October 9, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Champions!
The DeKalb County Junior Pro Football Pee Wee Tigers (ages 6 &7) completed an undefeated 9-0 season Saturday defeating the Fentress County Bulldogs 19-18 in double overtime to claim the Championship of the Middle Tennessee Youth Football Conference.
This Junior Pro “Super Bowl” Conference Classic was played at York Institute in Jamestown.
The game remained scoreless until the 3rd period when Fentress County got on the board with a touchdown to take a 6-0 lead. Kayden Hunt answered for DeKalb County with a game tying touchdown in the 4th period.
In the first overtime, each team got the ball on the 10-yard line with a chance to score and Fentress County cashed in to take a 12-6 lead but the DeKalb Pee Wee Tigers also scored when it came their turn on another touchdown run by Kayden Hunt and the game was tied at 12-12.
Fentress County again scored in the double overtime to take an 18-12 advantage but the DeKalb Pee Wee Tigers answered with another game tying touchdown by Colton Hutchings and then converted the extra point on a running play by Arian Wiggins to earn the 19-18 victory and conference title.
The DeKalb Pee Wee Tigers (8-0) went undefeated during their six-game regular season and beat both of their play-off opponents to win the western division of the conference. Fentress County (5-3) won the eastern division.
During the regular season the DeKalb Junior Pro Pee Wee Tigers defeated the Overton County Outlaws 31-13, the Monterey Wildcats 26-20, the Junior Panthers of Stone Memorial 27-0, the White County Warriors 48-26, the Junior Jets of Cumberland County 31-0, and the Upperman Stingers 14-6. In the western conference playoffs the Pee Wee Tigers took down the White County Warriors 36-0 and the Upperman Stingers 14-7
The DeKalb County Junior Pro Football Program is made up of three age groups of players, the Pee Wee Tigers, Junior Tigers, and Senior Tigers and they compete as part of the Middle Tennessee Youth Football Conference which has an east and west division. The Junior and Senior Tigers have already completed their seasons for this year.
Nathan Shepherd, DeKalb Pee Wee Tigers Head Coach, is assisted in coaching by Brent Collier, Cole Parsley, Cody Atnip, Will Key, and Jeremy Ashburn.
Members of the DeKalb Pee Wee Tigers are Arian Wiggins, Baylin Wiggins, Camden Grandstaff, Gunner Shepherd, Wesley Bowen, Kayden Hunt, Rhett Davis, Sandler Sutton, Braxton Poss, Colton Hutchings, Alejandro Bravo, Easton Hoke, Titus Stone, Lincoln Holmes, Maddux Hale, Haven Patterson, Kohen Skinner, Jeb Culwell, Grayson Neal, Thomas Brelje, Knox Bowen, Liam Key, Xavier Billings, Rusty Chapman, Marsed Caldwell, Payton Bullard, Brody Odom, Nolan Martin, Liam Taylor, Landon Collier, Liam Collier, Raylin Ashburn, Dyllan Bates, Bentlee Shepherd, Tucker Stanfield, and Conner Redmon.