Which school should receive the NBC 6 Spirit Stick on Friday August 25th?

4,577 votes came down to a rounding error. Tatum Eagles finished with 31.5% (1,442 votes), Carthage Bulldogs with 30.6% (1,399) — a 43-vote cushion out of thousands cast, the tightest possible margin after a full week of voting.

Carthage actually opened the poll in front and still held a real lead by day 4. Tatum's finishing kick — visible in the day-4 sample, where its votes start outnumbering Carthage's tally for tally — was just enough to flip the score before the poll closed, leaving two Panhandle rivals separated by 0.9 points.

• The margin · Tatum's 1,442 votes beat Carthage's 1,399 by just 43
• Late surge · Carthage still led on day 4 before Tatum's final push
• Everyone else · Third-place Logansport Tigers got 7.1%, nowhere close