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Scores and Photos of Friday night high school football - Oct. 2
First-year Signal Mountain High School football coach Ty Wise stood before his team with the painful news in white lights over his right shoulder.
"Red Bank 6, Visitors 3," the scoreboard lights screamed as Wise removed his visor, rubbed his head and addressed his team.
He said he was proud of the effort. He told the defense how proud he was of them. He searched for more positives to tell his young team starving for good news.
"I don't want to make excuses," Wise said pointedly after the game. "It's been a tough year."
In a season of firsts for the Signal Mountain football program, the Eagles' first win of 2015 continued to prove elusive.
The Eagles, who have averaged nine wins per season and never had a sub-.500 season, endured the program's first varsity loss ever against Red Bank on Friday.
On a soggy and mud-dotted Tom Weathers Field, the hosting Lions toppled Signal in a defensive struggle that showed Red Bank's growing determination and Signal's rising frustration.
"Our defense has been our strength all year," second-year Red Bank coach Chad Grabowski said. "I'm not sure how much they allowed, but it wasn't much."
No, it wasn't. With a tenacious defensive line led by Tra Stamper, Red Bank limited Signal to fewer first downs (two) and fewer yards per play (1.8) than points. Signal finished with 47 total yards on 30 plays.
The Lions improved to 3-4 and clinched a state playoff spot, according to Grabowski.
The Eagles (0-7), however, are staring at missing the playoffs for the first time in a full season in program history.
To his credit, Wise refused to dwell on the negative or anything other than the noticeable progress made by his young team, especially on defense.
"I thought our defense played well enough to win," he said after his Eagles allowed just 230 total yards and denied Red Bank on nine of its 12 third-down tries. "I was proud of the effort."
A slew of early-season injuries have left Wise showing up most Friday nights with a roster in flux. The struggles have the Eagles looking for any form of momentum and starving for any type of building block.
Most of the Eagles' movement Friday - and both of their first downs - was because freshman quarterback Drew Lowery generated a spark in the Signal offense early in the second half, but that initial flame was vanquished quickly. Signal's only points came on Ben Brown's 32-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
Red Bank's defensive effort allowed Grabowksi to rely on his special teams and a conservative game plan and a strong kicking game, despite the sloppy conditions.
"This was my first time kicking in a swamp," converted soccer player Sandi Beganovic said while holding the game ball as friends and family snapped pictures after his two field goals accounted for the historic Lions win. "The footing was bad, so I tried to stay on my toes and slow my steps.
"To beat Signal for the first time ever is pretty sweet."
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter at @jgreesontfp.