Two teams with nothing to play for except for pride and off-season momentum showed their fans that the future is bright for both squads.
Ethel used a time-consuming rushing attack and held off a late charge by Noxapater to take a 34-28 win.
Ethel finished the season with a 6-5 record on the season.
Head coach Adam Smith said his team showed what they could have been all year long.
“We played well and one of the things I was impressed with was we only got behind the chains once or twice,” Smith said. “I was proud of the way we were able to move the. Ball and were able to be where we wanted to be and all the right plays called. And we were able to put points on the board. We had two 80-yard drives. I thought my kids stepped up and accepted the challenge this week.”
Ethel got on the board first after the two teams swapped possessions to start the game. The Tigers went 80 yards in 14 plays as Anton Clark scored on a 6-yard run. The try for two failed and the Tigers led 6-0.
The Tigers got an interception from Marcus Jones and then went 52 yards in 10 plays and scored on an 8-yard run. Jones ran in the two-point conversion and the Tigers led 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
Noxapater answered back to tie the game before the half with a pair of scores. The first was a 10-yard run by Emmanual Carter to cap off a five-play, 46-yard drive to cut the score to 14-6 after the failed two-point conversion. The second was a 43-yard pass from Kaden Carter to Jy’Kavius Riddle right before the half. Emmanuel Carter ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14 at the half.
“We kind of went into the week with the same kind of mindset that we did the week before,” Smith said. “We made a list of the goals that we wanted to achieve. We held them to under 30 points and produced some turnovers and limited the defensive penalties. After the West Lowndes game, we told them what we had left and wanted to go out ini a high note. And it helped that we had everybody back from injury and that always helps.”
Noxapater got the ball to start the second half and took its first and only lead of the game as they went 49 yards in six plays. After a 42-yard run by Jimmy Graham, Kaden Carter hit Riddle on an 8-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Noxapater led 20-14.
Ethel responded with a seven-play, 59-yard drive as Jones hit Clark on an 11-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed to leave the game tied at 20-20.
After a three-and-out by the Noxapater offense, Ethel went 90 yards in 13 plays as Clark scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the fourth quarter. Clark ran in the two-point conversion and Ethel led 28-20.
Noxapater answered back with a five-play, 65-yard drive as Emmanuel Carter scored on a 35-yard run. The try for two was good and Noxapater tied the score at 28-28.
Ethel put together another long drive as they went 63-yards in 11 plays and scored on a 15-yard run by Jones. The try for two failed and Ethel led 34-28.
Noxapater had a chance to tie the game or win but a fumble deep in Ethel territory ended the drive and preserved the win for Ethel.
Jones had 33 carries for 168 yards and he was also 7-of-9 passing for 78 yards. Clark had 26 carries for 132 yards and four catches for 59 yards.
“I think the way we finished helps tremendously,” Smith said. “We had a four-game skid but finished 2-0 and we did the best that we could do with them. We had a second consecutive winning season. It was big for the seniors to end on a high note and end on a winning streak. That was about as good as we could have ended.”
