Paducah Tilghman started strong out of the gates as Malachi Kirby found TayShawn Carruthers for a 68-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 with 10:08 left in the opening quarter.
Fast forward to the 2nd quarter when Tilghman’s Michael Barnes loaded his team on his back and took Tilghman 80 yards all on his own, including a 14-yard touchdown run to give Tilghman a 13-0 lead.
McCracken would soon respond though as sophomore running back Franklin Hayes broke loose on a 14-yard scamper into the end zone to make it a 13-6 game with 2:24 left in the first half.
A big momentum swing happened late in the first half as Tilghman had the ball first-and-goal on McCracken’s 10 yard line with a minute left in the half. Tilghman attempted three runs in the final 30 seconds of the half, but came up short of the end zone as McCracken’s defense stifled them on the 2-yard line.
The Mustangs got the ball first to start the second half and McCracken County didn’t take long to tie the game. Senior running back TaeShawn Allen scampered 30 yards for the touchdown to make it 13-13.
Both teams received one possession in overtime. McCracken struck first as junior quarterback Max Howard found senior Skyler Mayes in the back of the end zone to give McCracken a 20-13 lead.
Tilghman responded with a touchdown of their own, but the botched snap on the extra point attempt ended Tilghman’s chances and McCracken came out with the football and the win. The Mustangs now lead the all-time series with Tilghman, 3-2.
