GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma Middle School football team, after a dominating 50-22 win against Harris Middle School, will play in the championship game on Tuesday, Sept 30, against E.O. Coffman Middle School.

The Wildcats’ middle school football team is one game away from bringing a title back to Tullahoma. Through this storybook season, they have racked up many big-margin wins, but their latest in the semi-final of the playoffs, against Harris is their most impressive yet. They had several big plays throughout the contest, including two touchdown receptions from 8th-grade receiver Jett Damron.

Quarterback Haiden Brinkley and Damron throughout the season have strengthened their connection, and that was solidified with the two passes connecting for two scores against Harris Middle. Brinkley’s rocket arm paired with Damron’s elusiveness has proved to be a lethal combination. Damron in the contest had a team-high 91 yards with an average of 30.3 per reception in the game. Brinkley, although he did not throw the ball a lot, was as effective a player as could be with only five pass attempts. He completed four of his five attempts for 131 yards for three touchdowns, and ran in and converted two two-point conversions.

The other touchdown pass Brinkley threw was caught by arguably the Wildcats’ most valuable player in 2025, running back Macc Chapin. In the contest, Chapin had the most total yards of offense of any player in the game with 151 yards. 40 of these yards came in receiving, and 111 yards came from rushing. Harris Middle School had no answer for the Tullahoma RB, as he averaged 12.3 yards per carry. He was also responsible for four Tullahoma touchdowns in the game, two coming from rushing, one from receiving, and one coming from a punt return touchdown. Another Wildcat, Gavin Barnes, had a score on special teams, as he returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

With the offense having a big day, the defense for the Wildcats was also strong. Harris Middle in their last three games scored over 30 points. The Wildcats were able to snap that streak and hold them to 22. A couple of players who stood out were Josh Vicent, Damron, Brody Phillips, and Reed Seabolt. Vincent in the contest was everywhere. He led all Wildcats in the contest with 14 tackles. Seabolt was getting pressure on the opposing Eagles’ QB throughout the game and secured the lone sack of the game for Tullahoma. Damron in the game was active, having five tackles and one forced fumble. Brody Phillips in the contest for Tullahoma had two tackles and one interception.

The Wildcats’ next and final opponent, E.O. Coffman will be a truly tough task. They won their semi-final game against Warren County Middle School 34-14.  The Wildcats played E.O. Coffman earlier this season back in August, where they won 20-6.