TIGERS TEVERRIUS JONES (5) AND ERIC SCOTT (11) WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR. The Tigers will lose only five to graduation and promise to be stronger than ever in 2010. While the Washington-Wilkes Tigers did not go out with a win at the end of their 2009 football season, at least they went out in style as they turned in probably their best game of the year.

W-W scored more points than in any other game this year except for the one against Calhoun Falls, and looked better and more complete than ever. But up against Bowdon's powerful and explosive offense, the Tigers ended up two touchdowns short and had to take the loss at 35-49. Ironically, the Tiger Defense gave up more points than it had all year.

Even the Bowdon Red Devils and their fans were impressed by the Tigers and reports were that some of them said W-W was the toughest opponent they had faced all year. One even said that the Tigers played so well and so hard that they actually felt sorry that they had to lose the game.

"We played hard but we just couldn't make enough stops on defense to win," Tiger Head Coach Lee Hutto explained. "We had one turnover that hurt us. That was a touchdown that kind of got away from us."

That one turnover was a fumble at the six-yard line when the Tigers were moving in to score. Instead, Bowdon took over and held on to the lead.

"They played hard for four quarters and offensively it was the best game we played all year," Hutto continued. "We had only one turnover and only one penalty all night. We played a clean football game and the kids' effort was fantastic."

That effort showed the progress the Tiger athletes have made this year in "handling adversity." Rather than give up and let Bowdon pull away, W-W stayed in it throughout the entire game.

"There were times when we were down by two scores but we kept fighting and would get it back to one score," Hutto said. "We would force them to punt but then we just couldn't put some points on the board when we needed to."

Defensively, it was four big pass plays that hurt the Tigers most. "We just couldn't make enough stops defensively and we just couldn't recover," Hutto said.

Fans like former Tiger Clifford Jones (1972 Region Champs) were faithful and supportive all year, cheering the team on from the stands and the fenceline. In spite of the defensive troubles against Bowdon, Hutto saw a bright side. "We started two freshmen and two sophomores on defense this year so they got a lot of playing time," he began. "I know it didn't end like a lot of folks wanted it to end, but now that it's over I'm excited about our young kids."

Nevertheless, the coach admitted that he was suffering. "This is always a bad time of year for me. When it's all over after you've put so much into it, what do you do with yourself?"

He answered his own question when he told his players after the game last Friday night that come Monday morning, it would be time to start working on next year.

"I was proud of our kids and the effort they put forth," he said. "But the season's over and now we're starting to get ready for next year. Our off-season is going to be key for us right now. In the past, the off-season hasn't been really emphasized and hasn't been important but we've got to make a commitment to the weight room."

School administrators, coaches, and the counselor are already working to make sure Tiger athletes of all kinds have the opportunity to do plenty of weight training beginning next semester. With three weightlifting classes scheduled, most should be taken care of. Some may have to work out before school or after school. Whatever the case, Hutto said he and other coaches would be available whenever needed. "All our kids have got to make the commitment to our off-season program just so they can become better athletes," he said.

Additionally, Hutto said he encourages all Tiger athletes to play every sport - especially in a school the size of W-WCHS. "I don't think we should have any kids that play just football," he said. "I think they need to play basketball. They need to play baseball. They need to run track. They need to do it all. It keeps them out of trouble and it also helps them do better academically."

Getting back to the importance of weight training, Hutto emphasized that he and his staff are "going to do everything we can to make sure our kids are in weight training. They've got to be. That was part of our problem this year with injuries. People don't understand that if you're stronger, not only are you a better athlete but it cuts down on your injuries. And if you're stronger, even if you get injured, it won't be as severe."

Looking ahead, Hutto is still optimistic.

"We're losing only five seniors so we've got a good number coming back," he said. "And there are 15 eighth graders that play football so we want to get all those kids too. And I want to get back some of those kids who haven't played in the last few years. If we can get up to 60 or 65 kids, that will be a great number for us."

He was also very appreciative of community support throughout his first season at W-WCHS and commented that "Everybody has been wonderful. We've gotten great support and our fans have followed us wherever we've been and have been great a home games. That's Washington-Wilkes where people love football and are going to come and support football. It has been tremendous. We couldn't ask for any more support and we appreciate it all."

But, he said, "Now we've got to get out and support basketball and wrestling and the other sports. That's the thing with a school this size - our kids do it all."