The Edwardsville Tigers shut out Highland in their first home game of the season, winning 31-28.  

Last Friday marked the second game of the Edwardsville Tigers football season, and the first home game. The players stepped back on the field to play the Highland Bulldogs in what would end up being a close game.

“To be honest it felt amazing being back on the field especially since this is my last year.” said Senior Wide Receiver Johnnie Robinson. “The energy was amazing with Orange Rush, it was just all terrific.” 

The Tigers ended the first quarter up by 10, starting off strong in what was supposed to be a blowout for the Tigers. Junior Wide Receiver Kellen Brnfre scored three touchdowns throughout the duration of the game, and had 171 yards of total defense. “Going into the game I was going for four [touchdowns] and really I could have gotten five.” Brnfre said. “Other than that I think I did good, but there’s always room for improvement.” 

Despite the Tigers efforts to maintain their lead, Highland put up a hard fight. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the night during the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns and putting the score at 21-17. Despite the Bulldogs lead, Brnfre said he wasn’t worried. “There was no pressure at all,” said Brnfre. “Me and the team knew what we had to do.”

Brnfre scored his second touchdown of the night during the third quarter, taking back the lead from the Bulldogs. The game was tight, and with the Tigers only up by three in the third quarter, there was little room for error. 

Junior Quarterback Jake Curry scored the Tigers final touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, putting the Tigers at 31-21 with nine minutes left on the clock. The only thing left for the Tigers to do was to protect the lead, and they succeeded. In what could have been anyone’s game, the Tigers beat the Bulldogs 31-28.

“Overall I think the game went not as good as we were expecting,” said Senior Wide Receiver Brandon Rodgers. “We were expecting a bigger win, but a win is a win, and I would rather learn after a win than a loss.” 

Despite being down at the half, the Tigers pulled through for the win. “When we’re down it always feels bad, but there’s nothing else you can do but to keep your heads up and go 100%.” said Robinson. “So we came out confident and with a mindset that ‘we are going to win this’ and that’s what we did.”