Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham (8) runs behind the blocking of junior Tyrell Romano (21) during a 54-28 win at Clinton on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (File photo by Barry Houchin)

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m.

The four touchdowns of senior Jordan Graham helped propel Oak Ridge to a 40-23 win in a second-round playoff game at Soddy-Daisy on Friday and a rematch with Knoxville Catholic in a quarterfinal game at home next Friday.

The Wildcats (10-2) did not score on their first possession on Friday, but then they scored on their next four drives to take a 27-3 halftime lead. Graham, who finished with 134 yards on 10 carries, had two touchdowns in that half. He added two more in the second.

Soddy-Daisy (6-5), which won a first-round matchup against Clinton last week, was more successful in the second half on Friday when senior quarterback Gavin Chambers played. They scored on two of their first three drives in the third quarter. Chambers threw for 170 yards and had two touchdown passes to narrow the margin to 40-23. The Trojans had no passing yards in the first half when senior wide receiver Spencer Gore was quarterback, according to preliminary statistics by Mark Haste.

Chambers did not start due to an injury from three weeks ago against Signal Mountain, and the Oak Ridge defense took advantage of the senior’s absence in the first half, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. Soddy-Daisy Coach Justin Barnes told the newspaper that the Trojans, unsure of how Chambers was feeling, wanted to stick with what they’ve been doing the past few weeks because it had worked before Friday. [Read more…]