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Tigers stomp Holtville, playoffs next
By Michael Butler
Tallassee ran its win streak up to four games closing out the regular season with a 35-7 beatdown of Holtville on Friday. The visiting Tigers had 405 yards rushing.
The ground attack was led by Tyler Ellis and DJ Leonard. Ellis had 174 yards on 24 carries with three touchdowns. Leonard had 163 on 15 runs including a 67-yard scoring run.
"We had a little bit of jet lag from having a week off from the open week," said THS head coach Mike Battles. "We came out and fiddle-faddled around. We weren't having good luck on first downs. Our offense is designed to be second and five. We were second and nine and eight."
The game was tight at the half - a 14-7 Tallassee lead with TD runs from Ellis of 10 and 6 yards. That was resolved with a dominant second-half performance. Cade Everson added a 5-yard run for a score, followed by a 22-yard touchdown by Ellis and Leonard's electrifying 67-yarder that capped the scoring for the night.
The defense held Holtville to just 165 total yards and 2-of-14 on third downs. James Bender had an interception as well.
"Our defense did it again tonight," Battles added. "They played really hard even though we put them in some bad situations. We didn't play really well on some kickoffs. We'll correct those."
It has been a season of ups and downs. After a 2-0 start, a four-game losing streak has been followed by the current four-game win streak as the Tigers appear to be peaking at the right time.
"I'm proud of these seniors. They had a chance to throw in the towel, make excuses and point fingers. Instead they've sucked it up and won four in a row. We get to play a bonus game. If we win that one, we can play another one."
Tallassee (6-4) travels to Selma (7-3) for a first-round game in the Class 5A state playoffs on Friday. The two programs have never met. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Score 94.7/Hit 106.9 will have live coverage beginning at 6. Audio streaming is available at: www.1300wtls.com with an audio simulcast on Spectrum Cable Channel 340. Video streaming is not permitted in the post-season.
*Photos by Kyle Thornton
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