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As many delays as the Indians encountered Friday night, Chappell and the Tribe kept their composure long enough to withstand Knox Central. Chappell ran for a touchdown and threw for another, helping D-B win Friday’s season opener 26-20 at Dan Y. Boring Stadium.

Chappell out-dueled his Central counterpart Kaden Long, hitting 13-of-21 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, while adding 49 yards on seven carries. Perhaps his most critical completion came midway through the third quarter.

D-B faced third-and-25 coming out of a 30-minute lightning delay, Friday’s second weather-related stoppage, when Chappell connected with Tyree Thomas across the middle for 26 yards and a first down at the Central 44. After a nine-yard completion to Zabian Goodwin on third-and-7, Chappell called his own number and scored on a 6-yard keeper, giving D-B a 20-13 lead with 4:11 in the third.

“I’m just proud of our team and how we stayed locked in the whole time,� Chappell said. “Every delay, we were going over stuff in the locker room. We were staying locked in.�

Thomas certainly did when Central (0-1) reached the red zone to start the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-5 from the 11, Corde Moore broke up Long’s pass, and Thomas intercepted it to set D-B (1-0) up on the 18. Seven plays later, Emmitt Starnes took off up the middle and carried a worn down Central defense the final 20 yards for a touchdown. It was 26-13 with 4:45 to play.

Long recovered from his deep interception to Jaylen Thomas and kept Central alive, scoring on a 5-yard keeper with 1:30 to play. But the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and Starnes gained a first down to help drain the clock. Starnes ended with 124 yards on 15 carries, while Luke Lundy gained 60 on 18 attempts.

DELAYED GRATIFICATION

Lightning pushed the opening kickoff back an hour, and it took D-B a while to finally crack the goal line. The Indians penetrated the red zone on their first two drives only to fumble, the first one proving disastrous as Kaylin Chesney scooped the ball and sprinted 80 yards for a Bobcat touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

A 61-yard pass from Chappell to Jackson Sensabaugh helped D-B move toward the goal line again. Starnes gained a first down, but a botched shotgun snap from the Central 1-yard line wound up in Central’s possession.

But the completion to Sensabaugh helped Chappell settle in quickly, and he finally did direct a touchdown drive in the second quarter.

“There’s always nerves going into a game, so getting the first pass deep like that to be a completion, it gets you into a groove for the rest of the game,� Chappell said. “(Starting 1-0) means a ton. God is great. I love this team.�

Zayden Hayes got the Tribe in the red zone for a third time, catching a quick out from Chappell and spinning loose from the initial tackler for a 41-yard gain. Lundy went over from two yards on the next play, tying the game 7-7.

After Sensabaugh blocked a 28-yard Central field goal, Lundy carried six times for 28 yards on D-B’s ensuing drive. And that set up the go-ahead touchdown, as Chappell fired a 31-yard vertical to Tyree Thomas with 1:05 until the half for a 13-7 lead.

“My body is killing me,� Thomas admitted after playing both ways most of the game. “I’ll have to get in better shape after this … we’ve just got to keep it going the rest of the season.�

Thomas led D-B’s receivers with 65 yards on four receptions, while recording seven tackles with one for loss to go with his interception.

J-MAC BATTING 1.000 AT D-B

Tight ends coach Jesse McMillan served as D-B’s acting head coach Friday night, having previously been a head coach at Volunteer. D-B’s first game under his leadership lasted nearly four hours once it finally started.

“Couldn’t script it any better, right?� McMillan joked. “I felt like we did some great things at times and then we did some completely boneheaded things at times. That’s just part of it. We played a lot of guys who hadn’t ever played meaningful snaps in a varsity game before. For our guys to fight through that, all the delays and the injuries and cramps, all the stoppage, it shows a lot of guts by those guys.�

Cooper McLain made two extra points and kicked four touchbacks in five attempts. The only time his kickoff didn’t reach the end zone came after a 15-yard dead-ball penalty backed him up to his own 25.

Long ran for 204 yards and two scores, the second covering 65 yards to tie the third-quarter score 13-13. He also went 8-of-18 passing for 61 yards, Javaston Badgett catching five of them for 54 yards.

UP NEXT

Dobyns-Bennett welcomes Asheville (N.C.) for its home opener in Week 2, with Friday’s kickoff set for 7 p.m. at J. Fred Johnson Stadium.