Tullahoma Middle School came calling to Preston Hopkins Field to face the Lewisburg Middle School Tigers Thursday night and the Wildcats came away with a 30-19 win.

Despite scoring first, the Tigers were undone by fumbles and the well-balanced Wildcats’ offense.

Beau Hardison’s Tigers received the opening kickoff and Jakavan Curry scampered around the right side for a 40-yard gain.

Aided by a 15-yard penalty on a facemask violation, the Tigers then pushed across a score via a 6-yard TD run by Markese Davis.

The extra kick by Wyatt Joyce clanked off the right goal post and fell through and the Tigers led 7-0 at the 7:32 mark of the first quarter.

After a short kickoff, Tullahoma took over on the Tigers’ 40-yard line where the Wildcats went to work.

Colby Tucker scrambled for a first down and three plays later, on a fourth-and-four, Jalen Hill shook loose and burst through the middle for a touchdown.

The Wildcats went for the two-point conversion, but were denied by a strong inside push by the Tiger defense and the LMS Tigers lead stood at 7-6.

After the ensuing kickoff, LMS took the ball to their own 48-yard line, but two plays later a fumble gave the ball back to the Wildcats.

The Wildcats moved the ball to the 25-yard and faced a second-and-eight when Tiger safety Curry intercepted a Wildcat pass, giving LMS the ball at the 33-yard line.

At the end of the first quarter the score remained LMS 7, TMS 6.

The second quarter began and the Tigers could not move the ball.

On fourth down, a bad snap from center resulted in Joyce being tackled, turning the ball over on downs.

The Wildcats were in business on the Tiger 6-yard line, but Tullahoma returned the favor and fumbled with LMS’ Curry recovering at the 10.

The Tigers pushed the ball out to the 30-yard line when the fumble bug struck again and the Wildcats took over.

This time the Wildcats moved the ball down the field and Colby Tucker caught a third-and-nine pass for the score.

The two-point conversion was good and Tullahoma led by seven points.

The Tigers and Wildcats then traded fumbles on successive possessions, but neither team could capitalize and at the half the score stood at 14-7.

The Tigers started the third quarter with an onside kick, but Tullahoma recovered at midfield.

The Wildcats then used their ground game and moved the ball down field, leading to a Faizon Snipes touchdown run.

Snipes ran in the two-point conversion for a 22-7 Wildcat lead.

The kickoff went over the head of the Tiger deep man Antomme Cowthorne and rolled to the five-yard line where Cowthorne picked it up, juked three would-be tacklers and scampered all the way to the end zone.

“I thought I was going to be tackled, but then I just took off,” Cowthorne said.

“It was one of those Oh no, to Oh yes plays,” Hardison said.

The two-point conversion failed, but the Tigers cut the lead to 22-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats’ Malik Grizzard looked as if he would repeat Cowthorne’s feat, but was tackled at the Tigers’ two-yard line.

The LMS defense then stood up and denied the Wildcats and took over on downs.

Hardison said of his defense, “These kids have practiced hard in the spring and in the fall.”

Curry ran the ball out to the 36-yard line and a pass to Ronnie Lyttle got the Tigers to the Tullahoma 43 yard-line after the 21-yard pickup.

The drive stalled in part because of a face mask penalty against LMS and Tullahoma took over on downs at their own 45-yard line as the quarter wound down.

The start of the fourth quarter saw the Wildcats make good on the miscue as Hill score again.

The two-point conversion was good and with 6:15 left the score was TMS 30, LMS 13.

The Tigers did little the rest of the quarter until with 1:05 left in the game, Malachi Trapp got loose after a short pass and scored.

The two-point conversion was no good and the score was 30-19 before Tullahoma ran out the remaining time on the clock.

“We’ve got big play potential and the high school will be pleased that we have these players,” Hardison said.

The Tigers (2-1, 1-0) host Battle Creek (New Spring Hill Middle School) tonight at Preston Hopkins Field with kickoff slated for 6 p.m.

Tullahoma Middle School 6 8 8 8 – 30

Lewisburg Middle School 7 0 6 6 – 19