Tigers pounce early, roll to homecoming win
October 24, 2026
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
The Adairsville Tigers turned a strong defensive performance and the short-field advantage into a convincing 40-7 win over Southeast Whitfield on Friday night at Tigers Stadium.
Adairsville scored in every quarter and held the Raiders scoreless until the fourth quarter, improving to 6-2 on the season. Southeast Whitfield fell to 2-6.
The Tigers struck quickly, taking an early lead on an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 57-yard touchdown pass from Braxton Elrod to Evan Hardin with 9:39 remaining in the opening quarter. The two-point conversion attempt failed, giving Adairsville a 6-0 lead.
After the Tigers' next possession stalled at the Southeast Whitfield 20-yard line, Adairsville's defense and special teams helped create another scoring opportunity. The Raiders went three-and-out, but a snap sailed over punter Gabriel Fraire's head. Max Hatch recovered the loose ball at the Southeast Whitfield 8-yard line.
Elrod and Hardin connected again on the next play, covering eight yards for a touchdown with 51.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt was blocked, but the Tigers had extended their lead to 12-0.
Adairsville's Clay Hilburn intercepted Raiders quarterback Brailon Cuc on the ensuing possession, helping the Tigers take a 12-0 advantage into the second quarter.
The Tigers added to their advantage late in the first half with a 12-play, 82-yard drive. Jayvion Carson finished the possession with an 11-yard touchdown run with 5:17 remaining in the second quarter. Adairsville converted the extra point to take a 19-0 lead.
Neither team scored again before halftime.
Adairsville added to its lead in the third quarter after forcing another three-and-out on Southeast Whitfield. The Tigers put together an eight-play, 50-yard drive, with Jay Carson scoring on an eight-yard run with 5:38 remaining in the period. The successful extra point gave the Tigers a 26-0 lead.
The Tigers' defense then delivered another turnover. Homecoming King Matthew Cook intercepted Cuc's pass and returned it 36 yards to the Raiders' 3-yard line. Two plays later, Zeke Carter scored on a three-yard run with 4:00 left in the third quarter. Adairsville's successful extra point made it 33-0.
The Tigers reached the 40-point mark early in the fourth quarter. Elrod connected with Hardin for their third touchdown of the night, a 29-yard completion, to cap a nine-play, 54-yard drive with 11:34 remaining. The extra point gave Adairsville a 40-0 lead.
Southeast Whitfield avoided the shutout late in the game, putting together a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Cuc finished the possession with a five-yard touchdown run with 3:07 remaining, and Fraire converted the extra point to account for the final margin.
Elrod and Hardin led the Tigers' passing attack, connecting on three touchdown passes, while Adairsville's defense grabbed three interceptions and helped set up multiple scoring opportunities.
Despite his team's 19-0 halftime lead, Tigers head coach Jon Cudd was concerned about his team's focus.
"When our guys are locked in, we can be a pretty good team," noted Cudd on Saturday morning. "Unfortunately, we weren't locked in early in the game. Give Coach Peppers and the Southeast team credit. They made us uncomfortable early on."
Coach Cudd continued, "I thought offensively the plays were there to be made early on, but we lacked focus in a lot of areas. Defensively, we were steady, and we played a lot better coming out of the half."
He looked ahead to next week's home matchup with the Ridgeland Panthers and the final regular season week against Calhoun. "We will need to put four quarters together if we want to give ourselves a chance to win the next two weeks. We have a big and physical Ridgeland team coming in this week that is definitely athletic. We will need to prepare well," added Cudd.
Adairsville hosts Ridgeland on Friday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
~~ Larry Gardner contributed to this report.
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