Straughn's Tigers won the preseason battle of the cats. The Straughn Tigers dominated the Geneva Panthers with a 32-7 win in varsity action Thursday following a 24-0 romp in two eight-minute halves of junior varsity football.

Straughn Head Coach Trent Taylor said he saw some positives and some areas that need improvement. He also said if Geneva was surprised by the Tigers' new spread offense that does not mean the regular season opponents will be unsuspecting victims.

"We did some good things. We have a long way to go," Taylor said following the preseason tilt. "I like the no-huddle. I think it works out for us. They seemed to be getting a little tired there at the end."

One area Taylor saw room for improvement was on offense, especially with a new attack that emphasizes the passing game.

"We have to catch the football," Taylor said. "We had some drops there in the first quarter."

The varsity squads squared off in two halves with the second-team for both squads getting most of the work in the second period.

Straughn's first-team offense and defense set the tone for the varsity game with a strong half that resulted in a 19-0 lead.

Two incomplete passes threatened to kill the opening Straughn drive, but runs by quarterback Justin Bracewell and running back Michael Hobbs kept the Tigers going.

Hobbs had a big 17-yard run on a fourth-and-two play in the drive.

Bracewell followed Hobbs' lead with a five-yard run to the four-yard-line after an incomplete pass on first down. Hobbs capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. He used a dance move at the line of scrimmage to avoid one would-be tackler and then skated into the end zone.

Garrett Windham added the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 8:14 remaining in the first half of the varsity contest.

The next scoring drive moved down the field via the run with just one pass. Bracewell and Hobbs carried the load. Hobbs rushed twice during the drive for eight yards. Bracewell had one pass completion to Al Freeney for 12 yards and ran three times for 21 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown run.

Windham had a big block to clear out the right side for Bracewell. Windham's block sprung Bracewell for the touchdown gallop. Windham's PAT, however, was wide with Straughn on top 13-0 with 1:54 left in the half.

Straughn's defense made sure the first-team offense got back on the field for one more drive. Eric Dauphin, Brent Hinds and BoBo McVay teamed up for one sack of the Geneva quarterback to kill a drive.

Straughn's offense got possession of the pigskin and went to work capping off a five-play drive with a one-yard jaunt by Hobbs for a touchdown. Hobbs lowered his head and overpowered two Geneva defenders at the line of scrimmage to bull his way into the end zone.

Bracewell hit Jamie Straughn twice on consecutive plays for big gains through the air. Bracewell also had a four-yard run to the one-yard line for the Tigers to set up a first-and-goal situation. Hobbs went in for the TD on the next play.

Windham's PAT attempt was blocked, but Straughn had a 19-0 lead.

Al Freeney led the Straughn offense in the second half of the varsity game. His cousin, Justin Freeney, had good chemistry with the signal caller. He capped off the Tigers' first drive of the second half with a six-yard TD run.

Windham's PAT was good for a 26-0 lead.

Geneva answered with a 30-yard TD run by Josh Brownell. Brian Haney added a PAT to make it 26-7.

The Freeney & Freeney Show continued to dazzle fans in the second half with another scoring drive to answer Geneva's touchdown.

The Freeney cousins combined for all 80 yards on a scoring drive that ended with a shuffle pass from Al Freeney to Justin Freeney. The play covered 17 yards with Justin dragging two defenders into the end zone with him the final few yards. The PAT was no good, but Straughn had a 32-7 lead with 1:30 left to play.

Geneva failed to score again with Straughn winning 32-7.

JV TIGERS WIN

The JV Straughn Tigers earned a 24-0 win against Geneva.

The first drive was all Justin Freeney. He accounted for all 80 yards of the scoring drive, beginning with a long run on the first play of the game. He also added a two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

A fumble recovery by the Tigers' defense set up the offense with a short field.

The offense took advantage of the good field position with a touchdown drive. Quarterback Ryne Taylor hit Blake Cotter for a 15-yard pass play that resulted in a touchdown. Taylor kept the ball and ran it in for a two-point conversion with 6:03 left in the first period for a 16-0 lead.

The JV Tigers added to the lead four minutes later when Josh Pettus scored on about a 20-yard rush. Taylor found Marcus Lassiter on the other end of a pass for a two-point conversion and a 24-0 lead.

Straughn won 24-0.