Both Darlington and Model entered Friday’s game with stubborn four-game losing streaks, hoping to bounce back with a win to gain some much-needed momentum and start a late-season playoff push.
But only one team could win, and Darlington came out on top to play spoiler to the Blue Devils’ senior night as the visiting Tigers won 47-21 Friday night.
The victory was Darlington’s first since Aug. 29 and moved the Tigers to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in Region 6-1A Division I. Model’s loss was its fifth in a row as it drops to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the same region.
After the win, Darlington sits one game behind Bremen for an auto-bid into the state playoffs. That position could ultimately be decided by the Tigers’ Halloween night season-finale against Bremen.
“We wanted to control the tempo tonight, and how well we executed is a testament to how hard this team has worked,” Darlington coach Wayne Groves said. “I think we played a complete game on offense, defense and special teams for the first time this season. I think our team has a ton of potential, we just haven’t really put it all together yet. Our guys communicated well on the field tonight, and that’s been something we’ve really been preaching to them.”
For Model head coach Jeff Hunnicutt, it was another night that showed glimpses of the potential of his team. Model tallied 434 yards of offense and averaged over nine yards per play, but had two turnovers that led directly to Darlington scores. The Blue Devils allowed 473 total yards on defense and surrendered over 40 points in a game for the fourth time this year.
“It’s just frustrating because we haven’t yet played a disciplined football game for four full quarters,” Hunnicutt said. “We got beat up front on the lines of scrimmage, we didn’t have good eye discipline on defense, and we turned the ball over. But one thing that we keep emphasizing, and always will, is how important your character and integrity are, even in tough situations.
“We don’t teach a ‘front-runner’ mentality. We keep preaching how important it is to play the right way and take advantage of every opportunity, because you never know when your last play will be. We will keep teaching guys how important it is to respond the right way to adversity, because that is what prepares you for the bigger things in life.”
With the loss, Model is eliminated from an automatic playoff bid into the state playoffs, but can still qualify for an at-large bid.
The Blue Devils actually jumped in front just three plays into Friday’s game, when senior quarterback C.J. Walker rolled out to his right and sprinted 80 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Elijah Middleton’s PAT gave Model a 7-0 lead only 75 seconds into the game.
However, the momentum was short-lived. Darlington marched 62 yards on its first drive, tying the game when Jaetyn Mazzo found the end zone from four yards out. The extra point by Ade Desalu made it 7-7.
Model fumbled in the Darlington red zone on the next series, and the Tigers then took nine plays to drive 85 yards, with Myles Twyman taking a pitch around the end for 25 yards and a touchdown for a 13-7 lead.
The Tigers got their third score of the night on their next possession, capping off a 49-yard drive with a 1-yard run by Nate Kunczewski and a 20-7 advantage.
Walker got Model back on the board with an 18-yard touchdown run to cut the gap to 20-14, but the Tigers took over the ball at Model’s 44-yard line after a shanked punt with just over a minute left in the half. Bodie Powers caught a 34-yard pass and then scored on a 10-yard run to give Darlington a two-score lead at the break, 27-14.
Twyman opened the third quarter with a 30-yard run around left end for a 34-14 lead that capped off a 62-yard drive, and after another Model fumble in the Tigers’ red zone, Powers sprinted 65 yards on the first play from scrimmage for a touchdown and the lead ballooned to 40-14.
Darlington’s lone turnover came on the next drive, when Model’s Amos Rogers recovered a Mazzo fumble at the Tigers’ 40. Two plays later, Ridge Hardaker barreled into the end zone from 10 yards out to cut the lead to 40-21.
The last score of the night came midway through the fourth quarter, when Darlington’s Jayce Donaldson hit Twyman with a 31-yard touchdown pass for the 47-21 final.
Powers had 149 rushing yards to lead the Tigers’ ground attack, while Mazzo totaled 87 and Twyman had 81. Kunczewski was 9-of-15 passing for 97 yards.
For Model, Walker had 129 yards rushing and 188 yards passing in his final home game, and he added 30 yards receiving on a reverse pass by Jackson West. Chadon Woodley caught three passes for 64 yards.
This article was originally published by Jeff Gable in the Rome News-Tribune on Oct. 20, 2025.
