ANTIOCH — With the lucrative season he’s having, Antioch junior quarterback Andre Adams is used to young Bears fans pulling at his jersey after home games.
But this time a group of kids wanting to celebrate mistook Adams for his younger brother — a freshman who somehow found a way to upstage Adams in Antioch’s wild 64-62 win over Franklin Road Academy on Oct. 9.
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Aaden Adams’ one-handed interception on an FRA halfback pass attempt thwarted a two-point conversion with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, securing Antioch’s first 8-0 TSSAA football start since 1963.
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Andre Adams combined for 489 yards of offense and nine touchdowns — on a night Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby watched him from the Antioch sideline — but was quick to maul his younger brother with a hug afterward.
“He just came up to me and said, ‘You’re that guy. You’re that boy,’” Aedan Adams said. “I was so happy when I got that pick. I was fixin’ to cry, because this is such a big game.”
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The brothers also connected for a 28-yard touchdown to put Antioch on top 64-56 with 4:21 in the fourth quarter, briefly quieting a furious comeback by FRA (6-1). The Division II-AA No. 1 Panthers overcame deficits of 42-17 in the first half and 50-23 in the third quarter.
It culminated when FRA recovered its onside kick and stormed back into the end zone, with quarterback Jack Nimitz bulling in for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 64-62.
As he awaited the two-point conversion on the sideline, Andre Adams was helpless for the first time all night. He was 20-of-29 passing for 357 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 132 yards and four scores.
“There were so many emotions after that play,” Adams said. “They threw it and I was like, ‘We’ve got someone in position right there.’ Then I see it’s a double-pass and was like, ‘Whoa.’ But I wasn’t nervous when I saw my brother back there. I’m so happy for him. That put him on the map.”
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Antioch coach Arcentae Broome has been with the program for two seasons but has played and coached in Metro Nashville Public Schools for decades. Through a hoarse voice, he felt safe calling the win one of the biggest in program history.
Antioch not long ago was known for a 22-game losing streak that finally ended in 2022. Now, it has a quarterback playing so well — Adams set a TSSAA single-game record for total yards in a game earlier this season — that Broome refuses to punt and goes for two-point conversions after every TD.
“When you’re a program that’s been so bad and then finally things start to happen everyone tries to find a reason why you’re not that good,” Broome said. “(They say) ‘Oh, they haven’t played anybody .. Well, if Andre wasn’t there …’ But you’re not 8-0 by happenstance. We had a lot of kids tonight who made this happen.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
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He also helps write The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA football madness ensues Antioch’s 64-62 win vs. FRA
