MATT TYSON

Staff Writer

Coffee County football went into halftime of Friday’s game against Tullahoma with a 13-point lead.  By the time the second half ended, the Wildcats had scored 26 unanswered.

Traveling to Tullahoma for the 101^st annual Coffee Pot, the Red Raiders jumped ahead early on but were unable to hold off a late Wildcat surge on the way to a 34-21 loss to their archrivals.

The result marked a second straight Coffee Pot loss for the Red Raiders following last year’s 57-23 final at Carden-Jarrell Field. The loss was also Coffee County’s eighth in the last 10 meetings of the rivalry series.

After both teams came up empty on their opening drives, the Red Raiders got on the board on their next possession when quarterback Kaysen Lowery connected with wide receiver Luke Christian in the end zone for a 29-yard passing touchdown. Coffee County followed this up with the extra point attempt to take a 7-0 lead with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

Still up by seven as the second quarter got under way, the Red Raiders got back to the end zone when Lowery connected with wideout Matthew White for what would be a 69-yard touchdown pass with 4:44 to go until halftime.

Up 14-0 following the extra point, Coffee County continued to push ahead when Lowery connected with Christian once more, this time on a 28-yard passing touchdown. Gaiden Bellamy’s kick once again sailed through the uprights to make it a 21-0 Red Raider lead with 2:40 remaining in the half.

Tullahoma was finally able to answer with less than a minute until the break on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The Wildcats followed this up with a successful 2-point conversion, ultimately sending Coffee County into halftime leading 21-8.

The tide continued to turn in Tullahoma’s favor once play resumed. Opening the third quarter with the ball, the Wildcats quickly cut the Red Raider lead to six points on a 63-yard passing touchdown and ensuing extra point.

After the Red Raiders came up empty on their next drive, Tullahoma capitalized with another possession that ended in the end zone, this time on a 39-yard rushing play. The following PAT went through the goalposts to give the Wildcats a 22-21 lead with 7:39 to play in the third quarter.

Still trailing by one point as the fourth quarter got under way, the Red Raiders took over on their own 35-yard line and proceeded to march all the way to the Tullahoma 2. With the go-ahead touchdown in sight, Tullahoma recovered a fumble to take over on offense and keep Coffee County out of the end zone.

The Wildcats took advantage of the turnover, ultimately scoring on a 35-yard pass on 4^th & 15 from the Red Raider 35-yard line with 3:21 left to play.

Trailing 28-21 after the Tullahoma extra point attempt was no good, the Coffee County offense came back on the field with a chance to tie it up.

The Red Raiders went on to turn the ball over on downs, setting up Tullahoma for another scoring drive that ended on an 18-yard run to paydirt with 1:42 remaining. The Wildcats’ PAT was once again no good, bringing the game to what would be its final score.

Coffee County (1-1) will look to get back on track when it travels to Lebanon to take on Wilson Central for its week 3 matchup. The Wildcats are off to an 0-2 start following a 20-11 road loss to Cane Ridge in their season opener and a 6-3 overtime loss at Clarksville Northwest Friday night.

The Red Raiders lost last year’s meeting between the two teams when Wilson Central scored a go-ahead touchdown and 2-point conversion with less than a minute remaining, sealing a 29-22 loss for Coffee County in Manchester.

Kickoff of Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m.