By Gary Thomas

The glass leopard did not fit. The clock struck 12 and Cinderella’s ride to a possible 2A state championship game came crashing down as the Highland Home Flying Squadron fell 6-0 to the Reeltown Rebels. 

Most old-school coaches firmly believe that a strong defense and a solid kicking game will earn you a championship. But the bend-but-don’t-break Rebels’ defense turned the Flying Squadron’s high octane-offense back five times in the red zone and three times inside the Rebels 5-yard line. 

Place kicker Austin Norman missed two field goal attempts of 28 and 34 yards. The Squadron also led in every offensive stat in the game, but sometimes the best team doesn’t win the game. The lone score of the game came on a Reeltown halfback’s fourth-and-four play to cover the 34 yards on the Squadron side of the 50-yard line. 

With 6:33 to go in the fourth quarter, the Flyboys gave it their best shot as they drove inside the Rebels 10-yard line on 18 plays for first and goal. But on a fourth down into the end zone, tight end JJ Faulk and a Reeltown double back tussled for the toss as it fell harmlessly to the ground, and the Squadron season came to an end.

The Flyboys had 274 yards total and senior quarterback TJ Washington accounted for 221 of those yards. They had 10 flags thrown on them for 70 yards. Reeltown only had 130 yards of total offense and had 13 hankies thrown at them for 130 yards. As the Squadron seniors departed the stadium, they put the football program on a mountain top that will never be reached again as they have always been winners from the mighty mites to now. They finish the season at 13-and-1, but whoever is the coach next year for the Squadron, it will be a major overhaul.