Oak Ridge freshman Jordan Graham (30) ran for 69 yards on 11 carries in a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Oak Ridge lost to Ooltewah, 26-17, in a second-round Class 5A playoff game in Ooltewah on Friday. Here are preliminary stats by Mark Haste.

The Wildcats gained a few more total yards than the Owls, ending with 294 compared to 285. Oak Ridge also had 16 first downs, compared to 10 for Ooltewah.

But mistakes, missed opportunities, and turnovers hurt Oak Ridge in the first quarter, when Ooltewah breezed to a 17-0 lead in the first 11 minutes. Oak Ridge rallied to close the gap to 20-17 late in the third quarter, even after they lost star playmaker Tee Higgins to a knee injury. But it wasn’t enough as Ooltewah scored again in the fourth quarter, and a final Wildcats drive ended with an interception. [Read more…]