Trick play, tumbling fumble end action-filled game in Lindale

Pepperell High only had 60 passing yards Friday in a Homecoming rivalry showdown with the Darlington School Tigers at Dragon Stadium. For a running team that is all about the I formation or single back looks and the quarterback under center, that would not surprise the Pepperell coaching staff.

Those 60 yards, however, are going to live forever in the lore of Dragon football. It made for a finish that was epic, thrilling and an instant classic all rolled into one. All of the elements were there: the fourth quarter, 4th-down and 4, a timeout, a seven-point deficit, and a play-call probably on the back page.

It wasn’t even the quarterback, but the fullback Jamison Kimbrough doing the honors. HIs halfback-option heave went to a wide open Chance Hopper. That’s a freshman to sophomore touchdown hookup when Pepperell trailed Darlington 47-40 with 1:44 remaining in regulation.

Then came the gutsy move of head coach Brandon Haywood to go for the lead, and the call to put the football back in the hands of Hopper, already an area Player of the Year in Dragon baseball. Hopper took a direct snap and ran the keeper back into the end zone for two more points.

Pepperell would go on to win 48-47, but not before Darlington saw a grand opportunity to answer slip away in the most bizarre of fashions.

Starting what would be their final drive of the night, the Tigers were on their 35-yard-line when quarterback Nate Kunczewski first completed a 18-yard pass to Trey Moore. On second down, found one of his wing-T backfield targets, Levi Duggan, for a catch on a play that ended with a pile of people, not just football players but one of the officials, at the near pylon on the home sideline.

What most may have thought was a first down on the 1 while that referee received attention turned out to be quite different when everyone was deemed OK and play would resume.

What happened was a fumble, the football going in and out of the end zone for a touchback.

And so ended the first Region 6-2A game for both teams and the second win overall for Pepperell after two straight losses at home. Darlington also came out with a 2-2 record after winning the previous two in a row.

Unofficially, the Tigers amassed nearly 600 yards of offense, around 573, while Pepperell gained about 453 yards.

The Dragons had one of the most important advantages in football, the turnover margin, as there were two lost Darlington fumbles in all, the first of which set up a 20-yard scoring drive in the second quarter.

The Tigers were about big plays in that wing-T, 11 snaps going for 20 yards or more. Pepperell had three runs from scrimmage gain close to 50 yards each.

Nobody had a lead more than eight points all night.

Darlington struck first when Duggan took an option pitch and found a lot of room for 37 yards to the Dragon 37. On second down from the 9, he went left on a sweep to score at 10:24. Matias Selle added the PAT for 7-0 Tigers.

While that series went four plays, Pepperell answered with 14 plays to cover 80 yards, each and every snap a run with a line of Christian Sandoval, Caleb Leathers, Mekhi Hicks and SJ Sapp blocking. Dwight Chatman moved the chains four times on first-down runs, and Pepperell was on the Tiger 23.

On 4th-and-1, quarterback Riley Millican reached the football out for another first down, after which Chatman went up the gut to the 5. It was up the middle Chatman went again for a touchdown at 2:27, nearly eight minutes coming off the clock. Spencer Baker kicked the tying PAT.

Darlington was back on the scoreboard, however, before the quarter ended because the visitors needed just four plays to go 73 yards. It was Duggan going right to the Dragon 47 and Bo Powers going right to the 25 with blocks by Nicolas Brust, Rex George-Taylor, Lane Brasington, Ty Wood and Colten Momon. The only pass Kunczewski completed in the first half went to an open Moore on a post, and he scored at the 50-second mark.

The first quarter would end with Darlington ahead 14-7. For the only time in the game, the teams traded punts, but Pepperell returned one to its 46. Chatman then sliced through a hole to the Tiger 7. From there, he scored his second touchdown at 9:33.

Another element making the game interesting was that the Dragons missed this PAT and still trailed 14-13. This would influence other post-touchdown decisions.

One came just 46 game seconds later as Kunczewski took a keeper 57 yards for Darlington’s third touchdown. It was an easy choice for the Tigers: Have Selle kick another PAT for 21-13.

Chatman met George-Taylor and Grady Ferguson at the line in the next series, prompting a Pepperell timeout on 3rd-and-11 at its 36. Hopper took the next snap, and from a misdirection run Chatman made first down on the Tiger 48. Zier Williams, who had five carries in the first quarter spelling Chatman, sped those 48 for a Dragon touchdown at 6:16. The home team went for two, but Wood stopped it keeping the visiting team up 21-19.

The first big break of the half came as the Tigers fumbled their first play from scrimmage. Jalonnie Adams recovered for Pepperell on the 20, and on a second-down jet sweep Hopper scored a 19-yard touchdown. With 5:06 to play in the half, Pepperell led 26-21 on Baker’s PAT kick.

Darlington’s ensuing drive went from its 29 to the Dragon 15. Powers got the ball on 4th-and-2, but Hopper made the stop for a loss at 1:17.

Pepperell had the football first in the third quarter but did not score despite nine carries and three first downs from Williams. George-Taylor, Jaetyn Mazzo and Brust had the key stops to get possession for the visiting offense at the 33.

After Kunczewski completed an out pattern to Moore at the 50, Selle crushed past left guard for a touchdown run at 5:03. In deja vu from the end of the half, Hopper stopped Powers on the two-point run, so the Tigers only led by a single point, 27-26.

Haywood had Kimbrough in the backfield for Pepperell’s next series, and he absorbed hits to get over midfield. Three carries later he was on the Tiger 23.

Williams took over, and with Sapp’s lead blocking he scored his second touchdown on a toss for 21 yards. Another two-point try failed, so at the 32-second mark the Dragon lead was back to five, 32-27.

Darlington took the football into the fourth quarter. Caleb Covington caught a pass for first down on the Tiger 43, and Duggan went left on a toss for 29 yards. On the fourth play of the last period, Duggan took the pitch and scored at 10:20. Yet another two-point try did not work, so the one-point lead stood at 33-32.

Darlington coach Wayne Groves then went for his own gutsy move, calling for an onside kickoff. It worked giving the Tigers a new possession on the Dragon 47. It just took one play for Selle to go the distance for his second touchdown. That’s 10 game seconds between touchdowns, and Selle kicked the PAT for 40-32 Tigers.

Thanks to a penalty, the Dragons only needed to cover 51 yards in response, and did so in three plays. On 3rd-and-6, Williams exploded on a toss left and scored for the third time, a 47-yarder at 7:58.

Thanks to another penalty, Pepperell needed five extra yards to convert a PAT. After a timeout, it was Millican throwing to Hopper, who just got inside the near pylon and tied the game 40-40.

Darlington’s go-ahead drive covered 58 yards, and featured a big fourth-down call on the Dragon 39. Duggan went loose around end and got more than the 1 needed, 35 in all to the 4. He then caught a touchdown pass of 14 yards after a holding call at 3:53. Selle kicked the Tigers to a 47-40 lead. It was Duggan’s third TD of the game.

Zaiden Simpson, Stewart Grigsby, George-Taylor and Ferguson had the stops for the Tigers setting up Pepperell on 4th-down prior to the miracle winner.

Both teams play region road games next, Pepperell at Armuchee and Darlington at Mt. Zion-Carroll.

This article was originally published in the Rome News-Tribune on Sept. 22, 2026.