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Week one of the 2023 football season is in the books and the Demopolis Tigers started things off on a high note. The Tigers traveled to American Christian Academy (ACA) on Aug. 25 where they took on the Patriots in what was only the third meeting between the schools. 

The game was a back and forth tussle between the teams, but the Tigers were able to come out on top with a 29-20 victory.

Head coach Lance Tucker said that while the Tigers’ performance could have been better, he thought the Tigers “played hard-nosed tough.”

“We made some mistakes, but we’ll get back to practice and clean those up. That’s our job as coaches and we’ll get there,” said Tucker. “We got behind early, but we kept fighting and found a way to win. That’s Demopolis football.”

The Tigers received the ball first and made their way down to the ACA 26-yard line where the drive stalled out. Demopolis quarterback Kevin McElroy attempted to make a play on fourth down, but the ACA defense held strong and kept the Tigers out of the endzone, forcing Demopolis to turn the ball over.

The Patriots wasted no time in finding the endzone on their first drive. The first play for ACA resulted in Davis Dare making a 74-yard touchdown run to put the Patriots on the board first. The extra point attempt was good, giving ACA an early 7-0 lead.

The Tigers, undeterred by the Patriot’s lead, took their next possession and moved the ball 67-yards down the yard where the drive was capped off by a touchdown run by McElroy, tying the game at 7-7.

The second quarter began with the Tigers forcing the Patriots to go three-and-out. Despite getting the ball back at their own 21-yard line, Demopolis made a quick 22-yard pass from McElroy to Dalyn Jackson. Keishawn Rowser then set the Tigers up in scoring position after making a 46-yard run and was stopped just short of the goal line. McElroy then capped off the drive on a one-yard run, upping the Tigers’ lead. The extra point kick was good, making the score 14-7.

The Patriots next drive went 75-yards and ended with a touchdown to keep them in the game. ACA quarterback Kai Young threw a pass to Bubba Lester, making it a one-point game at 14-13.

After the ball changed hands multiple times, ACA scored on a 4-yard pass from Young to Dare to retake the lead at 20-14.

The Tigers next drive went three-and-out and they were forced to punt the ball away. Fortunately for Demopolis, the ball was downed at the ACA one-yard line where the Tigers caught the Patriots in the endzone for a safety, making the score 20-16.

The remainder of the game was all Demopolis.

Rowser scored his first touchdown of the season when he ran 24-yards to the endzone. The extra point was good, giving the Tigers a three-point lead at 23-20.

The last score of the game came on a 51-yard touchdown pass from McElroy to Jackson. The extra point attempt failed, making the final score 29-20.

The Tigers are at home this Thursday and will take on the Jackson Aggies. The Tigers lost to the Aggies last season and will go into the game with extra motivation to win.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.