Tipped, intercepted pass saves 17-14 win for Wildcats at Dobyns-Bennett

The Oak Ridge defense stops Dobyns-Bennett quarterback Cole Maupin (6) during a 17-14 win for the Wildcats in Kingsport on Friday. Wildcats making the stop are Gavin Warrington (11), Jamalcolm Henderson (53), Kyndall Clark (54), and Adam Manookian (35). (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Aug. 29

KINGSPORT—A tipped pass intercepted by the Oak Ridge defense at their own 11-yard line with less than three minutes to play saved a 17-14 win for the Wildcats at Dobyns-Bennett on Friday.

Before the tipped pass and interception, the Indians had blocked a Wildcats punt at the Oak Ridge 33 and driven to the Oak Ridge 10. The Wildcats were ahead by three, but Dobyns-Bennett had a chance to tie the game or even take the lead.

But with 2:39 to play, Wildcats senior defensive end Alex Alcorn blocked a pass by Indians quarterback Cole Maupin, and senior linebacker Adam Manookian intercepted it, shifting the momentum from Dobyns-Bennett back to Oak Ridge.

After the interception, two big runs by senior quarterback Jordan Dunbar helped the Wildcats (2-0) get the football into Dobyns-Bennett territory, where Oak Ridge was able to let time run out at the end of the fourth quarter.

“It was definitely a nail-biter,” Manookian said. “They were so close to the end zone.”

Oak Ridge scored first on a field goal by senior kicker Brandon Nickle at 5:20 in the first quarter, ending a five-minute, 68-yard drive.

Junior running back Chase Kimbro scored the first touchdown for the Wildcats from seven yards out at 7:42 in the second quarter, giving Oak Ridge a 10-0 lead. That came after Manookian recovered an Indians fumble at the Oak Ridge 45.

But Dobyns-Bennett (1-1) answered on its next series, driving 80 yards and scoring a touchdown when senior running back Jacoby Thompson jumped over a pile of players in the center of the field and into the end zone. The score was 10-7 at 5:18 in the second quarter.

Oak Ridge scored again less than two minutes into the third quarter on a 51-yard pass play to junior wide receiver Tee Higgins, making it 17-7.

But early in the next quarter, Dobyns-Bennett powered into the end zone on a first down from the Oak Ridge 3 with 10:16 remaining, ending an 11-play, 62-yard drive with a quarterback sneak.

The blocked punt at the end of Oak Ridge’s next series gave momentum back to the Indians, and they drove to the Oak Ridge 10, including on at least five quarterback keepers.

But the tipped pass and interception that ended that final Dobyns-Bennett drive “kind of won the game, I think,” Alcorn said.

“We did the ‘bend, don’t break,'” he said of the defense.

The teams were roughly evenly matched on total offense, according to preliminary stats by Mark Haste. Oak Ridge had 293 yards compared to 298 for Dobyns-Bennett.

They were also relatively close in a variety of other stats, including total rushing and passing:

• Oak Ridge had 128 yards rushing and 165 yards passing.
• Dobyns-Bennett had 138 yards rushing and 160 yards passing.

The Wildcats had 14 first downs, and the Indians had 15, and each team punted the ball four times.

Dobyns-Bennett had 12 penalties for 116 yards, and the Wildcats had seven penalties for 72 yards, including a controversial one on a Dobyns-Bennett punt return,

Dobyns-Bennett Coach Graham Clark said he thought the Indians had good play calls and were only a little behind late in the game, just before it looked like they might score at least a field goal and maybe a touchdown.

He said the defense was gritty and the offense played well.

“We were open,” he said. “We had what we wanted on the last two plays. We just didn’t get a play made.”

Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis was jubilant.

“I love to play this team,” he said of Dobyns-Bennett.

“I love the grit of this team,” he said of the Wildcats. “We’ve got a little swagger about us that’s coming back.”

Gaddis said he thought the Oak Ridge offense played much better this week than in last week’s season opener, although there are still areas to work on, including pass protection.

The runs by Dunbar, who led the Wildcats in rushing with 79 yards on 16 carries and five first downs, were huge, Gaddis said, especially at the end of the game.

Dunbar gained two critical first downs after the Manookian interception that used up enough time that the Wildcats could run down the clock. After a timeout, Dunbar broke free on a third-and-15 from the Wildcats 6, running down the left sideline to the Oak Ridge 48 and picking up a first down. A few plays later, he carried the ball from his own 45 to the Dobyns-Bennett 32, thanks to a backfield block by senior running back T.J. Allison, picking up another first down.

Dunbar, who started the game, had eight completions on 15 attempts (53.33 percent) for 122 yards, three first downs, and one touchdown. Senior quarterback Logan Fadnek rotated in as well, and he had two completions on six attempts (33.33 percent) for 43 yards and two first downs.

Higgins led all receivers with 136 yards on seven catches, four first downs, and one touchdown.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Oak Ridge Wildcats Adam Manookian (35) and Gavin Warrington (11) tackle Dobyns-Bennett senior Jacoby Thompson (5). An interception by Manookian late in the fourth quarter on a tipped pass by Wildcat Alex Alcorn saved the 17-14 win for Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Among those rushing Dobyns-Bennett junior quarterback Cole Maupin (6) are Oak Ridge senior defensive end Alex Alcorn (66). Alcorn tipped a pass that was intercepted by junior linebacker Adam Manookian at the Oak Ridge 11 with less than three minutes to play, when the Indians were threatening to tie or gain the lead, saving a 17-14 win for the Wildcats. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge junior receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a pass from senior quarterback Jordan Dunbar (14). Dunbar led the Wildcats in rushing Friday at Dobyns-Bennett, and Higgins led in receiving. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

See more photos here.

Here are preliminary statistics by Mark Haste:

Rushing

Receiving

Passing

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