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The Crossville Lions were ranked No. 4 in the 1986 ASWA Class 2A preseason poll as they prepared for the upcoming season. They had gone 13-1 the previous season to set the stage for an amazing year in 1986. A loss in the semi-finals of the playoffs were not good enough and the Lions wanted to win a state championship.           The Lions returned 27 lettermen while losing eight from the previous season. The wishbone offense returned seven starters and was loaded with talent for Coach Roger Hibbs in his fourth season leading the Lions.

Ider 0   7   8   8   23     Crossville 10   14   7   9   40

Ider rolled into Crossville to open the 1986 season and left with a 40-23 loss to the Lions. Crossville jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead and extended it to 31-7 before Ider managed to mount any sort of comeback. The defense recorded two safeties in the game and Rodney White returned a punt 61 yards for the final points to seal the win with 2:37 left in the game.

Crossville 0   7   13   7   27     New Hope 3   0   0   7   10

In week two, New Hope scored the first points in the game to take an early 3-0 before Crossville scored 27 unanswered points in a 27-10 win over the Indians. New Hope controlled the football for much of the first half until Kent Jones scored on a 1-yard run as the half ended for a 7-3 lead. Gary Bouldin found Rodney White on a 44-yard touchdown pass in the third, Todd Willoughby scored on a 54-yard run and Bouldin capped off the scoring with a 34-yard run.

Geraldine 0   0   7   0   7     Crossville 20   7   7   7   41

The Lions scored the first four times they possessed the football and cruised to a 41-7 win over Geraldine in week three. The offense ran for 255 yards while the defense held the Bulldogs to just 83 yards of offense in the game. Once again big plays accounted for most of the scoring as Rodney White raced 41 yards for a score, Jai Eason ran 65 yards for another and Mike Smith tossed a couple of touchdown passes.

Crossville 27            54     Collinsville 0            24

Crossville traveled to Collinsville in week four and came away with a 54-24 victory. The game was never in doubt as the Lions raced to a quick 27-0 first quarter lead.           The offense rushed for 319 yards in the game. Kent Jones raced 84 yards for a score and Rodney White returned an interception 91 yards for another score. Gary Bouldin capped off the scoring barrage with a 47-yard run.

Plainview 0   0   0   6   6     Crossville 7   7   6   0   20

The Lions ran their season record to 5-0 in a 20-6 win over Plainview on their home field. Bouldin rambled 36 yards for the first touchdown and Eason added a one-yard run just before halftime for a 14-0 lead. They tacked on another touchdown by Brent Cotton before Plainview scored late.

Crossville 7   6   0   14   27     Madison County 0   0   0   0   0

The defense registered their second shutout of the season in a 27-0 win over Madison County in week six. The defense limited the Tigers to minus 10 yards rushing and intercepted four passes to assure the shutout. Bouldin completed 11-of-14 passes for 176 yards to lead the offense.

Fyffe 0   0   7   6   13     Crossville 14   7   7   6   34

The Lions rushed for 292 yards and jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead behind the running of Jai Eason. He gained 115 yards on the ground on 12 carries and scored twice in the win. Eason also raced 64 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the Lions a 28-7 lead. Plainview scored after the outcome was assured in a 34-13 victory for the Lions.

Crossville 14   14   7   0   35     Sylvania 0   0   0   0   0

Crossville clinched the Area 15 championship with a convincing 35-0 win over seventh ranked Sylvania in week eight. The No. 2 ranked Lions rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead and coasted to their eighth win on the season. Bouldin was once again stellar as he completed 6-of-10 passes for 141 yards including a 61-yard pass to Rodney White. Rodney Davis returned an interception 40 yards just before halftime.

Crossville 7   7   6   8   28     Douglas 0   0   0   0   0

Shutout number three came the next week in a 28-0 victory over Douglas on the road. Rodney White scored three touchdowns and ran for 80 yards on just six carries. The win gave Crossville a perfect 9-0 season slate.

Pisgah             19     Crossville             24

The Lions wrapped up a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 24-19 win over Pisgah. It was the fourth time the school accomplished this feat. With the win, the Lions advanced to the playoffs and would host the Pisgah Eagles in round one of the post season.

Pisgah 0   0   0   0   0     Crossville 7   7   2   0   16

The defense held Pisgah to 59 yards rushing and 111 yards of total offense as the Lions captured win number eleven 16-0. White scored the first touchdown on a 4-yard run in the first quarter and added a 3-yard run in the second. The defense tacked on a safety in the third stanza for good measure.

Stevenson 0   7   7   0   14     Crossville 0   7   0   14   21

With the game tied at 14-14, Rodney White scored a touchdown with just 42 seconds left in the game to give Crossville a 21-14 win over Stevenson in the second round of the playoffs. The Lions had gotten the football with 1:36 remaining after a fourth down stop by the defense at the Lions 40-yard line. White got the call on first down from the 27 and raced for the game winning score.           Both teams were evenly matched in the game as Stevenson took a 14-7 lead as they entered the fourth quarter. The Lions marched 78 yards in 14 plays to tie the game on a two-yard run by White.

