FIRST ROUND SUCCESS Tigers advance in playoff bracket

The Red Bay Tigers keep it strong on defense in what turned out to be a convincing win in a first round playoff game against Addison Thursday.

By Slade Gilmer for the FCT

The Red Bay Tigers scored on all six of their first half possessions en route to a 42-7 halftime lead and cruised from there to defeat the Addison Bulldogs 56-15 Nov. 5 at Fred Bostick Memorial Stadium.

The Tiger offense amassed 318 yards rushing in the first half on just 19 carries and never looked back as Red Bay improved to 11-0 on the season.

Addison won the coin toss to start the game and deferred their option to the second half, so Red Bay took the ball first. On the second play from scrimmage, Troy Borden made a pitch pass to Reed Holt, who outraced the Bulldog defense for a 55-yard touchdown. The extra-point hit the upright to keep the score 6-0 Red Bay.

Addison took the ball on their opening possession and got a five-yard run on second down to set up a third-and-five situation. However, Bulldog quarterback Bryant Ridgeway was met at the line of scrimmage by a host of Red Bay defenders, and a hit jarred the ball loose, with Andrew Richardson falling on the ball to give the Tigers possession at the Addison 37.

Tate Ozbirn broke free from scrimmage on a 20-yard run to begin the drive, but three runs later, the Tigers faced fourth-and-1 at the Bulldog eight. Borden sneaked forward for six yards to the Addison two, and Ozbirn scored on the next play. Borden carried in on the two-point attempt, and the Tigers led 14-0.

Tigers No. 5 Troy Borden dashes for an opening.

The Addison offense went three-and-out on the next series, and Nick Thorn returned a 50-yard punt 17 yards to the Tiger 29.

Borden threw incomplete on first down but then ran for ten on second down for a first down. Ozbirn carried for eight to the Tiger 47. On the next snap, Borden kept around left end and raced 28 yards to the Bulldog 25. On the next snap, Borden raced around left end again, this time for 25 yards and a touchdown. Abdul Muzayad’s extra-point was good, and Red Bay pushed the lead to 21-0.

Addison again went three-and-out on its next possession, and the Red Bay offense got back in gear. Thorn ran for six on first down and took in a 13-yard pass from Borden to move the ball to the Tiger 49. Ozbirn broke free for 13 to the Bulldog 38, and two plays later, Ozbirn juked a Bulldog completely out of position and went 38 yards for his second touchdown of the night. Muzayad was again true on the extra-point, and the Tigers led 28-0.

Addison finally got something going on its next drive, going on a 12-play, 43-yard drive to the Tiger 22. However, consecutive incompletions on third and fourth down ended the drive at the Tiger 22, and Red Bay wasted little time in cashing in on the defensive stand.

Borden carried for 51 yards on first down to the Bulldog 27, and then Holt took a handoff around the right side and raced untouched into the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. Muzayad’s extra-point made the score 35-0.

The Bulldogs got a first down on their next possession, but Jesus Kelly intercepted a third-down pass at the Red Bay 28 to snuff out the drive. Kelly wasn’t finished, however, as he took a handoff on the next play and gained 66 yards to the Bulldog six-yard line. Ozbirn almost got in on the next play, and Borden capped the drive off with a one-yard plunge to give the Tigers a 42-0 lead.

Addison finally was able to get a sustained drive going right before the half, and a pass interference moved the ball to the Tiger 14 with two seconds left. From there, Ridgeway found Zeb Maze for a 14-yard touchdown to make the halftime score 42-7.

The Addison offense then went into ball-control mode, using as much clock as possible to keep the ball away from the Tiger offense in the second half. After exchanging possessions, the Bulldogs got to their own 34, but on a first down play, Ridgeway was again hit by a host of Tiger defenders and fumbled. This time, Thorn recovered and raced 29 yards for the touchdown. Muzayad’s extra-point made the score 49-7.

The two teams then exchanged possessions until late in the fourth quarter, when the Bulldogs went on a seven-play, 32-yard drive that ended with a Zayne Guthrie six-yard touchdown run. Ridgeway then hit Jonah Blankenship for the two-point conversion to make the score 49-15.

Thorn provided one last bit of excitement, as he took the kickoff and went 89 yards for his second return touchdown of the night. Muzayad’s extra-point closed out the scoring at 56-15.

For the night, the Red Bay offense gained 384 yards, while Addison had 254. Addison ran 69 offensive plays to Red Bay’s 32. Borden led the Tigers with 127 yards rushing on seven carries and two touchdowns, as well as two-of-six passing for 68 yards and another touchdown. Ozbirn had 95 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Holt had one reception for 55 yards and three carries for 23 yards and two touchdowns, while Thorn had two return touchdowns.

The win moved Red Bay to the second round of the playoffs, where the Tigers will host defending 2A state champion Fyffe Nov. 13. The Red Devils, whose only loss this season came to Cleveland in week two, defeated Lafayette 50-15 in the first round of the playoffs.