Tattnall haunted by penalties in 26-15 home loss to Brookstone

The Tattnall Square Academy Trojans opened up their 2024 football season with a tough 26-15 loss to Brookstone, last year’s GIAA 4A State Championship runner-up, at home Friday night in Macon.

Although the Trojans were able to get off to a fast start, penalties and missed opportunities plagued Tattnall all night, preventing them from capitalizing on early momentum.

“We’ve got to do a better job of playing penalty-free football,” Trojans head coach John Abernathy said after the game. “I think we hurt ourselves a lot more than they hurt us. The only thing we have to change is the way we approach practice and learn how to play clean, good football.”

While the mistakes led to a loss, the Trojans had enough success on offense to stay within striking distance for most of the contest. Caden Faulk showed promise as the signal caller for Tattnall, connecting with receivers on multiple occasions and showing that the Trojan offense can diversify and feature more stars outside of standout rusher Antone Johnson.

The penalties put a slight damper on any signs of promise the offense showed. After officials called back a particularly fine 23-yard toss by Faulk because of a penalty in the second quarter, the momentum shifted.

Brookstone had plenty of talent of their own — their kicker drilled a 44-yard field goal to give them the lead. The lengthy boot was part of a stretch that saw the Cougars score 17 unanswered points to put Tattnall in a hole it failed to dig out of.

The Trojans will look to regroup and cut down on the penalties next week against St. Anne-Pacelli, another tough opponent that will be looking to bounce back after their own loss. The Stratford Eagles took down the Vikings 27-13 in Columbus Friday night.

Tattnall’s strong start doesn’t stick

The Trojans struck first in the opening quarter, with Faulk making a phenomenal throw to connect with wide receiver Christian Weeks on a key play that set them up in excellent field position. 

The drive was capped off with a touchdown by Johnson, putting Tattnall ahead 7-0 with 9:39 left in the first quarter. This early success highlighted the potential of Tattnall’s offense, particularly the chemistry that Faulk has with his receivers.

Brookstone quickly responded, however, tying the game early in the second quarter and taking the lead with the 44-yard field goal. The Trojans had a chance to regain control after a 23-yard pass to wide receiver and defensive back Ty Hunnicutt, but the play was nullified due to a penalty. 

The flag marked the beginning of a series of self-inflicted setbacks that would haunt Tattnall throughout the game.

Brookstone capitalized on Tattnall’s mistakes, scoring 17 unanswered points to establish a 17-7 lead by halftime. The Trojans struggled to regain their rhythm as penalties and errors continued to disrupt their offensive drives. 

Despite some standout individual efforts, including an impressive catch by Christian Weeks that saw the ball bounce off a defender’s helmet and into his hands, Tattnall was unable to overcome the deficit late, and the Cougars took home a 26-15 win.