Oak Ridge falls to Rhea County in thrilling fourth-quarter comeback

Rhea County dampened a fourth-quarter comeback by Oak Ridge, sacking Wildcats quarterback Logan Fadnek (17) three times in one eight-play drive before intercepting him. Also pictured above is Tyler Pendleton (40) of the Golden Eagles. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

Note: This story was last updated at 1:50 a.m. Nov. 24.

Oak Ridge mounted a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against Rhea County on Friday—narrowing a three-touchdown deficit to one—but the Wildcats were unable to make up for missed opportunities and turnovers and they fell to the Golden Eagles 35-21 in a state quarterfinal playoff game.

Down 28-7 in the final quarter, Oak Ridge scored back-to-back touchdowns in 24 seconds to close the 28-7 deficit to 28-21 with about eight minutes left to play.

After a defensive stop less than two minutes later, the Wildcats had the ball back at midfield, with a chance to tie the game. Oak Ridge fans were fired up, and Coach Joe Gaddis said he’s never heard Blankenship Field so loud.

But the Wildcats (12-1) struggled on that eight-play drive. Oak Ridge junior quarterback Logan Fadnek was sacked three times before he was intercepted by Rhea County senior defensive back Jordon Brown. It was the second pick of the night for the Golden Eagles and the third turnover for Oak Ridge.

Five plays later, Rhea County was able to convert that interception into one last touchdown for the Golden Eagles, widening their lead to 35-21, the final score, with 1:14 remaining.

“We just made one more play than they did,” Golden Eagles Coach Mark Pemberton said. “That was a good ball game to watch. It was nerve-racking as a coach. They were one play away from tying it up.”

Rhea County (13-0) now moves on to play Knoxville West (12-1) next Friday in one of two semifinal games. The Rebels eliminated South-Doyle (12-1) in another quarterfinal game on Friday.

Friday night’s game in Oak Ridge was a historic showdown between two 12-0 football teams, a first at Blankenship Field.

A touchdown catch by sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins at 7:57 in the fourth quarter narrowed the Rhea County lead to 28-21. Higgins led all receivers with 147 yards on six catches.

Gaddis said the Wildcats squandered some offensive opportunities in the first three quarters, and the turnovers, which also included a fumble on a punt return, were costly. The first three Wildcats turnovers led to touchdowns by the Golden Eagles.

“We didn’t really execute well offensively until we were down 28-7, and then we did very well,” Gaddis said. “We just came up a little bit short. It was a game of missed opportunities.”

Still, the coach said he was proud of his team for “hanging in there” and not quitting when they were down three touchdowns.

“We came back and made it a ball game,” Gaddis said. “We had the momentum.

“I’ll always love this team right here because of the fight that you had,” the coach told his team in a tearful post-game huddle.

The Golden Eagles dominated the running game, using at least a half-dozen rushers and picking up 364 yards on the ground to Oak Ridge’s 56. Rhea County senior Zach Daoust led with 129 yards on 15 carries, and sophomore Cody Bice had 126 yards on 13 carries.

But the Wildcats led through the air, gaining 208 yards to Rhea County’s 23. Oak Ridge was led by sophomore Tee Higgins, who had six catches for 145 yards, and senior Ted Mitchell, who had 37 yards on three receptions.

The Golden Eagles led in total offense, 387 yards to 264.

Rhea County uses an “old school” offense known at the Wing-T. It’s a ball-control, run-oriented offense that features a quarterback and three other players (two wings and a fullback) in the backfield. It also uses deception and misdirection to create confusion among the defense.

Rhea County quarterback Daniel Dotson did not line up in the shotgun formation on Friday, playing under center in a tight shoe-to-shoe formation instead, and he rarely threw the ball. In fact, Dotson only had two completions against Oak Ridge. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, though, both of those tosses resulted in touchdowns, both to tight end Jared Edwards. The sophomore had his first TD catch, an eight-yard reception, at the end of the Golden Eagles’ opening drive.

The second came after Rhea County linebacker Tyler Pendleton intercepted junior quarterback Gavin Warrington, and the Golden Eagles drove 91 yards to score on a 15-yard pass from Dotson to Edwards with 46.4 seconds left in the first half.

Oak Ridge also scored in the first half, answering Rhea County’s opening score with a seven-play drive that ended with a one-yard run by junior linebacker and top tackler Adam Manookian, who also plays running back in short-yardage situations.

Senior safety Brandon Bonds (81) and another Wildcat wrap up Rhea County running back Cody Bice. “The people that came before us never gave up, and we never give up,” Bonds said.

The Golden Eagles scored first in the second half on a three-yard run by senior running back Jake York near the end of the third quarter.

About two minutes later, at 10:43 in the fourth quarter, York scored again on a run up the middle, opening the Rhea County lead to 28-7. The large, loud Golden Eagles crowd was ecstatic.

But the Wildcats did not surrender. Oak Ridge drove downfield on passes from Fadnek to wide receivers Jordan Dunbar, Mitchell, and Higgins. Junior running back T.J. Allison, who also picked up a reception on that drive, swept into the end zone near the right pylon at 8:21 in the fourth quarter, providing a much-needed lift for the Wildcats and narrowing the Rhea County lead to 28-14.

Oak Ridge then recovered an onside kick at midfield on the ensuing kickoff and quickly scored again, this time on a 49-yard pass play to Higgins.

“This team has the most heart of any team that I’ve ever been a part of,” said Warrington, who plays linebacker most of the time. “This team is special.”

Senior linebacker Riley Myer (22) and senior safety Tommy Kaczocha (4) tackle Rhea County running back Jake York (5).

After intercepting the Wildcats five minutes later, the Golden Eagles scored their final touchdown on a 65-yard run around the left end by leading rusher Zach Daoust, who was district player of the year, with 1:14 remaining.

But the Wildcats fought until the end, trying to score one last touchdown with just 0.6 seconds left in the game and down by two touchdowns.

“We’ve always had each other’s back and lifted each other up,” said senior Brandon Bonds, who is a punt returner, safety, and wide receiver. “The people that came before us never gave up, and we never give up.”

Oak Ridge won’t return any starters in the secondary next year because they’re all seniors. Besides Bonds, they include safety Tommy Kaczocha and cornerbacks Ted Mitchell and Jemiah Hall. With the exception of one player, the Wildcats will also lose their offensive line, including Isaac Chapman, who played on offense and defense on Friday, and nose guard Shawmain Fleming.

Hall, who has started for three years, said he was proud of this year’s football team, which helped restore a proud football tradition in Oak Ridge.

“I’m glad I was part of that,” Hall said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Here are preliminary stats by Mark Haste:

Receiving Stats

Passing Stats

Rushing Stats