The football game between Chapel Hill High School and East Chapel Hill High School—rescheduled after students reported rumors of a threat to attendees—took place on October 10, with the Tigers winning 40-16.
The game was originally supposed to be played on September 23 but was rescheduled to a Monday evening, marking the Tigers’ second game in three days. The team lost to Jordan High School 48-27 on October 7 before rebounding against East.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 13-0 lead, and the defense made sure the Wildcats could not come back.
Senior quarterback Dylan Jones completed 11 of his 18 passes to help lead the Tigers to victory. The team accumulated 277 rushing yards, with senior Drew Allen leading the way with six rushes for 128 yards.
The Tigers’ defense forced key stops and takeaways in the red zone to keep East Chapel Hill at bay, recording 48 tackles during the game.
While NFL players are used to Monday night competitions, senior linebacker Jeremy Breeze said the short turnaround may have hindered the players’ performance but still expressed satisfaction with the win.
“I feel like we could have easily won by more,” he said. “I don’t think everybody was ready, even myself. I wasn’t prepared to play Monday.”
Head coach Issac Marsh expressed satisfaction defeating the Wildcats, giving his players bragging rights over their cross-town rivals.
“Last night’s win gave our players the city championship, which to most might seem small, but, for us and the survival of football, it was a huge statement,” he said.
While the Monday evening game did not attract as many spectators, fans of the team appreciated the “huge statement” the Tigers made with the win.
“The atmosphere at the game was vibrant and fun despite the low turnout of people,” junior Andrew Rinehart said.
The Tigers followed up the 40-16 win with a 57-7 loss against Hillside High School on October 14, the team’s third game in a span of a week.
