Barron’s big run keeps Tattnall Square unbeaten
Tattnall Square waited all night Friday to break a big play against Stratford. Ahmad Barron didn’t let the Trojans down.
The senior running back uncorked the longest run of the night for either team with 3:12 remaining. His 40-yard scamper produced the only touchdown in a 7-3 Tattnall victory that put the Trojans in the GHSA Region 7-1A championship game.
The Trojans (9-0, 5-0 Region 7A-1A) missed two field goals and fumbled deep in Stratford territory earlier in the game. But they also kept Stratford (6-3, 3-2) out of the end zone, forcing a field goal and stopping the Eagles short on a fourth-down attempt.
Stratford’s final drive was shut down when the Eagles tried to go into passing mode. An intentional grounding call and back-to-back sacks kept Stratford from going past midfield.
Tattnall travels to Washington-Wilkes on Friday for the region championship. Washington-Wilkes beat Warren County 30-17, while Aquinas beat Lincoln County 34-30 to give the Tigers the top spot in Region 7B-1A.
Four who mattered
Barron: Tattnall’s top rusher was held to 30 yards in the first half, and he only had 50 yards when Tattnall’s offense took the field at its own 25 with 5:16 to go. After losing a yard early in the series, Barron found a nice-sized hole made by the Tattnall line and hit it quickly, darting through and into the open field for the game-winning score.
Calvin Slaughter: Tattnall doesn’t pass the ball much, and when it does the receiver is usually the 6-foot-6 Jimmy Marshall. But the 6-foot Slaughter had two big catches, a 23-yarder in the first half and a 24-yarder in the second half that came right before Barron’s touchdown run.
Kasey Sanders: The Stratford running back had 108 yards on 19 carries.
Jake Jamison: His 30-yard field goal just before halftime held up until Barron broke away on his touchdown run.
Turning point
Tattnall had the ball at its own 36 when a passing play was called on second-and-11. Quarterback Miles Morris didn’t have his primary target open on the play, but he did see Slaughter in single coverage across the field. They connected on a 24-yard pass, the longest for either team, and Barron broke free with his touchdown run on the next play.
Observations
Could have been costly: Tattnall squandered three scoring opportunities prior to Barron’s touchdown. The Trojans lost a fumble inside the Stratford 20, then place-kicker Bryce Pruitt missed two field goal attempts, a 27-yarder in the third quarter and a 40-yarder early in the fourth. Both kicks went wide left, but he did connect on the extra point following Barron’s touchdown to force Stratford to go for a touchdown on the Eagles’ final drive.
Few chances: Aside from Jamison’s field goal, Stratford cracked the Tattnall 20 just once all night. That first-half drive ended on downs. The Eagles did not make it inside of the Tattnall 45 the entire second half.
No passing zone: Stratford quarterback Noah Hill only got of four pass attempts, with both receptions going for losses. He finished with minus-6 yards passing.
Worth noting
Nice record: Friday’s win put Tattnall at 9-0 for the second time in three years. The Trojans lost 49-21 at Aquinas in the Region 7-1A championship game that year, finishing 10-2 with another loss to the Irish in the Class 1A private quarterfinals.
They said it
Barron on the touchdown run: “It wasn’t anything that I did. It was the offensive line. There was a big hole. All I saw was green. They made a big hole for me, I saw a cutback lane, and it was out of the gate from there.”
Barron on overcoming missed opportunities: “There were a couple of mistakes, but, hey, we kept fighting to the end and never gave up. (The Eagles) have a good team, and they had a good game plan for us. They fought hard.”
Tattnall head coach Chance Jones on the reception that set up the touchdown: “We got bogged down, so we figured we needed to throw it the next play and try to get it down the field. That was not to who it was originally to, but Miles found him, and I’m glad he did.”
Jones on Barron’s scoring run: “It was just a power to the left. He got into the hole and he ended up cutting it back right once he got past the first level.”
Stratford head coach Mark Farriba: “At times we moved the ball OK, but we just had too many negative plays. Negative plays just killed us. Not taking it away from Tattnall, obviously. Their defense was a big factor.”
What’s next?
Tattnall heads to Washington-Wilkes, a team the Trojans beat 38-0 on Sept. 23, on Friday. The Tigers (4-5) are 4-1 since the loss to the Trojans, defeating Greene County, Hancock Central, Aquinas and Warren County. Stratford’s crossover opponent is to be announced.
This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Barron’s big run keeps Tattnall Square unbeaten."