Tigers fall to Red Raiders

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
Just two weeks ago, Hartselle was celebrating a region championship and looking ahead to the opening of the Class 5A playoffs.
The Tigers might have been looking too far ahead, it seems.
Decatur’s defense kept Hartselle in check Thursday night on the way to a 17-7 victory over the Tigers in the final game of the regular season for both teams.
Hartselle’s offense - which has managed just 21 points in the last two weeks - was limited to a Malcom Fossett touchdown in the first half.
Hartselle dropped to 8-2 overall with the loss heading into a first-round playoff game at home against Albertville Friday.
Decatur improved to 8-2 overall with its fifth win over the Tigers in the last seven meetings between the two programs.
Decatur scored two second half touchdowns to stun the Tigers, who have lost two straight games for the first time since the opening of the 2007 season when they started 0-3.
Fossett scored on a short run in the second quarter to give the Tigers the lead in the game, but the lead was short-lived.
Decatur’s Spencer Walraven kicked a 31-yard field goal late in the second quarter to trim the Hartselle advantage to 7-3.
We had to make some adjustments because Hartselle did some things to hurt us,” said Decatur head coach Jere Adcock. “Our kids handled that well.”
But Josh Matthews ran for two scores in the second half to put the game out of reach.
Matthews, who finished the night with 133 yards rushing, scored on runs of 10 and 25 yards to help the Red Raiders seal the victory.
His final touchdown capped a drive that chewed up most of the clock in the fourth quarter.