OWLS STUMBLE LATE; Smith Co.’s fourth quarter lead evaporates as Tellico Plains scores in waning seconds
By Terry Collins Courier Sports
TELLICO PLAINS — The Smith County High Owls football team made the long journey to Tellico Plains in East Tennessee last Friday night. The unit had hopes of going over .500 for the second time this season.
The Class 2A matchup featured a pair of 4-4 teams as the two teams had met only one previous time in 1994 in Monroe County during the playoffs.
The Owls seemed poised to grab the road victory but a collapse in the final 6:00 turned a nine point lead into a 25-21 loss.
“I’m proud of our players and coaches,” said Smith County head football coach Matt Dyer. “We let this game slip away from us. We didn’t execute the way we needed to late in the game when we had chances to put it away. Turnovers, penalties and missed tackles really hurt us. We had a few busted coverages that led to really big plays for them that kept Tellico Plains in the ball game and allowed them to take the lead at the end.”
Dyer continued, “We have to mature, learn from these mistakes and stop shooting ourselves in the foot during big moments.”
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