MURFREESBORO – Blackman completed its perfect run through District 7-AAA, but it certainly wasn’t easy.

The Blaze, ranked second in Class 6A, allowed 500 yards but outlasted Siegel 42-28 at The Inferno on Friday night.

“We knew we would get (Siegel’s) best effort and we did,” Blackman coach Phillip Shadowens said. “We fought through a lot of stuff and found a way to make enough plays to win.”

With the win, Blackman (9-0, 5-0) carries its perfect record into next week’s showdown at national powerhouse Hoover, Ala. The Bucs (7-2) are the top-ranked team in Alabama’s Class 7A.

“They are a national power and they have been for a long time,” Shadowens said. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids to go down and have fun and play a great game.”

Despite the loss, the Stars (3-6, 2-3) can keep their playoff hopes alive with a win at LaVergne next Thursday.

“We’ve got to have a win and we’ve got to have some help,” Siegel coach Greg Wyant said. “If we back in, we back in. I think we can make some noise, if we get there.”

The game was wild throughout, but no more so than in the first quarter.

The opening 12 minutes were simply insane as Blackman led 21-14 despite not having run an offensive play. The Blaze scored on a pair of 99-yard kickoff returns by Ronnie Killings, along with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by Quentin Hardy.

“We let them have those two kickoff returns and that was a dagger in the heart for us,” Wyant said. “If we take those two away or just make a tackle on the interception. That just can’t happen.”

The Stars also produced highlights of their own, scoring on the game’s first play as Greedy Howse took a Jordan Middleton screen pass 80 yards for a touchdown. Middleton, who added a one-yard TD run in the first quarter, would finish with 273 yards passing and 74 yards rushing, while Howse amassed 126 yards rushing and 139 yards receiving.

Blackman’s offense made the most of its only two drives in the first half as Charlie Davidson scored on a 19-yard run before University of Tennessee commitment Jauan Jennings added a 16-yard scoring run with 32.3 seconds left in the half. Jennings threw for 132 yards, while adding 51 yards rushing.

Siegel, which outgained the Blaze 312-134, scored its only points of the second quarter as Andrew Knox’s 1-yard run capped a 16-play, 66-yard drive.

Blackman had a pair of chances to extend its lead early in the third quarter, only to fumble the ball deep in Siegel territory.

Four plays after the second of Blackman’s fumbles, Middleton hooked up with Marcus Wilson for a 71-yard touchdown to make it 35-28 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.

Any hopes for a Siegel comeback faded after Blackman answered with a quick-scoring drive capped by Davidson’s 5-yard touchdown to push the Blaze lead back to 42-28. Davidson would finish with a game-high 127 yards rushing.

The Stars never seriously threatened to score again as Blackman survived.

“Our kids have got guts. They ain’t scared of nobody,” Wyant said. “We came in here with the No. 2 team in the state and we stood toe-to-toe with them for 48 minutes. We didn’t back down for one minute and we scared them.”