The Graveyard had a different feeling Friday night. The feeling that something amazing was going to happen. The Herrin Tigers took on their biggest rival, the  Carterville Lions, Friday night, both teams looking to start their seasons 2-0. Every student knows this rivalry is something to watch every year, and this year was no different. Even hours before the game, both teams were ready to hit the field, and when Carterville arrived, both teams knew it was go time.

The lights were on, the stands were full, the ball was kicked, and the game was underway. Right out of the gate, both teams were going after each other. But, like last week, the Tigers were off to a bit of a slow start, and the Lions capitalized, scoring early in the first quarter. Yet the Tigers didn’t back down. Junior quarterback Chance Karnes ran in a touchdown himself, and threw a touchdown pass to junior tight end, Matthew Brandon.

That’s not all. Senior running back Jackson Yates had two rushing touchdowns of his own, and fellow senior Tate Johnson had a rushing touchdown as well. By half time, the Tigers were up 35-21.

After halftime, The Tigers were defensive. The two stars on defense for the Tigers were Juniors Caleb Stein and Cameron Damico. Stein was able to grab one pass out of the air for the only interception of the game. Damico had an outstanding game, making 12.5 tackles. And let’s not forget about Yates. He added two more touchdowns to his stats in the second half, leading the Tigers to their second win of the season.

Yates finished the game with 330 yards rushing, breaking the school record for most rushing yards in a single game. The record had been held by former Tiger Rodney Jones since 1971! An outstanding performance for the senior. After the game, we caught up with Yates and asked him a few questions. “I’m very tired and very sore, but I’m very happy with the team and the way we performed in the second half,” Yates said. “There’s really no key to winning these games. We just finally get it through our brains that we can’t come out slow in the first half, just pick ourselves up, and strive for the W.” When he was asked about the broken record, he gave a lot of thanks and praise to the linemen. “I’m very excited, and I’m also very thankful for the guys up front, we can’t do it without them.”

We also got to speak with senior Ricky Branch after the game. “I’m feeling good about the win. We definitely have some things to work on for next week. We gotta work on coming out and hitting them in the beginning and just come out aggressive and do what we do. I’m excited about the win and beating Carterville, I‘ve never lost to them so it feels great.” Branch also commented on Yates new record, saying that they have “some sort of chemistry from playing when we were little. He knows what I’m gonna do, I know what he’s gonna do.”

After an incredible game, the Tigers beat the Lions by a score of 49-35. This Friday is the annual Black Out Game against the Duquoin Indians.