Oak Ridge Today

Football stats: Oak Ridge and Ooltewah

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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…]

Football photos: Oak Ridge and Ooltewah

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Oak Ridge senior running back T.J. Allison (6) led all Wildcats with 94 yards on 20 carries during a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:40 p.m.

Oak Ridge lost to Ooltewah, 26-17, in a second-round Class 5A playoff game in Ooltewah on Friday. Here are pictures by Julio Culiat.

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Oak Ridge senior defensive end Alex Alcorn (66) was credited with two blocked passes during a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

[Read more…]

Down early, Oak Ridge rallies, but falls short at Ooltewah

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Wildcats Tee Higgins Catch at Ooltewah Nov. 13, 2015

Before he was injured, Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) makes an impressive catch during a 26-17 loss at Ooltewah in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. Nov. 15.

OOLTEWAH—Oak Ridge gave up 17 points in the first quarter and lost its star playmaker in the second, but the Wildcats rallied to close the gap before falling short in a second-round Class 5A playoff game in Ooltewah on Friday.

The final score was 26-17 in favor of the Owls, who move on to play Rhea County in a Class 5A quarterfinal game next week.

A lot went wrong for Oak Ridge (10-2) in the first quarter at Ooltewah on Friday: an early fumble, a dropped end-zone pass, a missed field goal, and a turnover on a punt return. Ooltewah (10-2) breezed to a 17-0 lead in the first 11 minutes.

Then, Oak Ridge lost star playmaker Tee Higgins late in the second quarter to a knee injury on his right leg. Higgins, a junior standout receiver, defensive back, and punt returner who is a University of Tennessee commitment, did not return. [Read more…]

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: Wildcats-Soddy Daisy playoff game moved to Thursday

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The first-round playoff game between Oak Ridge and Soddy Daisy has been moved to Thursday because of thunderstorms forecast for Friday night, athletic officials said.

The football game will start at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 5, on Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge. Tickets are $8.

Other games, including the Clinton-Ooltewah game at Ooltewah, have also been moved to Thursday.

See more information about the football playoffs and a link to the Class 5A bracket here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WYSH: Clinton-Ooltewah football playoff game moved to Thursday

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(From our news partner WYSH Radio in Clinton) The Clinton-Ooltewah playoff game has been moved to 7 p.m. Thursday due to the threat of severe weather in Ooltewah on Friday night.

Oak Ridge will play at home on Blankenship Field at 7 p.m. Friday against Soddy-Daisy. You can read more and find a link to the Class 5A football playoff bracket here.

Dragon rally runs out of time as CHS falls to Farragut 45-39

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton ran out of time to complete its comeback against Farragut on Friday, but the Dragons did serve notice that they will not be rolling over for anyone as the playoffs begin Friday, November 6.

Farragut outlasted the Orange and Black 45-39.

It was Senior Night at Clinton High School, and senior quarterback Tyler Thackerson turned in another “Thackersonian” performance, accounting for 616 total yards and six touchdowns. Thackerson completed 41 of his 60 pass attempts for 538 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 78 yards rushing on 22 carries and two more scores.

All four of Thackerson’s scoring passes went to J’Quan Thomas, who caught 18 passes for 271 yards. His 18 receptions tied him for third-most in a single game in Tennessee high school football history. [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…]

Two 12-0 teams meet at Blankenship tonight for first time ever

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Oak Ridge and Rhea County Pregame Scoreboard

Image courtesy World Webscapes/Chris Ayers

 

Two 12-0 football teams will play tonight at Blankenship Field for the first time in school history.

The Class 5A quarterfinal game between Oak Ridge and Rhea County starts at 7 p.m.

Wildcats coaches are asking fans to help fill up Jack Armstrong Stadium for the historic game between two undefeated teams. [Read more…]

Goal-line stop saves Wildcats’ win, sends Oak Ridge to Class 5A quarterfinals

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tommy Kaczocha and Cleveland Blue Raiders

Oak Ridge safety Tommy Kaczocha (4) tackles Cleveland wide receiver Isaiah Beaty (10) in a 10-6 second round Class 5A playoff win at Blankenship Field on Friday night. Kaczocha, a senior, had five tackles, two assists, an interception, and a blocked pass. Also pictured is junior linebacker Adam Manookian (35), who led the Wildcats with eight tackles and 10 assists. (Photos by Julio Culiat) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m.

The whole season boiled down to these last four plays. Down by only four points, Cleveland had the football on a first-and-10 at the Oak Ridge 11-yard line with 1:17 left to play.

The Wildcats were ahead 10-6, but the Blue Raiders only needed a touchdown to take the lead—and end Oak Ridge’s season in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

But a crucial goal-line stop at Blankenship Field on Friday night preserved the win for the undefeated Wildcats. They now move on to the quarterfinals, playing against Rhea County at home next Friday and setting up a showdown between two 12-0 teams. [Read more…]

Wildcats fall in first round of playoffs to East Hamilton 25-10

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and East Hamilton Hurricanes

Hunter Parker, left, of East Hamilton knocks down a pass in front of Blake Goins, center, and Ted Mitchell of the Wildcats as the Hurricanes eliminate Oak Ridge from the Class 5A playoffs during a first-round game in Ooltewah on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

OOLTEWAH—The Oak Ridge Wildcats’ first season under returning Coach Joe Gaddis ended in a 25-10 loss to the East Hamilton Hurricanes on Friday.

The first-round playoff game on a cold night in Ooltewah was relatively close until the end of the third quarter, when the Hurricanes gained a 16-10 lead and started to pull away.

Oak Ridge struggled on offense throughout the game and had “no spark,” Gaddis said. The Wildcats finished the night with 183 total yards on offense, compared to 289 for the Hurricanes. [Read more…]