Tucker Runion catches an interception from Parkers Chapel's Dyson Dougan in the fourth quarter to effectively end the game for Spring Hill, which won 38-22 Thursday night.

When Parkers Chapel got out to an early 8-0 there was little grumbling among the assembled at the Spring Hill football field. As it turned out, the Spring Hill Bears (1-0) would take control of the game mid-second quarter after a key interception, collect another in the second half to keep that control and another in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach, which was returned for a touchdown by Tucker Runion, and capped off a 38-22 win.

On offense the Bears would rely mainly on the astonishing productivity of junior back T.J. Tipton who picked up 117 yards on the ground, scoring two touchdowns that way, and catching two passes for two touchdowns, adding 97 yards to his dominant all-around game.

Meanwhile junior tight end Blane Tuttle caught two passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. Junior quarterback Levin McGuire threw 4 for 7 for 121 yards and three touchdowns.

The defense absorbed its blows from Parkers Chapel (0-1) early, but in the second half made up its mind up to take no more, allowing no more points to the Trojans and scoring a touchdown of its own when senior linebacker Tucker Runion intercepted a Dyson Dougan pass and returned it 40 yards for a score that effectively ended the game.

Once it was a final, Coach Greg Smith said that he hadn’t game-planned for three picks, but “we’ll take those crucial interceptions. We’ve got a good defense and we played good defense."

About playing against Parkers Chapel, a team they hadn’t played last year, on a Thursday, Smith admitted, “It was a weird week. You don’t know nothing about them and they don’t know nothing about you. Our kids had to listen and learn and let it evolve defensively. A few seniors out there let it evolve defensively and let it come to them.”

Smith also said he was proud of the Bears who play up front on offense. “The O-line for us got so much better throughout the night. They’ve got a big ol’ college prospect on that D-line [senior  6-4, 315-pound Elijah Brown] and I have to say hats off to the O-line.”

The defense, Smith said, was the player of the game. “I’m going to have to say those three interceptions, hats off to the defense. They came back in the second half and shut them out.”