LARRY DAVIS RETURNS A PASS INTERCEPTION It was one of three the Tigers picked off against Fannin County. Last Friday night the Washington- Wilkes Tigers won the 8AA region championship with an easy victory over the Fannin County Rebels by a score of 45-21. This is the first time Washington has been region champions since the 2000 season. The starting Tiger defense again went unscored-on, with Fannin's touchdowns coming on the younger defensive players who were substituted after the game was well in hand. The W-W offense had a big night, gaining 387 yards and scoring six touchdowns.

Roderigo Rodriguez kicked off for the Tigers to start the region championship. The Fannin return man took the kick to the Rebel 21- yard line where Tevin Turman made the tackle. The W-W defense forced the Rebels to punt after giving up only five yards. Fannin faked the punt and gained the necessary yardage, getting a new set of downs. The Tiger defense held again, with linebacker Demont Gresham making a one-handed interception on the Fannin 31-yard line. After a fumbled snap on first down, Wylie picked up the first down with a 10-yard run. The drive would stall, however, with Wylie being stopped short on fourth down.

DYWANE HAMPTON AND ANOTHER TIGER STOP A REBEL FROM GOING ANYWHERE The starting Tiger Defense had little trouble holding Fannin County scoreless Friday night. The Tiger defense forced the Rebels to go three-and-out, getting the ball on the W-W 40-yard line after the punt. The Washington offense didn't waste any more time, giving the ball to Wylie three times in a row. The first run went for 16- yards to the Fannin 44-yard line, and after being stopped for no gain on second down, Wylie went the rest of the 44 yards for the touchdown. Mark Tench made the PAT, putting W-W up 7-0 with 2:29 left in the first quarter.

On the ensuing drive, the Tiger defense forced the Fannin County to again go three-and-out. Jareon Small returned the punt 14 yards to the W-W 44-yard line before being tackled. A short gain by Wylie ended the first quarter.

The Tigers decided play time was over. The W-W offense started the second quarter with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Clete Wilson to Small, with Tench's PAT giving Washington a 14-point lead just nine seconds into the quarter. Fannin County started on its 23-yard line after the kickoff amd again the Tiger defense held strong, stopping the Rebels on fourth-and-short to give Washington the ball on the Fannin 32-yard line. Two gives to Wylie, the second for 28-yards, resulted in another W-W touchdown. Tench made the PAT, making the score 21-0 with 8:12 left in the second quarter.

An accidental pooch kick by Rodriguez was recovered by Larry Davis on the Rebel's 31-yard line. On first down, Wilson found Gary Wilburn for all 31 yards and the touchdown. Tench came on to kick his second PAT in less than 30 seconds, giving the Tigers a comfortable 28-point lead with 7:48 left in the quarter.

Fannin was able to gain its second first down of the game on its next drive, moving the ball out to its 37-yard line before a personal foul brought them back. The W-W defense forced the Rebels to punt four plays later from the Fannin County 27-yard line. Gresham returned the punt to the Washington 49-yard line. Wylie gained 36 yards on first down, making it down to the Rebel's 15-yard line before being drug down. The next play gave Small the ball on a counter play, and he went untouched for 15-yards and the touchdown. Tench was again good for the PAT, putting W-W up 35-0 with 3:32 left in the half.

The ensuing drive for the Rebels was their longest drive of the night against the first Tiger defense. Fannin crossed the 50-yard line for the first time offensively all half, gaining 33 yards before corner Davis made his own one-handed interception and returned it 29 yards to the Rebel's 43-yard line. A 13- yard gain by Wylie, a short pass to Gresham, and an 18-yard scramble by Wilson put the Tigers on the Fannin six-yard line with just three seconds left before halftime. Tench made the 23-yard field goal as time expired, giving Washington its largest halftime lead of the season, 38- 0.

Because of Washington's 38 point lead, the third and fourth quarters were played with a running clock.

The Tigers started the second half with the ball. After a busted kickoff return put W-W on its own two-yard line, Wylie decided to make his last series of the game something to remember. He took the handoff and went all 98 yards for the touchdown. This was Football Friday Night's number one play of the week, and according to Washington-Wilkes football historian Skeet Willingham, the longest run in Washington- Wilkes football history. Tench made his sixth and final PAT of the night making the score 45-0 with 10:39 left in the third quarter.

The young Tiger defense then came in to get some experience. Fannin County left its starters in and was finally able to move the football. Slowly but surely, the Rebels drove down the field and scored. The PAT was good, putting Fannin on the board with 1:28 left in the third quarter. Trey McCants fell on the ensuing kickoff to end the third quarter.

A.J. Perlotte came on at quarterback to lead the young Tigers in the fourth quarter. The Fannin County first defense forced W-W to punt, and rushed the young line, blocking Wilson's punt and recovering it on the Washington three-yard line. Fannin scored two plays later, cutting the Tiger lead to 31 points. Small returned the following kickoff 16 yards to the W-W 32-yard line. The Tigers were stopped on fourth and short, turning the ball over to the Rebels on the Washington 40-yard line. Fannin scored two plays later with a 25-yard run, giving the game its final score of 45- 21.

The Tigers recovered the onside kick that followed, but a fumble on third down gave the Rebels the ball on their 46-yard line. Fannin kept its starters in, moving down to the 32-yard line with a 22-yard pass, and then a 21-yard toss put them on the Washington 11-yard line. A cheap shot on one of the young defensive linemen prompted Defensive Coordinator Ed Lovvorn to put the first Tiger defense back in the game. On the ensuing play, Wilburn, not want-

ing to be outdone by Gresham and Davis, picked the ball off in the end zone. The W-W offense got the ball on its 20-yard line with time for one last play. Tiger Head Coach Russel Morgan called for a long pass to try to get even for the Rebel's cheap shot, but the pass fell incomplete as time ran out. The Washington- Wilkes Tiger became region champions again for the first time in six years.

The Washington offense had a big night, putting up 387 total yards, 292 yards on the ground and 95 yards in the air. Wylie was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 253 yards and three touchdowns. This put Wylie over 1700 yards for the season.

Quarterback Clete Wilson was next, with two carries for 17 yards. Wilson was also four-for-eight passing for 95 yards and two touchdowns. This gave Wilson over 1000 passing yards on the season.

Small was the leading receiver with a catch for 56 yards and a touchdown. Wilburn was next with a catch for 31 yards and a touchdown. The Tiger defense was led by Wilburn with five tackles, four assists, two passes broken up, and an interception. Linebacker Dywane Hampton was next with six tackles, two assists, and a tackle-for-loss, closely followed by Gresham with five tackles, one assist, and an interception. Davis also had an interception and recovered the pooch kick. Tench was a perfect six-forsix on PATs and made a 23-yard field goal.

This Friday night, the Tigers host the Cavaliers of Callaway in first round of the State playoffs. Callaway is the number four seed out of region 5AA. Offensively, the Cavaliers feature the triple option out of the spread I. Defensively, they run an even front with lots of blitzes. Kickoff is at 7:30 at Tiger Stadium.