Dyersburg hosts winless Ripley in regular-season finale

 



Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

The end of the 2025 regular season comes on Thursday night for Dyersburg and, while the Trojans are headed to the TSSAA Class 3A State Playoffs, there is still a game to be played at J.C. Sawyers Stadium as the Trojans host Ripley.

The Trojans will be looking to regain some momentum heading into the postseason after a trio of losses against ranked competition.

“We need to play well and keep getting better,” Dyersburg Head Coach Bart Stowe said. “We need to take momentum into the playoffs and we need to win this ballgame right here tomorrow night.

“Yes, we are already in the playoffs. But we need to get this win to take positive energy into the playoffs.”

Stowe said his team is looking forward to the game and weeks ahead.

“We feel like our best football is ahead of us,” the Trojan head coach said. “We feel like we have some great opportunities ahead of us.

“We feel like we’re getting better. We have lost three ballgames. But, if you know who we’ve played and how we’ve played, we have been getting better. We’ve been playing some of the best teams in the whole state.”

Ripley has scored a total of 29 points over the course of the season with all but six of those points coming in Region 7-3A play. Still, there are always concerns to be had when facing a team’s offense.

“They’re a spread offensive team and they are very multiple – running and throwing,” Stowe explained. “The quarterbacks throw it well and they’ve got good speed.

“We’re going to need to do a good job defending them.”

Stowe said the Trojan defense will need a good game as a whole to be successful.

“We have to do a good job tackling on the perimeter,” Stowe pointed out. “We’ve got to do a good job with our linebackers and our secondary.

“Obviously, our line will need to set the tone. We need to play good team defense.”

Through their nine losses, the Tigers have allowed 336 total points.

“They’ve got a lot of size up front and they move well,” Stowe explained. “We’ve got to do a good job of blocking them, have good angles and staying in good pad level.

“We’ve got to protect the ball. We cannot turn the ball over. We can not fumble the ball or throw interceptions. We can’t afford to give them points off our mistakes.”

The Trojan head coach added Dyersburg needs to be consistent and execute.

This game will be about getting better at what the Trojans do, according to Stowe.

“That’s what I believe in,” Stowe added. “Every day and every season, it’s about us.

“Our team and how we take care of our business. How we play offense. How we play defense. How we play special teams. And, how we execute all three of those phases.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Thursday night which is also Senior Night for Dyersburg.

“I am very proud of our team,” Stowe said. “Our record is not what we want but it is what it is.

“We’ve got an opportunity to move forward. We’re in the playoffs and we’re looking forward to that. But, we’ve got a big ballgame Thursday night at home – our final home game. We’ve got Senior Night and we’re looking forward to it.”

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