Tiger Football Victories Throughout the Ages

Since the Homecoming theme for this year was, “Tiger Victories Throughout the Ages,” we thought we would go back in history and pick one of our favorite games from each decade. Others might pick differently. But here goes:

1925 – Worth County 12, New Hampton 6

This was the first ever victory for the new Worth County football program, started by Leo Cox. They were up against more experienced teams and were hammered in each of their first four games. But they got better every single game, and on November 20th, 1925, the Tigers won their first ever football game. T.H. Rowen scored both touchdowns, the second late in the game with the score tied, to give the Tigers the win.

1938 – Worth County 52, Albany 0

This was the first ever win for the Tigers against Albany. They were led by Jack Willhite, who had 12 carries for 236 yards and threw for another 129. McKim, the blocking back for the Tigers, added another 70+ yards. Bob Kelso had 1 catch for 26 yards and Bill Kelso caught passes for 19, 20, and 40 yards. Worth County fell on a fumble on Albany’s first play from scrimmage, and everything went downhill from there. Willhite’s best run was a 74 yard jaunt in the second quarter that put the Tigers up 31-0. This win jumpstarted the Tigers, who won conference that year.

1946 – Worth County 28, King City 20

Worth County ran into a King City buzzsaw. Unlike most of the other area teams, King City sported a potent passing attack during a time when most teams relied on a power running game. They were not an easy team to play against regardless of their record. Worth County needed a win to clinch the GRC that year.

Sure enough, King City marched right down the field through the air and scored to make it 7-0. The ensuing kickoff caromed off a Tiger upman and was recovered by King City. Aided by a fifth down given by the referees, the Wildkats marched down the field again and got in to make it 14-0. Worth County cut it to 14-7 as they finally got their feet under them, but a promising drive that could have tied it was stopped right before half as time ran out.

The Tigers started off by moving from their own 43 to the King City 26 after forcing a three and out, but a bad snap was fallen on by King City back at the 40, and the Wildkats were marching again. From the Tiger 13, McClure, the King City quarterback, threw a pass that caromed off a King City player, then off a Tiger player, and then into the hands of a purple shirt for a score to make it 20-7.

But all of a sudden, Tom Stephens ran back the kickoff to the King City 49, and the Tigers took advantage of the short field. Aided by a King City penalty, they marched down to the 3, where Frankie Maudlin scored to cut it to 20-14. 

After forcing a stop, Worth County got the ball back on their own 28. They got a first down to the 39. Another play got to the 41. Then, Frank Maudlin got a block from Norman Fadeley, cut back sharply to his left, and then straight down the field for a 59 yard run. He ran in the extra point to make it 21-20.

Allen Fletchall picked off a long pass try at the 50, and the Tigers made it down to the King City 10. A reverse to Jefferson on fourth down was stopped two feet short. But then Tom Stephens got a pick six and Maudlin ran in the extra point to seal the GRC title for Worth County.

Many years later, we talked to Fadeley, in his 80’s, and he still remembered the Tigers running the same play several times in a row in the second half and making it work. 

1955 – Worth County 25, Maryville 6

Worth County got their only win over the Spoofhounds that year. They typically held their own against other teams, but they were an opportunistic team, constantly capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes. They lost only one game that year, a 19-14 heartbreaker to Hamilton. They beat Albany 19-6 before a Homecoming crowd of 2,500. 

1969 – Worth County 57, Cameron 12

Worth County unloaded years of frustration and close losses against Cameron in this win, which capped off a big run for the Tigers in which they only lost three games during a three year stretch from 1967 to 1969. This included one GRC conference title in 1967 after beating South Harrison 6-0 in a mud bowl, and tying Cameron 12-12 at their place.

1973 – Worth County 23, King City 20

Bull Reece’s last win as the Worth County head coach. The margin was only three points, but Worth County completely outplayed the Wildkats in this one. After forcing a three and out, Worth County moved the ball from their own 43 to the King City 27. A running play lost three, but quarterback Pat Hardy threw a strike to Randy Cottrell for 30 yards and a Tiger score. Nobody was within 10 yards of Cottrell.

Late in the first half, a screen pass from Paul Jameson to David Ness brought King City to within 8-6. But a two point conversion run fell short, and Worth County was ahead at the half 8-6. The extra point game made a big difference in the game. While both teams scored three touchdowns, Worth County converted all three of their extra points, while King City only converted one of theirs.

This turned into a big factor in the third quarter. Worth County controlled the clock in the second half, running 40 plays, 39 of them running plays, for 159 yards. Their lone pass play was a 20 yard pass from Pat Hardy to Kevin Fletchall. When Fletchall caught the conversion pass as well, that meant that the Tigers were still in front 16-14 when Mark McMillan caught a fumble in the air and ran it back late in the third for King City.

The Tigers ran down the clock and took up the whole fourth quarter to move 60 yards down the field. It was cumulated by Ronnie Walker’s five yard run with three minutes left. Brad Ross kicked the extra point, meaning that the Tigers were once again up two possessions. That meant that they were still in front 23-20 after a controversial call gave King City the ball back after the Tigers had apparently recovered a squib kick and then a halfback pass from Kirby Cotter to Brian Holeman covered 74 yards. After Worth County covered the onsides kick, they were able to run out the clock.

1981 – Worth County 12, Princeton 0

Worth County beat Princeton for the first time since 1967 and kicked off a five game shutout streak. They had come close numerous times against Princeton. They previously had a three game shutout streak in 1932. 

