Shelby County battled Bibb County all the way to the final seconds, but the Wildcats came up short in their home opener, losing to the Choctaws 13-12.

After an SCHS four-and-out offensive series, it didn&8217;t take long for Choctaw running back, Zach Stacey to find the end zone when he bolted from the Wildcat 27 yard line. After the failed PAT, SCHS trailed 6-0 midway through the first quarter.

As the first quarter came to a close, Wildcat defensive back Nick Sheffield came up with a diving interception with 19 seconds remaining on the game clock.

After being held scoreless in the first quarter, the Wildcat offense put together a red zone scoring drive that ended when fullback Kevin Stafford dashed to the end zone from the Bibb County 3 yard line. The Wildcats failed to convert on the point after attempt.

The game went into halftime knotted up at 6-6.

The third quarter showcased strong defensive performances by both the Wildcats and Choctaws, holding both respective offenses scoreless.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Stacey found the Wildcat end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the night, scoring on a 20-yard run and putting the Choctaws up 13-6.

After a failed fourth down conversion on the Choctaw 21 yard line, the SCHS defense took the field for what looked to be the final possession of the game, as the game clock approached the two-minute mark.

Before the early departing fans could get off the home-side stands, Bibb County fumbled the ball on their own 35 yard line, giving the SCHS offense one last opportunity to reach the end zone.

&8220;We had to have a stop and our defense gave it to us, just like they did all night,&8221; said Shelby County coach Ryan Herring. &8220;They played hard all night.&8221;

With 1:31 remaining in the game, SCHS quarterback, Aaron Howard, connected with Michael Trice on a 29-yard strike to pull SCHS within a point.

&8220;Aaron did a great job for us tonight&8221;, Herring said. &8220;He showed a lot of poise on the touchdown pass to Trice there at the end.&8221;

With inconsistencies in the kicking game and a missed PAT in the second quarter, Herring said he &8220;just felt better&8221; going for two.

That he did.

The Choctaws stuffed the run on the Wildcat two-point conversion attempt and held on for the victory.

Herring described the outcome as a &8220;tough loss for our kids.&8221;

&8220;With nine kids playing both ways, it takes a toll on a team as the game progresses,&8221; he said. &8220;Our kids played hard for four quarters and never gave up. I am proud to call them ours.&8221;

Herring said the Wildcats were &8220;just missing that one block all night that that would have opened up more opportunities for us offensively. We just didn&8217;t hold our blocks long enough for plays to develop.&8221;

SCHS managed to rack up 226 total yards offensively with Howard completing 7 of 16 pass attempts. Junior running back Tyrone Buie led the Wildcat offense in rushing and receiving with 55 yards on the ground and three catches for 43 yards.

The Wildcats (1-1) will attempt to regroup as they go on the road Friday night to take on the physical Demopolis Tigers as region play continues.

Demopolis (1-1), in its first year in 5A classification, is coming off a loss from the McAdory Yellow Jackets 22-7