Trojans end skid, secure playoff berth

Entering Friday night's game against Haywood County, the Dyersburg football team simply couldn't lose if there was any hope of extending a 13-year streak of earning a berth in TSSAA state playoffs.

The squad was in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the longest in more than 10 years. A win would assure the team a spot in the playoffs, while a loss would put the squad at the mercy of the confusing qualifying system of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.

With their backs against the wall, the Trojans may have saved their best for last.

Behind a stellar performance by the defense for the majority of the game, and the running ability of Tyler Lyons and Xavier Taylor, Dyersburg secured a berth in the postseason by defeating the Tomcats at a rain-soaked J.C. Sawyers stadium, winning 24-14.

"I'm really proud of how the kids responded tonight and with how resilient they are," said Dyersburg head coach Bart Stowe. "These kids battled back. They knew what was on the line and they went out and flat got it done. It takes a lot to overcome obstacles like a four-game losing streak, but these kids wanted it tonight."

Did they ever.

An offensive line that had struggled in recent weeks returned to form against Haywood County, opening holes for Lyons and Taylor and the two seniors made the most of it.

Taylor finished the game with 137 yards on 19 carries, including two touchdowns. The final score of his high school regular-season career was a beauty. The 45-yard, fourth-quarter sprint to the end zone with just over eight minutes remaining secured the win for the Trojans.

Lyons was equally effective, ending the contest with 18 rushes for 104 yards and one touchdown. While Taylor eluded the Tomcat defense, Lyons barreled his way through it. Time after time lowering his head and bruising his way forward for positive yardage when he was needed most, Lyons punished the Tomcat defense throughout the contest.

After seeing increased playing time over the last three games, sophomore Hayden Alford got the nod at quarterback, completing 6-of-9 passes for 81 yards while doing a solid job of running the Trojan offense.

"I thought Hayden did a good job out there for us. He got injured right before the start of the season and it has taken awhile for him to get to where he is now, but I thought he kept us going and didn't do anything to get us in trouble," said Stowe.

The Tomcats, also needing a win to become an automatic qualifier for the playoffs, struck first with an eight-play drive in a steady rain on their opening possession to take a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter. The PAT attempt failed but the Tomcats led with 8:57 left in the period.

Though Dyersburg (5-5,2-4) was forced to punt on its opening possession, after a defensive stand by the Black and Gold unit, the Trojans went to work offensively.

After runs from Lyons, Marquiston Joe and Travis O'Neal, Taylor broke free from 24-yards away to knot the game at 6-6. Andrew Lowrance's PAT split the uprights as Dyersburg took a 7-6 lead headed to the second quarter.

The second straight three-and-out forced by the Trojan defense forced a Tomcat punt, and put the ball back in the hands of the offense at their own 20-yard line.

During the drive, Alford completed two of his three passes, both for big gains.

The first, a 23-yard pickup to Levi Estes came on third and four at the Dyersburg 39-yard line, while the second came moments later on first down when Alford connected with teammate Seth Hinson to get into Haywood territory to the 39-yard line.

After getting inside the 5, Lyons punched in from the 4 to increase the lead to 14-6 with eight minutes left in the half.

Though it appeared the Trojans had all the momentum, Haywood quarterback Harold Watson and teammate Jarvis Johnson were about to show that the Tomcats weren't going to go away quietly. Facing third and six at midfield, Watson fired a tight spiral up and over the Dyersburg defense. Johnson collected the pass and raced untouched into the end zone. The Tomcats converted on the two-point try to knot the game at 14-14.

Near the end of the half, Dyersburg's Lowrance sent the Trojans to the locker room with a 17-14 advantage after connecting on a 31-yard field goal.

"That was a huge field goal for us. Not only did we go in with the lead and the momentum, but we got the ball first in the second half so we felt pretty good about where we were at," said Stowe.

Neither team scored in the third quarter as the game remained tight headed to the fourth when Taylor scored as Dyersburg secured a berth in the playoffs with the 24-14 victory.

Defensively for Dyersburg, Zane Mathis and Clay Chambers both came up with interceptions, while the entire unit rose to the occasion throughout the game.

Haywood County's talented duo of quarterback Watson and running back Terry Grandberry combined for 62 yards on 22 carries. The defensive effort drew praise from Stowe afterward.

"Those kids played their hearts out tonight. We gave up a couple of big plays and gosh, nobody wants to do that, but we stuck together and played as a team. It's going to take efforts like we had tonight to keep the season alive, but our kids are healthy and ready for this second season to get under way."

To keep its season alive, Dyersburg will have to do so by winning on the road. The Trojans are scheduled to meet Memphis Sheffield on Friday at Hale Stadium in Memphis. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.