The Tigers of T.R. Miller traveled to Montgomery on Friday night to face St. James for round one of the state playoffs.

Unfortunately, Miller came up short in that game as they were defeated by St. James 38-7.

Coming into the game, St. James had a record of 9-1 in regular season and also had several players committed to college football.

Miller came out fired up to start the game on a night that was pretty brutal in elements.

With temperatures dropping into the low range and a very wet and soggy field, TRM kicked off into the wind to St. James.

The first series of downs for both teams ended with punts but St. James would fire on the third set at the 3:05 mark to Collin Duncan for a 17-yard touchdown run.

The touchdown was followed up by a good PAT and St. James drew first blood with a 7-0 lead over the Tigers.

TRM ended the last drive of the first quarter with a punt.

St. James started the second quarter and punted away to Miller on a fourth down situation.

Miller gained possession but lost the ball on a fumble.

The fumble resulted in a 22-yard touchdown scoring drive from St. James at 5:25 of the second quarter.

The extra point attempt sailed through the uprights and lead extended for St. James to 14-0.

TRM was forced to punt away on the next drive as well.

The punt from TRM rolled to the 8-yard line but was picked up by St. James on the next play for a 77-yard run.

The Tigers attempted to batten down the hatches but St. James scored on a field goal attempt to extend the lead to 17-0 with just under a minute left in the half.

TRM set to receive the kickoff after the half but the ball was fumbled and recovered by St. James.

St. James set up a 22-yard pass for a touchdown at 10:48 of the third and followed up with an extra point to extend the lead to 24-0 over the Tigers.

TRM continued their hunt to gain yardage and some points against the though St. James team but fell short as they had to punt away the next series of downs as well.

A breath of fresh air came from Narkavis Campbell at 5:59 of the third though.

Campbell was able to split the defense and drive in a 6-yard rushing touchdown followed by a Matt Morgan field goal to gain some points on the board with a score of 24-7.

TRM capitalized on an onside kick but were unable to produce any points on the drive.

St. James fired back as they regained possession with another rushing touchdown with 1:58 left in the third quarter which extended their lead to 31-7.

The Tigers continued to fight back in the muddy grass of St. James but were unable to overcome the hole as St. James made another push for a 25-yard touchdown run at 7:51 of the fourth quarter.

Miller never backed down from the fight as they finished out the fourth quarter with an interception and several huge stops.

The Tigers of Miller have had a season that they can hold their heads up about.

They overcame several obstacles during the season and proved that they are still a force to reckon with on the field.

For the seniors, this was their last rodeo on the field of T.R. Miller.

Ricky Samuel will be taking his leadership and respectful ethic to the fields of Troy University next year, where all of the community will have their eye on him.

“The kids played hard. We made some mistakes but in that type of game you have to be perfect. You cannot make those kinds of mistakes in the playoffs. I am very proud of all the kids and especially, the seniors. I learned the “Lord’s Prayer” on a football field and it’s a very special place to me. For these guys, it’s the same. I thanked them for the leadership, hard work, motivation and ethic they have contributed to the team. I asked them to leave the younger players with advice and that it’s games like this that teaches you to never give up, no matter how tough things are,” said head coach Keith Etheredge.