Parker Crittenden had plenty of time to think.
West had the ball first in overtime Friday night, and when the Rebels’ 25-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right, the Halls kicker knew the kind of moment he had imagined since summer workouts was coming next.
“Once we went into overtime and I saw they had the ball first, I knew that if they missed, they’re going to send me out, it’s going to be for the game,” Crittenden said. “You’re in the game with the game pressure and all the work you’ve put in … you’re used to that pressure.”
Crittenden drilled a 21-yard field goal on the final play, giving Halls a 20-17 Region 2-5A victory and helping the Red Devils turn the page on an 0-3 start. The win snapped West’s 10-game series win streak and gave Halls’ playoff hopes a big big boost.
“It’s a really big win for us and it shows we can play with anybody,” quarterback Amari Lethgo said. “We might have had a rough start to the season — one we really didn’t want to have — but I think we’re starting to get on a roll. We’re starting to play more together, and when we play together, it makes it hard not to win when everybody’s on the same play.”
The Red Devils (2-3, 2-1 region) needed every bit of their defense and a few big-play wrinkles to survive West running back Ryheem Lee’s 243-yard, two-touchdown performance. Lee ripped off scoring runs of 69 and 20 yards and carried the ball 28 times, nearly willing West (1-4, 1-2) to a comeback after Halls built a 17-7 third-quarter lead.
“Ryheem’s a great player and that’s no surprise,” West coach Barron Chandler said. “We’ve seen it since he was a freshman … he’s a competitor. We’re going to have to lean on him big-time.”
West dominated the stat sheet — nearly 425 yards of offense to Halls’ 256 — but three turnovers and a missed kick in overtime proved fatal. Dom Culp’s second-quarter interception in the end zone erased one Rebel scoring chance, and Halls’ defense forced two fumbles to stay close when Lee threatened to run wild.
“He’s a great player, but our defense played really well,” Lethgo said. “They bailed us out a couple times, and we wouldn’t have won this game without our defense.”
Halls struck first with Crittenden’s 48-yard field goal in the opening quarter, then added fireworks with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Lethgo to Jack Faust and a 36-yard hook-and-ladder score finished by McKylus Daniel. Those splash plays offset West’s ball-control ground attack and gave the Red Devils a 17-7 edge midway through the third quarter.
Lee’s 20-yard touchdown run with 5:49 remaining tied the game at 17, and West nearly won it in regulation. The Rebels drove to the Halls 25 in the final minute, but a fourth-and-2 run came up a yard short, forcing overtime.
In the extra period, West again leaned on Lee to reach the 8-yard line, but two incompletions set up a 25-yard field-goal try that hooked wide right.
“You question about when you should kick it, and we wanted to get the ball centered up and get it as close as we could,” Halls coach Brent Hughes said. “That’s what he did, he made a heckuva kick, and it’s great.”
Daniel and Lethgo combined for modest yardage on Halls’ overtime possession, setting up Crittenden’s short attempt. The senior calmly split the uprights, ending a streak of heartbreak against West that included a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown last season.
“The last few times I’ve played them, we came up short,” Crittenden said. “Last year, it was a field-goal block and then they ran it back. … I knew that if I missed it, we were still going into a second overtime.”
Instead, the kick was pure — and so was the relief for a team that began the season 0-3 against a rugged schedule of Oak Ridge, Gibbs and Powell.
“That win was big,” Crittenden said, smiling as teammates mobbed him on the field. “We’re going to go home with a smile on our faces.”
For Halls, the smile meant more than just a region victory. It signaled that the slow start is finally behind them — and that a playoff push is squarely ahead.
Article written by Dean Fox/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc, visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2025 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our Free Newsletter.
