It was billed as a classic battle of the unbeatens.

Dallas County and Demopolis both entered the contest with perfect 8-0 marks and ranked in the top ten statewide.

In the end, it was the Tigers who proved their worth by dismantling the Hornets 41-14 to claim the Class 4A, Region 4 championship.

The Tigers began their victory march on the opening drive by moving the ball 61 yards in just seven plays.

The touchdown came on a three-yard run by tailback Marco Rembert, who gave the Hornet defense trouble all night.

Steven Padilla added the PAT and Demopolis led 7-0.

The Hornets responded with a long drive of their own, traveling 64 yards in 11 plays to reach paydirt.

James Jones, Jr. carried the ball in from three yards out with 4:27 left in the first quarter.

Chelsea Chamberlain added the PAT and the score was tied.

Demopolis again showed their powerful offensive ability by marching 66 yards in 12 plays behind a balanced attack of run and pass.

The key play in the drive was a fourth-down, 29-yard pass play from quarterback Dusty Goodwin to receiver Bart Pettus.

Goodwin scored on a one-yard sneak early in the second quarter to move the Tigers back in front 13-7.

A critical mistake by Dallas County’s punting team on the next drive allowed the Tigers to sack the punter at the Hornet 30.

Three plays later, Rembert made them pay on an 18-yard jaunt through the bewildered Hornet defense.

Rembert also added the two-point conversion and the Tigers were up by 14 at the half, 21-7.

The Hornets cashed in on a Tiger fumble late in the third quarter.

Carlos Peoples pounced on the loose ball at the Hornet 37.

Clifford Lyons then broke loose for a 42-yard scamper to the Tiger 21.

A few plays later, Donovan Dixon swept in to the endzone from three yards away.

Chamberlain’s second PAT pulled the Dallas County within a touchdown 21-14.

The rest of the game clearly belonged to the bigger Tiger team.

The sensational Rembert carried just twice on Demopolis’ next drive to answer the Hornet score.

After an eight-yard carry, he broke away on a 48-yard touchdown run, moving the lead back to 14, less than a minute after Dallas County had closed the gap.

The stunned Hornets could muster no response to the Tiger assault, giving up two additional touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while being unable to move the ball in the drizzling rain.

One of those touchdowns was courtesy of Mr. Rembert, who finished with four touchdowns on the night.

In consolation, the 8-1 Hornets finished runner-up in the region and will have a home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Dallas County closes out their regular season at home against non-region foe Pleasant Grove this Friday.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.