Posted on October 26, 2018.
By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Three words that will have Tipton County buzzing on an autumn evening is Brighton vs. Munford.
As if the two rivals needed more motivation entering Friday night’s annual clash, the 2018 edition of The Border Battle had extra meaning with the winner taking the final playoff spot in Region 8-5A.
The Munford Cougars emerged victorious behind their running attack outlasting the Brighton Cardinals 27-21. Head Coach Nick Markle’s Cougars earned the fourth seed from the Region and will take on the Henry County Patriots next week on the road.
The Cardinals (3-7, 3-4 in Region 8-5A) were the defending champions of the league entering the season. The Kirby Cougars claimed the 2018 Region title with an 7-0 record in league play. The Ridgeway Roadrunners earned second place. Meanwhile the Southwind Jaguars are the third seed from the league.
The fourth spot was going to reside in Tipton County. The question entering Friday night’s showdown was where. Munford (6-4, 4-3) tried to make it a runaway early in the game jumping ahead 13-0.
The Cougars used the legs of quarterback Ja’Shawn Adell to claim the early advantage. Munford first drive resulted in an Adell 9-yard touchdown run making the tally 6-0.
Later in the first quarter, Adell broke loose for a 66 yard TD run alongside the Cougar sideline. The first period ended with Munford ahead by two scores.
Head Coach Robin Jacobs’ Cardinals fought back with a scoring drive early in the second quarter. With 9 minutes and 6 seconds remaining in the first half, Brighton QB Nick Johnson hit wide receiver Solomon Davis with a 4-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.
Both squads would tally two more touchdowns the rest of the game. It was good enough to give Munford a 27-21 victory. Next up for the Cougars will be the Region 7-5A champs Henry County Patriots. The Patriots went 9-1 during the season and unbeaten in league play.
