The Adairsville Tigers (1-0) edged out the Allatoona Buccaneers 28-27 in a nail-biting finish on Thursday night as a special teams mishap decided the outcome in the fourth quarter.

Allatoona received the opening kickoff and started strong, with their offense making an impressive drive deep into Adairsville territory. However, the Buccaneers’ momentum came to a sudden halt when Adairsville’s defense stepped up with a crucial interception, shutting down the Buccaneers’ first scoring opportunity.

Adairsville quickly countered with a solid first possession, though it didn’t chew up as much clock as Allatoona did. The Tigers advanced close to the end zone but ended up throwing an interception, handing the ball back to the Buccaneers.

Allatoona, looking to capitalize on the turnover, hoped to put points on the board. But their plans unraveled when they threw another interception, giving Adairsville excellent field position. At this point, it seemed like both teams were struggling to finish drives without turning the ball over. However, Adairsville managed to break the cycle, driving down the field and capping it with a 27-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Allatoona fought hard to score before halftime, but their offense continued to sputter, culminating in a third interception with just about a minute left in the first half. Adairsville seized the opportunity, marching down the field and reaching the red zone before Ethan Long connected with Tre Winters for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers then successfully converted a 2-point attempt, extending their lead to 11-0 at halftime.

Despite taking a double-digit lead into the second half, Adairsville hit a snag early in the third quarter. They fumbled on their opening drive, giving Allatoona a chance to close the gap. The Buccaneers capitalized on the turnover with a 15-yard rushing touchdown, narrowing the score to 11-7 early in the third.

Allatoona seemed to have the momentum, but Adairsville pushed back, driving into the red zone once more. Winters found Xavious Nalls for a 13-yard touchdown pass, putting the Tigers up 18-7 with about eight minutes left in the third quarter. Later, they tacked on a 32-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 21-7 with four minutes remaining in the third.

The Buccaneers answered with a massive 60-yard pass followed by a rushing touchdown, trimming the Tigers’ lead to 21-14 near the end of the third quarter. Allatoona then tied the game 21-21 early in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard rushing touchdown after regaining possession.

Undeterred, Adairsville quickly marched down the field. Using a bit of trickery, running back Tamarius Wilkey threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Nalls, reclaiming the lead 28-21 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The final moments of the fourth quarter were nothing short of chaotic. Allatoona continued to pound the ball on the ground and found themselves inside Adairsville’s 10-yard line with about a minute left. The Tigers’ defense held strong for a few plays, but Allatoona eventually broke through with a short touchdown run, making it 28-27 with around 45 seconds remaining.

All they needed was a successful PAT to tie the game and potentially send it to overtime. But in a shocking turn of events, the Buccaneers missed the PAT off the left upright, allowing Adairsville to escape with a thrilling 28-27 victory to start the 2024 season 1-0.

Next week, the Adairsville Tigers will hit the road to face the Pepperell Dragons. You can catch the game on the Adairsville Sports Network.