Crossville 0   21   7   7   35     Lexington 0   0   7   7   14

Crossville went on the road to Lexington in the quarter-finals of the playoffs and came home victorious by a score of 35-14. The offense rushed for 254 yards and added 67 through the air in an impressive win. Rodney White returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown to give the Lions a 21-0 halftime lead against the 13-0 Golden Bears.           The Lions drove 66 yards with the second half kickoff and scored on a one-yard dive by Jones to take a 28-0 lead. Lexington scored twice after a fumble and a short punt to make the game somewhat respectable before White added a late touchdown on a 29-yard run in the last two minutes.

Crossville 0   0   0   7   7     Lamar County 0   0   0   6   6

Ken Jones scored the game winning touchdown with 1:57 remaining in the game on a one-yard run in a 7-6 win over Lamar County in the semi-finals. The scoring play was setup by a 59-yard pass from Bouldin to Rodney White that placed the football at the one-yard line.           The game was scoreless until Lamar County scored with 3:10 left in the game but missed the extra point for a 6-0 short lived lead. Crossville came right back to score on their next possession to win the game.

Elba 7   0   3   0   10     Crossville 0   15   0   7   22

The win propelled the Lions into the state championship game. The Elba Tigers would be their opponent in the title matchup.           Elba played in the Class 4A title game the previous season, losing to Alexandria 35-0. The Tigers dropped to 3A in 1986 and were an early favorite to claim the title.                     Crossville's Rodney White scored on touchdown runs of 12 and 8 yards as the Lions defeated Elba for the 1986 3A state championship 22-10.  Elba scored the first points of the game following a Scott Brown interception that set up a 40 yard drive to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter at Crossville Memorial Stadium.           Kent Jones intercepted two Elba passes and recovered a fumble to lead a defense that held Elba to 153 total yards of offense. After Elba cut the margin to 15-10 in the third, Crossville came right back and scored on a 8-yard run by White for a 22-10 lead. From there the defense took over as they ended the last three Tiger drives with interceptions.           The 1986 Crossville Lions put together a special season with a perfect 15-0 record. They set a team record with 15 wins and also set a new mark by scoring 431 points in a season.           Named to the first team all-state squad were linebacker Jai Eason and defensive back Rodney White. Dennis Gardner was selected to the team as an honorable mention player. Coach Roger Hibbs was also selected as coach of the year by the ASWA. Crossville 1986 8/30 40 Ider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 9/5 27 New Hope . . . . . . . . . . 10 9/12 41 Geraldine . . . . . . . . . 7 9/19 54 Collinsville . . . . . . 24 9/26 20 Plainview . . . . . . . . . 6 10/3 27 Madison County . . . . . 0 10/10 34 Fyffe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 10/17 35 Sylvania . . . . . . . . . . 0 10/24 28 Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . 0 10/31 24 Pisgah . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 11/7 16 Pisgah * . . . . . . . . . . 0 11/14 21 Stevenson * . . . . . . . 14 11/21 35 Lexington * . . . . . . . 14 11/28 7 Lamar County * . . . . . 6 12/5 22 Elba # . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 431 15-0 146 * Playoff game # State championship game 1986 Crossville Lions Offense 83 Kevin Kidd TE 6-3 185 Sr. 76 Kevin Williams LT 6-0 235 Sr. 66 Bob Johnston LG 5-10 208 Sr. 50 John Hawkins C 6-2 224 Sr. 70 Tim Williams RG 5-11 226 Sr. 68 Dennis Gardner RT 6-3 220 Sr. 82 Larry Bolin SE 5-11 160 Jr. 12 Gary Bouldin QB 6-4 185 Jr. 20 Jai Eason FB/PK 6-1 210 Sr. 10 Kent Jones TB/P 5-10 175 Sr. 88 Rodney White FL 6-0 175 Sr.             Defense 72 Kip Martin LE 6-1 193 Sr. 70 Tim Williams LT 5-11 226 Sr. 77 Edward Beavers RT 6-5 256 Sr. 66 Bob Johnston RE 5-10 208 Sr. 20 Jai Eason OLB 6-1 210 Sr. 10 Kent Jones ILB 5-10 175 Sr. 55 Jeff Bruce ILB 5-11 185 Sr. 34 Rodney Davis OLB 5-11 168 Sr. 88 Rodney White S 6-0 175 Sr. 80 Randy Peppers CB 6-0 155 Sr. 25 Todd Willoughby CB 5-11 154 Jr.

Amazing Seasons, a series on the greatest seasons in high school football history


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