• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds


 







Wildcats race to quick 35-0 start again, this time against Karns

Posted at 12:07 pm October 2, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-karns-football-sept-30-2016

Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) caught two passes for touchdowns for the Wildcats during a 56-6 win over Karns on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. One was a 56-yard reception on the Wildcats’ first offensive play, and the second was a 33-yard catch. Higgins is defended here by Karns senior Jefferson Holt (19). (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Like they did a week earlier, the Oak Ridge Wildcats again raced to a quick 35-0 start on Friday. The undefeated Wildcats scored their first four touchdowns in their first nine plays during a 56-6 win over the winless Karns Beavers.

Last week, against Sevier County, the Wildcats rolled to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter.

This week, against Karns, they jumped out to a 35-0 lead by early in the second quarter, on Senior Night on Blankenship Field. Like last week, the scoring pace slowed after that.

Oak Ridge held Karns to 65 yards on offense.

The Wildcats again scored on their first offensive play, this time on a 56-yard pass from junior quarterback Johnny Stewart to senior wide receiver Tee Higgins, a Clemson commitment who was left undefended in the middle of the field.

Higgins scored again late in the first quarter on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Stewart.

Advertisement

The Wildcats’ second touchdown was set up by a Karns punt blocked by Oak Ridge senior linebacker Kyndall Clark, who wore number 79 in honor of former teammate James Joseph “Joey” Kocak, who died in March 2015.

Starting at the Karns 32 after the blocked punt, Oak Ridge (7-0, 4-0 Region 3-5A) scored a few plays later when sophomore running back Jordan Graham followed his blockers, Higgins and senior Chase Kimbro, up the right side and into the end zone.

Karns (0-6, 0-3) fumbled on its next possession, and Clark recovered it at the Beavers 14. Two plays later, the Wildcats were back in the end zone, this time on a four-yard run by sophomore running back Tre Jackson.

Higgins set up his second touchdown with a long punt return. He scored on the 33-yard reception from Stewart, catching the ball and running into the end zone ahead of a single Karns defender.

Oak Ridge scored its fifth touchdown at the end of a nine-play drive that started at the Wildcats 37. Senior Caleb Jackson carried the football in from one yard out. The score was 35-0 at 9:47 in the second quarter.

Karns picked up its first first down of the game a minute later. But Clark stopped that drive with a deflected third-down pass that forced a Beavers punt.

1st play of the game + the best player on the field goes unguarded. Might be a highlight reel night. @teehiggins5 @OakRidgeToday @ORSchools pic.twitter.com/HLFsP9t6hI

— Myles Hebrard (@myleshebrard) September 30, 2016

The Beavers scored two possessions later with help from a pass interference call that moved the ball from the Karns 37 to the Oak Ridge 22. Beavers sophomore wide receiver Cartez Campbell got behind Oak Ridge senior cornerback Jaret Miner in the back right corner of the end zone, and sophomore quarterback Daniel Kitts lofted a two-yard touchdown pass to Campbell.

The extra point was blocked, and Karns did not score again.

Oak Ridge scored again in the third quarter on a two-yard run by Kimbro and a four-yard run on a pitch from Stewart to Jackson. That second TD was set up by a Karns fumble recovered by Oak Ridge junior safety Adarius Simpson.

Sophomore quarterback Herbert Booker, one of three Oak Ridge quarterbacks to play Friday, added a three-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis was happier with this week’s performance than he was with last week’s. Against Sevier County, he said the Wildcats played well in the first quarter, but not great after that.

This week, he said, “we got better.”

Advertisement

After starting fast, the pace slowed a bit, but then picked up in the third quarter, Gaddis said. 35-0 seems to be a sticking point, Gaddis said.

The competition is about to “ramp up,” Gaddis said. In the last three games of the regular season, Oak Ridge will play at McMinn County (5-1, 3-0 Region 4-5A) in Athens on Friday, October 7; at Webb (5-1, 3-0 in Division II, Class A, East and Middle Region) in Knoxville on Friday, October 21; and at Campbell County (6-1, 2-1 Region 3-5A) on Thursday, October 27.

They’re three good teams, Gaddis said.

