Tigers earn important victory over St. James
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Griffin Pritchard / For TPI Tallassee’s Rush Wright (7) runs against St. James.

Coach Lawrence “L.A.” O’Neal’s message to the Tallassee Tigers was simple: “Control what you can control.” On Friday night, they took that message to heart, controlling their emotions, their intensity, and the better part of a high school football game — their opponent, Saint James — on the way to a region-leading 31-21 victory. 

“You want to be able to control what you can control,” O’Neal said. “You can show up and work hard every day and focus on the game we play in. The other game, other things going on, they will take care of themselves.”