The Adairsville Tigers (7-1, 5-0) beat the Gordon Lee Trojans (3-5, 2-3) by a score of 42-28.

Adairsville received the opening kickoff, and the Tigers found the endzone quickly as Chris Roper scored a 48-yard rushing touchdown to give Adairsville an early first quarter lead. Gordon Lee responded with a long drive in which they ran the ball all the way down the field and into the red zone. After a plethora of run plays, they tricked Adairsville with a play-action pass and scored a 22-yard passing touchdown to tie the score at 7-7.

Adairsville didn’t wait long to answer as Roper scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown with around three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Unfortunately, the Tigers mishandled the snap on the PAT.  Gordon Lee scored a 20-yard passing touchdown on the ensuing drive to take a 1-point lead with around nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. Adairsville had a chance to take the lead late in the second quarter as they had possession inside Gordon Lee’s 10-yard line. Unfortunately, Ethan Blome fumbled, and the Trojans recovered on their own 5-yard line.

Luckily, Adairsville forced Gordon Lee to punt and got the ball back with an excellent shot to take the lead. The Tigers did just that, as Roper caught a 7-yard touchdown pass and scored a two-point conversion to give Adairsville a 21-14 lead at the end of the first half.

Adairsville surprised Gordon Lee with an onside kick to start the third quarter, and the Tigers recovered, giving themselves a chance to extend their lead. Unfortunately, they failed to score and threw their second interception of the night, giving Gordon Lee the ball on its own 42-yard line. The Trojans took advantage of the excellent field position, scoring a 21-yard passing touchdown to make the score 21-21 with around eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Adairsville had a habit of responding to Gordon Lee’s scoring possessions, and the Tigers did it again as Roper scored an 18-yard rushing touchdown, his fourth score of the evening, to once again regain the lead. Gordon Lee continued to lean on its rushing attack, and it continued to work as the Trojans scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown to make the score 28-28 with a few minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Roper continued to dominate this game, scoring an 18-yard rushing touchdown to give Adairsville a 35-28 lead early in the fourth quarter. His scoring frenzy continued late in the game, as he scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown to put Adairsville ahead 42-28 with around four minutes remaining in the contest. In all, Roper had six touchdowns for Adairsville.

Adairsville’s defense kept Gordon Lee out of the endzone, and the Tigers escaped with a 42-28 victory.

Adairsville will take on the Bremen Blue Devils on the road next Friday evening at 7:30. A win would give Adairsville a region title.