But after Worth County stopped an early Princeton drive, they struck quickly as Tyler Poppa threw a 41 yard strike to Chuck King to make it 6-0 with just over three minutes left after a botched fake punt by Princeton gave the Tigers excellent field position at the Princeton 45. Princeton knocked on the door again, getting as far as the Tiger 37, but Worth County held there and forced a punt. Princeton tried to pin Worth County deep, but Chuck King ran back the punt all the way to the Princeton 39 to set up Worth County’s next score. Once again, Worth County used the short field to good effect, marching down to the 12, where Craig McNeese scored a touchdown to make it 12-0 with 10:16 left in the second.

From there, the Tiger defense took over, and they held Princeton, a wishbone team which relied on running and stopping the run, to 22 rushing yards in the second half. The Tigers went on to shut out five consecutive opponents and made their first playoff appearance in history, drawing one of their largest home crowds ever for the playoff game against Nodaway-Holt. Unfortunately, they fell short in the playoff game 16-0 against the Trojans.

1990 – Worth County 18, Mound City 12

This was Worth County’s first ever eight man win and the first of many epic battles with the Panther squad. The Tigers led all night, but Mound City had a drive late to tie or win the game. But Worth County made a goal line stand at the 1 to preserve the win. They proceeded to win six games when most outside observers expected them to win only 1 or 2 after they didn’t play a full season the year before.

2001 – Worth County 48, Miami (Amoret) 40

This win capped off a stretch in which Worth County won three out of four state titles. Kyle Dubray was a division one back, but Miami showed they had plenty of other weapons besides him. But Worth County took control of the game early; the only way they could win was to keep scoring, which they did. When Chris Healy dove ahead for the first down, the Tigers could finally run out the clock for the win. This was part of a 28 game winning streak for the Tigers.

2017 – Worth County 64, Sacred Heart 21

With a quarterback who could throw the ball 60 yards down the field and two receivers who were 6’5”, Sacred Heart was the real deal. Sure enough, they burned the Tigers early and led by as much as 15-6 in the early going. But special teams play got the Tigers back in the game as the only thing keeping Tevin Cameron from a runback for a touchdown was a horsecollar penalty which put the ball on the Gremlin 13. That set up a play in which Cameron knocked out his own teammate, Caleb Parman, out of the way to cut it to 15-14 with 2:41 left in the first.

The Sacred Heart quarterback, Trenton Lyles, had not been picked off all year; however, that changed as Ryan McClellan picked off a screen pass for a score which made it 22-15. From there, it was Tigers all the way. Bryant McCord was a force on defense, repeatedly outjumping the 6’5” Micah Tanguay despite giving up several inches and breaking up passes. 

Worth County led by as much as 34-15 late in the first half, but somehow, Nicholas Cashman caught a hail Mary despite being sandwiched between two Tiger defenders with two seconds left in the half, and that cut the lead to 34-21. 

But penalties were a killer all day for Sacred Heart, which had 17 of them. Two defensive penalties helped set up the Tigers for a 14 yard score by Tevin Cameron to make it 42-21.

Sacred Heart tried to make a stand on defense, forcing a third and 32 on the Tigers at their own 26. But Worth County lined up in a spread draw with Tevin Cameron, and he took it to the house, running through the red shirts like they weren’t even there to make it 48-21 in the fourth quarter. Tevin ripped off a 49 yarder and Isaac Alarcon’s extra point made it 56-21, and Tevin Cameron’s 14 yard scamper and Bryant McCord’s extra point pass made it 64-21.

2020 – Worth County 46, Mound City 26

Worth County had been searching for consistency all year, but for one shining moment, they put everything together to end Mound City’s two year state title run. Mound City was shorthanded, playing without Tony Osborn and Landon Poppa, but they still had plenty of horses as they went into districts. Andrew Alarcon put the Tigers on the board right off the bat, but they had been in that position before, only to fizzle out.

But then Jace Cousatte recovered Tim Richardson’s squib kick on the ensuing kickoff at the Panther 14, and Aydan Gladstone rescued a fourth and 11 at the 15 by throwing a strike to Dylan McIntyre. Gladstone ran in the extra points to make it 14-0. After Worth County stopped a Mound City drive at the 16, Andrew Alarcon carried the Tigers on his back and they scored again to make it 20-0.

Mound City got Trevor Tubbs going on the ground and finally countered to make it 20-6 in the second. But Worth County showed flashes of last year’s form when Gladstone threw a strike to Dylan McIntyre for 13 yards to keep a drive alive. They marched to the 20, where Alarcon got a bonecrushing block from Dawson Vore, who drove his man 10 yards downfield, and took it to the house. A safety made it 30-6, and then special teams came up big again as Jackson Runde ran back the ensuing kick to the Panther 24. That set up Gladstone’s nine yard score to make it 36-6.

Gladstone was injured late in the half fighting for yardage, but after Trevor Tubbs caught a long pass to cut Mound City’s deficit to 36-12, Braxton Hightshoe took over and a key 13 yard run from him kept a drive alive. That set up a five yard score from Andrew Alarcon, and Hightshoe ran in the extra points to make it 44-12. 

Mound City made a frantic rally in the fourth quarter, completing a couple of long passes from Conner Derr to Wil Young to made it 44-26. But then Gladstone came back on defense, which stabilized the situation. Worth County was able to keep the ball in Mound City territory and Austin Welch sacked Derr in the end zone for a safety to make it 46-26.

2021 – Worth County 44, King City 34 (Honorable Mention)

King City had Worth County’s number the year before, crashing their Homecoming. Worth County trailed King City 16-0 right off the bat and still trailed 34-22 in the fourth quarter. But then a strike from Gladstone to Dylan McIntyre which set up a Gladstone run, a Jackson Runde pick, and a 25 yard Gladstone run put the Tigers in front to stay. Alex Rinehart had a key pass breakup, and the Tigers scored again to seal it.