On offense the Tigers look to have a strong chance to make the game this Friday against the Mustangs from Nashville-David Lipscomb become a tough ball game. For the Tigers led on offense by the dynamic duo of junior quarterback Robert Redmond, 5-11, 165 pounds and junior wide receiver Keiwone Malone, 6-1, 165 pounds. The two combined for 358 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers 41-35 win to advance to the state Semi-Finals. The aerial attack was unmatched and helped the Tigers pull away late in this ball game.
For the Tigers they have been led by a trio of underclassmen on offense including quarterback Robert Redmond, who completed 25 out of 37 passes for 488 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win over Dyersburg (Tenn.). Of those completions 13 went to junior standout wide receiver Keiwone Malone, who piled up 358 yards receiving and four touchdowns.
The Mustangs from Nashville-David Lipscomb will have to play tough in the secondary to shut down this hot aerial attack, but they will still need to watch out for the Tiger running game. Led by sophomore running back Artaves Gibson, 6-2, 210 pounds who has rushed for 1405 yards on the season the Tigers hope to maintain a steady balance to advance to the state championship game. The run game along with the passing game will need help from the Tigers offensive line including junior tackles Veronricco Jenkins, 6-6, 265 pounds and Rodregus Scruggs, 6-6, 280 pounds.
The Tigers are pretty solid on the defensive side of the football led by senior linebacker/free safety Andrew Franklin, 6-1, 185 pounds. Franklin has put up some impressive stats for the 2008 season including 176 total tackles and 12 sacks.
As teams across the state prepare to be only one of four teams left in the playoffs the Tigers hope their young skilled players are ready to make a run towards a gold ball. Led by juniors primarily on offense the Tigers have improved almost every week and hope to show their balance. On defense Andrew Franklin should impress many throughout the rest of the playoffs.