Stars Hang Tough, Defeat Home Hawks
Opening your football season with a victory is always the goal in the mind and Siegel was able to accomplish just that as they had to scratch and fight for a 29-21 road victory over Green Hill.
It was a competitive game that was in favor of the Stars throughout the first half and into halftime but the Hawks would eventually take control and the lead until Siegel took over late in the game.
You could tell early on that this was the first game of the season for both teams as flags were thrown everywhere and coaches weren’t happy with missed blocks and missed assignments.
After the reckless period of the game, both the Stars and Hawks started settling in but it was Siegel that would strike first and take the momentum into halftime after a 99 yard interception returned for a touchdown by Stars sophomore cornerback Jaylen Thompson Jaylen Thompson 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB Riverdale | 2024 State TN .
It was a tough blow for the Hawks as Thompson put an end to a long drive where Green Hill had the ball inside the Stars ten yard line, looking to score.
That halftime lead for Siegel would be erased quickly in the 2nd half as Green Hill came out of the locker room ready to play. The Hawks went on to score three times leading into the middle of the 4th quarter, twice by way of Hawks junior star player Kaleb Carver.
All the momentum was in favor of Green Hill and they had control, up five late in the 4th quarter until the wheels fell off and the Stars scored two touchdowns to take the lead and the game.
The Siegel offense collected themselves after Green Hill took the lead and methodically drove the ball down the field, scoring a rushing touchdown that put them up by one with less than five minutes to go.
While the Stars would take the lead, the home Hawks had a great opportunity to keep the clock in their favor and move the ball down the field for a hopeful winning score, however a big play on special teams would end those desires.
After going three and out, the Hawks lined up to punt and the snap went over the punter’s head and down at the one yard line where Stars linebacker Braden Kaiser Braden Kaiser 6'3" | 225 lbs | LB Siegel | 2022 State TN took the first snap on offense into the end zone to virtually put the game away.
The Hawks would get the ball one more time but could not generate anything on their final possession and the Stars would walk away with the road victory.
It was a hard fought game by both teams and for the home Hawks, it was another strong step in the right direction for this young program in year two led by head coach Jeremy Crouch.
For the road Stars, this was a big win for a program looking to grow and build into a team that consistently competes for postseason play.
This was only game one, so there is a lot of the season to go but for Siegel, this was a great start and for Green Hill, it’s a tough loss but a great learning moment for them to build and take into Week Two.