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Wildcats Outlast Rebels Thanks to 69-yard Scoring Play
by Mike McGee [Photos]

  WINCHESTER---It’s hard to say who deserved to win Friday night’s Tullahoma-Franklin County football game, but it’s easy to say neither team deserved to lose.
  Tullahoma won the game in dramatic fashion when Derek Lawson took a short pass over the middle from quarterback Chris Bishop and flew 69 yards for a touchdown with 1:17 remaining on the clock. The clutch play came less than a minute after the Rebels had stunned the Wildcats with a 65-yard touchdown drive that included a successful Hail Mary type pass for 36 yards on a fourth and 17 play. That play, where receiver Phillip Dixon went up between two Wildcats at the four-yard line and hauled in Shaquille Shedd’s desperation pass, set up a four-yard TD run by Shedd to tie the game 18-18 with 2:15 left. Justin Prucha’s kick made it 19-18.

Derek Lawson (10) finishes off a 69-yard scoring play to cap Tullahoma's 25-19 win at Franklin County Friday night.

  The Wildcats took possession on their own 20, and they were forced to do something they rarely did all night—throw the ball. The Wildcats had thrown the ball only five times up until the final possession, and each of those passes were of the sideline variety near the line of scrimmage. But, when senior quarterback Chris Bishop looked downfield with time running out, he found what he was looking for. After an initial misfire on first down, Bishop found Brent Edwards for eight yards, then ran the ball for three yards for the first down at the 31. He then found Lawson streaking from left to right and connected with him. Lawson hit the after-burners and ran untouched for the 69-yard score. Craig Roper’s extra point made it 25-19 with 1:17 left.