.

Eli Gammon lined up to kick the PAT and split the uprights. But a flag was thrown by the officials against Anderson County for encroachment. After the penalty, the Tigers sent their offense out instead of special teams. Shoulders once again called upon Zach Borders. At the snap, Gammon handed the ball to Zach Borders and a Maverick defender hit him low, knocking his legs out from under him, but Borders was somehow able to stretch his body, his arm and the ball out far enough to cross the plane of the end zone, making the two-point conversion successful and putting the Tigers up 43-35.聽聽

The following Tiger kickoff prompted a flag from the officials, who called offside on the Macon kicking team. 聽

The Mavericks鈥檕ffense set up on their own 35-yard line, and the next two plays would be incomplete passes from senior quarterback Landen Hansley. Finally on third and 9, Hensley found Small near the sideline. On fourth-and-1, Hensley kept the ball on the quarterback draw and got enough for the first down, but a flag came out after the play for a personal foul on Anderson County. That pushed the Mavericks back 15 yards. Hensley threw a pass to Wolfenberger and gained a first down. On the next play, Hensley threw a pass that was knocked into the air and almost intercepted. On second and 10 from the Tiger 28, Larue, who was stationed in the backfield, motioned right and became a fifth receiver, emptying the backfield other than the quarterback. At the snap, Hensley threw a perfectly placed pass to Wolfenberger into the end zone for a touchdown.

In a two-point conversion attempt, Hensley set his offense up with Larue on his right hip. At the snap, Small ran an out route, and Hensley slung an absolute dart of a pass but senior Tiger defensive back Ty Young knocked the ball down. The Mavericks were flagged for offensive pass interference. 聽

With 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks attempted an onside kick. Junior placekicker Jackson Payne kicked the ball towards the toward the visitor side, but Young was there to scoop the ball and fall to the ground with it. 聽

When the clock struck zero, the Macon Mob, the Tigers' boisterous student section, erupted from the stands and poured onto the field. Draped in blue and white, they joined the jubilant players, their red jerseys blending into a sea of celebration.聽

In the south end zone, several Macon Mob members dismantled the goalpost, a symbolic gesture of triumph, and carried it off the field.聽

鈥淐oming in, we knew they were going to try and spread us out and throw the ball,鈥� said senior Luke Gammon (2 of 3 for 67 yards passing). 鈥淎nd they did exactly that and did a great job of it. Our defense hung in there and were able to come up with big stops when it really mattered the most. It was just a crazy game. It was a close game. I don't like them to be really close, but a win is a win. We're going to Chattanooga.鈥澛�

鈥淲e been preparing for this game all week long.鈥� said senior Corbin Stephens. 鈥淲e came on Sunday after we beat White County. We came in, we knew what we had to do, and just executed and were able to come away with a win. We are a completely different team than we were in Week 7. Also, we kind of knew that both defenses would be put to the test. They have a high-caliber offense; we have a high-caliber offense. Defense really did show out tonight.鈥澛�

鈥淲e were talking about going for two after that touchdown even before the penalty,鈥� said Shoulders, in his seventh season. 鈥淲e committed to the one, and faith had it. We got the penalty and it was a no brainer at that point, we went for two. We didn't even question it. We got a call that's been on the call sheet all year long. We've talked, we鈥檝e played out scenarios with different offensive coaches on our staff. With the game on the line and ball on the 3, we decided we were going to put it in No. 4鈥檚 (Zach Borders) hands and let him punch it in, and it paid off. It pays off to have a plan, but more so than that, it pays off to have phenomenal players that can get the job done.鈥�

鈥淲hat a phenomenal football team in Anderson County,鈥� Shoulders said. 鈥淲hat about how resilient they were? Every time we would get them behind the sticks, they would throw an incredible throw and catch to make it manageable for them. They just did that over and over. But what about these Tigers and how resilient they were. What about how when things weren't going really great, they just stepped up. We knew all week that we would need to get to halftime up seven or at least tied. That was kind of our goal. Then it would be on in the third and fourth quarters. We went into halftime down by one point, but we stuck with the game plan that we came in here with. We knew if we got it to half, we would go to something else and maybe they wouldn't have time to adjust, and that's what we did. The guys are the story right now. These guys in our program and what this means to our community, I can't even begin to put in words. But what a group effort.鈥澛�

The Tigers will head to Chattanooga this Saturday, Dec. 7 to play in the TSSAA 4A State Championship game at Finley Stadium at 10 a.m. CST against the Memphis Melrose Wildcats. The BlueCross Bowl game will be televised on Nashville鈥檚 WUXP My Net 30 and on the online over NFHS.