Jaleel Luster, right, a junior running back, was one of six Oak Ridge Wildcats to score during a 56-28 win over the Karns Beavers on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)
Note: This story was last updated at 10:47 a.m.
Six players scored eight touchdowns as the Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Karns Beavers 56-28 on Blankenship Field on Friday.
It was the third time this season that the Wildcats have scored more than 50 points.
Coach Joe Gaddis said the Wildcats (5-2, 4-1 in the district) played well on offense, but he was troubled by a few passes the defense allowed when Oak Ridge was in control of the game.
“We don’t want to give up those long touchdowns,” Gaddis said.
The coach said the Wildcats played well early Friday, and the victory was a big district win.
“We’re still in good shape as long as we keeping winning,” Gaddis said.
Junior wide receiver Ted Mitchell of the Wildcats goes up for a catch on Friday.
But the three remaining games are also against district opponents. And like the Wildcats, two of the teams, Powell and Anderson County, have only lost one game in the district.
“Every game is big,” Gaddis told his team in a post-game huddle.
After Friday’s loss to the Wildcats, Karns coach Travis Tipton said injuries were catching up to the Beavers, and depth is an issue. But he was proud of his offensive line and the team (1-7, 1-5 in the district) for fighting until the end.
“We never gave up,” Tipton said.
Sophomore running back Isiah Jones started the scoring for the Wildcats on Friday with a four-yard run at 5:55 in the first quarter. Oak Ridge added seven more points a few minutes later on a 24-yard pass from senior quarterback Jaylin Henderson to senior wide receiver Blake Goins.
Senior wide receiver Blake Bowman of the Beavers had one touchdown for Karns on Friday.
The Beavers answered in the second quarter with a 28-yard pass from quarterback Greg Tye to Matt Nauman. The score was 14-7 with 9:07 to play in the half.
The Wildcats responded three times, scoring in two-minute intervals on runs of two yards by Jones, six yards by junior running back Jaleel Luster, and 16 yards by Jones, who ended the night with three touchdowns.
The Wildcats were up 35-7 with about two minutes left in the half. But the Beavers and Wildcats swapped scores with about a minute to play, Karns on an 18-yard pass play to Blake Bowman and Oak Ridge on a 24-yard pass to junior wide receiver Brandon Bonds with 10 seconds left.
The score at halftime was 42-14.
Senior quarterback Jaylin Henderson watches sideline signals from the Wildcats coaching staff.
Starting late in the third quarter, the Wildcats and Beavers again traded touchdowns, starting with a three-yard run by Henderson. Karns responded with a three-yard touchdown pass from Tye to Stedman Love, Oak Ridge answered with a 26-yard pass to junior wide receiver Jiminquas Johnson at 9:05, and Colby Huffaker ran in for Karns for the final score of the game with 3:32 left.
Oak Ridge next plays at Powell (5-2, 4-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
See the Oak Ridge Wildcats football site here.
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