By Robert Blankenship | The Demopolis Times

It was a defensive battle throughout he first half when the Demopolis Tigers hosted the Dallas County Hornets, but it was the Tigers that got things going in a big way, scoring five touchdowns in the second half to secure a perfect region record, 41-0.

For the Tigers (8-1, 7-0), the victory means another perfect season in region play. For Dallas County (5-4, 4-3), it means the Hornets need to go back to the drawing board before the playoffs start in two weeks.

“They blocked better and executed better overall,” said Demopolis head coach Stacy Luker. “I’m very proud of the way we played in the second half. We were a much better football team those last 24 minutes.”

Overall, the Tigers outgained the Hornets with a total of 358 yards to 124.

The Tigers got on the board early when they marched the ball downfield on their first possession. Craig capped off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run. R.J. Cox knocked home the point-after giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 4:19 to go in the first.

Things got quiet after that with the score holding steady as the teams went to the half.

However, Demopolis got its offense going in the second half.

At the Dallas County 24, Ezell found Cal Logan at the back of the end zone for a touchdown. The PAT was good and Demopolis took a 14-0 lead.

On the next drive, the Hornets were moving the ball with some good running by Calvin Starks, including a big 18-yard gain on third-and-four. But, a big hit by Matt Beckum led to a fumble and Demopolis recovered at the 47-yard line.

Scott took the load of carries on the following drive, but it was once again Ezell going to the air for the score when he connected with Tyler Jones from the 31-yard line. The PAT gave the Tigers a 21-0 lead as they began to pull away.

The Tigers scored again early in the fourth quarter when Drew Jones plowed into the end zone from the 13-yard line. Cox’s PAT was good again as the Tigers extended Demopolis’ lead to 28-0.

“We just wore down and could not sustain the level we needed to sustain in order to beat a good football team,” said Dallas County head coach Marty Smith.

Things went from bad to worse for the Hornets. The kickoff was botched and recovered by the Tigers at the Dallas County 40.

Scott took a handoff for a gain of 21 yards to the 5 and he scored on the following play. A bad snap led to an unsuccessful conversion attempt, but Demopolis was well in control.

On their next possession, the Tigers were likely looking forward to running down the clock, but on the first play Williams Wilkins went straight up the middle untouched for 45 yards and into the end zone. The point-after gave the Tigers a 41-0 lead with less than a minute to go in the game.

“We are a beat-up football team, and we’ve got to do a good job to get these kids ready for week 10 and the playoffs,” Smith said.

The Tigers will travel to Auburn High School next week. Dallas County will play at county rival Southside.