GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma football team lost its last regular-season game of 2025 to Columbia Central High School, losing 28-20. They end their regular season with a 5-5 overall record.

The Wildcats took on the opposing Columbia Central Lions, the first-place team in their region standings, and got off to a good start. They gained a 13-7 lead going into halftime. They played complementary football throughout the first 24 minutes of the game.

The Wildcats’ defense, after allowing an opening touchdown drive to start the game to the opposing Lions, began to shut down their offense. They forced multiple punts, which played in Tullahoma’s favor with Central having a shaky special teams unit. The Wildcats sacked the opposing Lions punter in the first half for a turnover deep in their territory, and also blocked a punt later in the first half.

On offense, the Wildcats looked solid in driving the ball, as they constantly were getting themselves in position to put points on the board. Their two scores in the half both came off runs from senior running back Marvancy Johnson Jr. He scored on runs from two yards out and 26 yards out. Tullahoma did miss on a couple opportunities in the first half to put more damage on the scoreboard, missing two field goals. Nevertheless, taking the lead into the half against Central was a win. Unfortunately, following the whistle that put the second half into motion, at Wilkins stadium, the Lions showed why they were first in the district.

Tullahoma added on to their lead at the start of the first half, gaining a 20-7 advantage. This came from a 17-yard TD connection from senior quarterback Lucas Reed to senior wide receiver Alex Bobo. Following this, the Tullahoma offense entered an offensive drought, with the opposing Lions going on a 21-0 run.

The majority of the Lions’ damage came from their senior QB Daniel Booker. The senior Lion was active in using his legs to gash through the Wildcats’ defense, scoring two of his team’s three touchdowns in the second half. The third touchdown of theirs came from a pick-six.

One of the major issues the Wildcats had in this contest that they will have to clean up come postseason play is penalties. They were constantly playing behind the sticks, and one of these penalties ended up being extra meaningful. Johnson Jr. broke off a big touchdown run that would have given Tullahoma a 27-14 lead, but it was called back due to a flag. It is a tough game to end the year on for Tullahoma, but there are some positives to build off of. One of those being that they showed they are more than capable of competing against high-level teams, like Central.

The Wildcats will look to improve from their first-round postseason exit a year ago, when they take on Walker Valley High School this Thursday. The opposing Mustangs finished with a record of 7-3 for the regular season.