Oak Ridge and McMinn County have both played Lenoir City. The Wildcats beat the Panthers 45-8, and the Cherokees won 42-21.

Campbell County started the season with a 6-0, 2-0 record, the best in school history, but lost to Farragut 38-28 on Friday. Oak Ridge beat Farragut 30-25 on September 2.

oak-ridge-karns-football-jacob-gross-tackle-sept-30-2016

Oak Ridge senior linebacker Jacob Gross (7) led the Wildcats with six tackles on defense during a 56-6 win over Karns on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. Here he tackles Karns sophomore wide receiver Thomas Harper (10). (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Wildcats had 353 yards on Friday (225 yards rushing, 127 passing), compared to 65 yards (63 yards rushing, 2 passing) for the Beavers.

Oak Ridge held Karns to four first four downs. The Wildcats finished with 14.

Jackson led Oak Ridge in rushing with 79 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Graham was close behind with 76 yards on eight carries and one touchdown.

Higgins had 109 yards receiving on four catches and two touchdowns.

Stewart completed six passes on 10 attempts (60 percent), with 127 total yards and two touchdowns.

Senior linebacker Jacob Gross led the Wildcats with six tackles on defense.

oak-ridge-karns-football-senior-night-trabalka-hammer-cooper-parton-sept-30-2016

Oak Ridge seniors Zach Trabalka (82), Wilson Hammer (52), Prince Cooper (44), and Braun Parton (28) are pictured above during a 56-6 win over Karns on Senior Night on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Here are preliminary statistics by Mark and Shawna Haste.

oak-ridge-karns-football-team-stats-sept-30-2016-1

 

Advertisement



oak-ridge-karns-football-scoring-summary-sept-30-2016-1

See more photos here.

See a video by Myles Hebrard of Tee Higgins’ second touchdown catch here.

See a video by Myles Hebrard of a run by Jordan Graham here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Front Page News, High School, Slider, Sports, Sports Tagged With: Adarius Simpson, Blankenship Field, Caleb Jackson, Campbell County, Cartez Campbell, Chase Kimbro, Cherokees, Daniel Kitts, football, Herbert Booker, Jacob Gross, James Joseph "Joey" Kocak, Jaret Miner, Joe Gaddis, Johnny Stewart, Jordan Graham, Julio Culiat, Karns Beavers, Kyndall Clark, Lenoir City, Mark and Shawna Haste, McMinn County, Oak Ridge Wildcats, Panthers, Sevier County, Tee Higgins, Tre Jackson, Webb

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Sports News

Lee limits indoor public gatherings, indoor sports attendance

Bill Lee Tennessee Governor Bill Lee last week signed an order limiting indoor public gatherings, with some exceptions, to fewer than 10 people. The governor also limited attendance at indoor sporting events in … [Read More...]

For members: Wildcats finish second in state

The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished second in Class 5A in Tennessee this season, losing to Summit of Spring Hill 28-7 in the state football championship on Friday. It was Oak Ridge’s first trip to the state championship … [Read More...]

Wildcats play for state championship Friday

The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the South Doyle Cherokees 14-0 on Blankenship Field this past Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in a semifinal game to advance to the state final for the first time since 2005. (Photo by Barry Houchin, … [Read More...]

Football photos: Oak Ridge at West in quarterfinal win

The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (Photo by Barry Houchin used with permission) The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a … [Read More...]

Wildcats advance to semifinals after win over West

The Oak Ridge Wildcats advanced to a Class 5A football semifinal game after a 31-28 quarterfinal win at West on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. Above, Oak Ridge senior quarterback Mitchell Gibbons (14) runs with the football as … [Read More...]

More Sports

Recent Posts

  • VITA Tax Center opens Feb. 9
  • Roane State temporarily closes Coffey-McNally Building
  • TVA will blast rock to build substation
  • Council to consider accepting airport grants
  • Police chief to speak to League of Women Voters on Tuesday
  • Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will feature ORHS principal
  • Controlled burns start this week on DOE land
  • Current status of city facilities due to COVID
  • Rep. Fleischmann tests positive for COVID
  • Oak Ridge man charged with second robbery

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today