ARLEY – The Meek Tigers welcomed the Decatur Heritage Eagles to Arley Friday night, where the Eagles upset the Tigers 26-21 at homecoming.
The Tigers received the opening kickoff, and on their first possession went three-and-out. Just when it looked like the Eagles would do the same, Nathan Ladner completed a long pass to Jeffery Hunter, who fumbled the ball, which bounced into the hands of Lynn Buckner for a 63-yard touchdown. The Eagles were up 7-0 with 8:49 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers returned the ensuing kickoff into Eagle territory where the offense took over, moving the ball inside the 20-yard line. The play stalled due to a negative play on third down. Decatur Heritage took over on its own 19-yard line, and the Eagles’ offense controlled the ball for 23 plays thanks to several penalties.
With 9:10 remaining in the second, Colton Keith punched the ball in from 1-yard out to put the Eagles up 13-0.
Both teams took turns going three-and-out. The Tiger offense finally got on the scoreboard at the five-minute mark of the second, when Luke Sherer rumbled down the field for 71 yards, cutting the lead to 13-6. The Meek defense gave its offense the ball back after a quick three-and-out, and the Tigers capitalized on it when John Mark Abercrombie scored, giving Meek the lead, 14-13, with 53 seconds to go until halftime.
Responding immediately, the Decatur Heritage offense took advantage of excellent field position. Ladner completed a 6-yard pass to Mason Terry as time expired to give the Eagles a 19-14 lead going to the locker room.
Opening the second half, the Tigers forced the Eagles into a quick three-and-out, but the Eagles’ defense was having none of that, making the score 26-14 when Hunter picked up a fumble and ran 60 yards for a touchdown with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter.
An excellent kick-off return set up the Meek offense 7 yards from the end zone, and Abercrombie punched it in from 1-yard out on fourth-and goal to pull the home team Tigers within five at a score of 26-21 with 6:42 left in the third.
The Eagle offense put together a time-consuming drive, but the Tigers eventually forced a punt. Hopes of taking a late fourth-quarter lead were dashed, however, when Decatur Heritage’s Jeffery Hunter intercepted the ball.
The Eagles worked the clock, but on fourth down, Meek got a huge stop, giving its offense one last shot to punch it in for the win. It was heartbreak time in Arley, when on the very next play, Hunter intercepted the ball for the second time, sealing the hard-fought victory for the Eagles.
Final score: Decatur Heritage 26, Meek 21
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