Taking the field in the late afternoon on Thursday, Aug. 30, the 9th grade version of the Dawson County Tigers played the only football game of the week leading up to Labor Day. Featuring an offense that put up 48 points in two consecutive victories to open their season, the young Tigers squared off against the Panthers of Union County in what turned out to be one of the most exciting match-ups of the year. Opening the game with a kick-off to the Panthers, the Tigers defense took to the field to find themselves faced with a couple of larger, faster kids lined up on the other side of the ball. “Our team is composed entirely of ninth graders,” Head Coach Kevin Grigsby said. “Some of the other teams in this league will have both ninth and 10th graders.” Led by defensive lineman Logan Barry, the Tigers successfully defended the middle against the Panthers’ running game to force third down but got caught flat footed on a wide receiver screen giving up the first touchdown of the game on a drive that took less than a minute off the clock.