Banged up ’Cats held in check by Bearden
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Oak Ridge junior defensive end Elijah Bradley gets first contact with Bulldog Kahill Abdullah Friday night. Senior linebacker Brian Kelley works through a block to follow up on the stop. - Chad Steed
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Wildcat Jai Hundley powers through an attempted tackle by Bearden’s Cody Clough Friday night. The beat-up Wildcats lost a hard-hitting defensive battle, 14-10. The ’Cats will host Clinton this Friday. - Chad Steed
When Oak Ridge High School’s football team made a second consecutive trip to Knoxville last week, it had already been ravaged by injuries.
Things only got worse Friday night as the Wildcats lost a low-scoring defensive battle, falling 14-10 to Bearden at Bill Young Field.
“We’ve got to get healthy; we came in here tonight and we were down five starters,” Oak Ridge Coach Scott Cummings said. “Now it looks like Elijah Rogers has a significant shoulder injury.”
Rogers, a wide receiver and defensive back, made a big impact, shining on both sides of the ball for the Wildcats in their season opener at South-Doyle on Friday, Aug. 19. He scored the game’s first touchdown on offense. He also had three interceptions in the first half of the Wildcats’ 46-20 victory over the Cherokees.
Oak Ridge (1-1) scored first Friday night when David Wilson kicked a field goal to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs, who like Oak Ridge, have a new head coach, Josh Jones, then scored the next 14 points as Kai Ironside and quarterback Drew Parrott each had touchdown runs for Bearden (1-1), which opened a 14-3 advantage.
The Wildcats, who had their share of offensive troubles, used their defense to keep things close over the first 24 minutes of the contest.
“Our offense was really struggling,” Cummings said. “Our defense was playing well and they were doing a good job keeping us in it.
“Bearden is really physical. They’re a good team. They gave West fits (in the season opener won by the Rebels, 27-7, on Aug. 20). I respect the heck out of that West team.”
After halftime, the Wildcats’ offense came to life. Oak Ridge scored on a touchdown run by DeJauvis Dozier, a senior running back. The Wildcats, led by senior quarterback Peyton Sharpe and running back Jai Hundley, also drove deep into Bulldog territory twice and came away without points.
Sharpe went 13-for-23 through the air.
Hundley had 89 rushing yards on 15 carries for the Wildcats, who had a chance to win late but were stopped on fourth down on their final offensive play.
“Our offense moved the ball up and down the field in the second half and we had a chance to win late,” Cummings said. “We drove the ball 90 yards with no timeouts with 1:14 left, and we just came up short.
“We had a chance to win, and as a coach, that’s all you can ask for,” he said. “I admire our kids for the way they fought. We’ve just got to get healthy. We have to continue to grow and get better.”
Things won’t get any easier for Oak Ridge, which plays both its home opener and first Region 3-5A tilt Friday.
The Wildcats host Clinton at 7 p.m. The Dragons have made great strides since head Coach Darell Keith arrived three years ago.
The Dragons enter this week’s contest with a perfect 2-0 record, posting wins over William Blount and Austin-East.
“Clinton is much-improved and they’re going to be a tough out,” Cummings said. “It’s going to be a tough game, especially if you look at what we’re going through right now.”