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Oak Ridge beats Soddy Daisy 45-33 on big plays, turnovers

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Oak Ridge Jordan Graham and Soddy Daisy on Nov. 5, 2015

Oak Ridge freshman running back Jordan Graham (30) had two touchdowns, including one on a kickoff return and another on a 50-yard run, during a 45-33 win over Soddy Daisy in the first round of the Class 5A football playoffs on Blankenship Field on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:25 a.m.

Oak Ridge beat Soddy Daisy 45-33 on big plays and turnovers in the first round of the 2015 Class 5A football playoffs on Blankenship Field on Thursday.

The Wildcats (10-1) will travel to Ooltewah (9-2) on Friday, November 13, for a second round game. The Owls, who are ranked eighth, beat the Clinton Dragons (4-7) in another first-round game on Thursday to advance to play Oak Ridge.

The Wildcats, who are ranked third, had another big night on defense and special teams. Oak Ridge senior Davon Middleton intercepted one Trojans pass in the end zone to stop one Soddy Daisy drive deep in Wildcat territory, and he later deflected a third-down pass near the goal line to help end another.

Junior wide receiver Tee Higgins and freshman running back Jordan Graham also had big nights. They each had two touchdowns for Oak Ridge.

One of Graham’s touchdowns came on the opening kickoff of the second half. The small, speedy freshman broke tackles and curled from the left side of the field—after it looked like he had been stopped—to the right before racing 88 yards to score on a run that took 25 seconds to complete. Graham ended the night with the two touchdowns, including one on a 50-yard run, and 154 yards on eight carries. [Read more…]

Football playoff brackets posted: Oak Ridge plays Soddy-Daisy

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins and Soddy-Daisy Trojans

Oak Ridge wide receiver Tee Higgins (5), who was then a sophomore, catches a 30-yard touchdown pass over defender Christian Bell of the Soddy Daisy Trojans at 5:51 in the third quarter in the first round of the 2014 football playoffs on November 7 on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The state football playoff brackets have been posted. Oak Ridge will play Soddy-Daisy on Blankenship Field at 7 p.m. Friday, November 6.

Oak Ridge (9-1) is the number two seed in Region 3 in Class 5A, and Soddy-Daisy (7-3) is the number three seed in Region 4. The Wildcats beat the Trojans 53-28 in the first round of the 2014 playoffs after a close first half.

Here is the schedule for other Region 3-5A teams on Friday: [Read more…]

Wildcats use playoff ‘fury,’ determination to eliminate Soddy-Daisy

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins and Soddy-Daisy Trojans

Sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats catches a 30-yard touchdown pass over defender Christian Bell (26) of the Soddy-Daisy Trojans, giving Oak Ridge a 23-14 lead midway through the third quarter in a first-round playoff game on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m.

Ahead by 17-14 at halftime, the Oak Ridge Wildcats played with fury and determination in the second half of their first-round playoff game on Friday and opened up a large lead against Soddy-Daisy, winning 53-28—despite an impressive offensive performance by the Trojans.

The undefeated Wildcats were not happy with the three-point margin at halftime.

“For it to be that close was just unacceptable,” junior running back Jaylen Nickerson said.

The 11-0 team was determined to play better in the second half against the best offense they had played all year, Coach Joe Gaddis said.

“We just came out and played with a fury,” he said.

While the Trojans had held Oak Ridge to two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, they allowed four in the second—including two by Nickerson—and gave up a safety and an interception returned for a touchdown, or 36 points total. [Read more…]