Tigers celebrate Hall of Fame Night with win over Pickens
September 19, 2026
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
Adairsville celebrated its inaugural Hall of Fame Night in style Friday night at Tigers' Stadium, scoring four touchdowns in the first three quarters to beat Pickens 35-14.
The win improved the Tigers to 4-1, while Pickens dropped to 1-4.
Pickens won the opening toss and elected to defer, and Adairsville quickly took advantage.
The Tigers opened the scoring with a nine-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Jayvian Carson scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:11 remaining in the first quarter. Alex Ochoa added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Adairsville extended its advantage on its next possession, marching 80 yards on nine plays before Carson scored again, this time on a 6-yard run with 6:16 remaining. Ochoa's PAT made it 14-0.
The Tigers added another touchdown late in the first half. Adairsville put together a 13-play, 86-yard drive that was capped by Braxton Elrod's 2-yard touchdown run with 2:01 remaining in the second quarter. Ochoa's PAT pushed the lead to 21-0.
Pickens answered with less than a minute remaining in the half. Tanner Bail connected with Ike Wyngaard for a 40-yard touchdown on a two-play, 63-yard drive with 54 seconds left. Toccoa McGraw's PAT cut the Adairsville lead to 21-7.
The quarter ended with back-to-back interceptions. Pickens' Travis Vines intercepted an Adairsville pass from Elrod, and Matthew Cook picked off a Bail pass for the Tigers.
Pickens opened the second half with an onside kick that the Dragons' Kiptyn Rasco recovered and returned to the Adairsville 37-yard line.
The Dragons turned the short field into points. Bail found Sawyer Purdy for a 10-yard touchdown pass at the 10:28 mark of the third quarter. McGraw's PAT made it 21-14.
Adairsville answered immediately.
Three plays after taking possession, Carson broke free for a 54-yard touchdown run with 9:03 remaining in the third quarter. Ochoa's PAT restored the Tigers' two-touchdown advantage at 28-14.
Carson added his fourth touchdown of the night later in the quarter, scoring on a 14-yard run with 3:17 remaining. The Tigers covered 57 yards on 13 plays on the drive, and Ochoa's PAT made it 35-14.
Torron Hale intercepted a Pickens pass to end the third quarter.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter. The teams traded a series of three-and-outs before Adairsville took possession with 7:17 remaining and ran out the clock.
Elrod completed 8 of 14 passes for 120 yards, including one touchdown and one interception. He also gained 42 yards on five rushing attempts. Carson rushed for 230 yards and scored four touchdowns on 30 carries, and caught a 31-yard pass. Jake Barszcz had three carries for 37 yards and caught a 31-yard pass. Torron Hale finished with six receptions totaling 67 yards.
Adairsville head coach Jon Cudd praised his team's effort and some of the game's superlatives on Saturday. ."Really proud of our guys," noted Cudd. "I thought we played our most complete game of the season so far. Our offensive line played great, as did Jayvian (Carson) and all of our runners. Braxton (Elrod) played his best game and made some really good throws. Our defense also stepped up against a very good offense. I also don't want to leave out the special teams."
Adairsville will have a bye this week before opening Region 7-4A play on the road against Northwest Whitfield on Oct. 2.
~~ Larry Gardner contributed to this report.
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