Oak Ridge’s ‘rollercoaster’ of a season ends at Powell
Wildcats keep pace with Panthers early, but defending 5A champions pull away
Oak Ridge’s De’Jauvis Dozier leaps over a couple of Powell defenders for a gain Friday night in the TSSAA 5A quarterfinal playoff game. (photo:Chad Steed Photography )
Despite hanging around early, the Wildcats came up on the short end of a 43-13 decision against Powell in the Class 5A quarterfinals in northwest Knox County.
Oak Ridge, which made its second trip to Scarbro Stadium this year, finished the campaign with a 7-6 overall record after falling to region rival and the defending Class 5A champion Panthers.
First-year ORHS head Coach Scott Cummings showed a little emotion following the season-ending loss.
“Right now, it’s all about these seniors,” Cummings said. “It’s about them and their emotions, and there are a lot of guys on this team that I wish I could’ve had for two or three years.
“But once you’re mine, you’re mine and I have them for life.”
Powell handed the Wildcats their lone Region 3-5A loss, a 30-14 setback on Sept. 30. But Oak Ridge hung tough early.
The Panthers, who are on an 11-game winning streak after dropping their first two games of the season, scored first on an 80-yard touchdown run by Connor Wheeler.
A two-point conversion followed to make the score 8-0. Wheeler’s TD came after Oak Ridge went three-and-out on its opening possession.
The Wildcats, however, would answer on a 58-yard scamper by De’Jauvis Dozier. David Wilson added the extra point and ORHS was within 8-7 with 8 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
The Panthers, however, would soon extend their lead to 15-7 when senior quarterback and Tennessee Tech commitment Jordyn Potts lofted the first of his five scoring strikes on the night, a 22-yarder to Ayden Greene.
The Wildcats would pull to within 15-13 as Dozier scored on a 22-yard screen pass from junior Ethan Garza.
From there, Powell dominated the contest as it scored 28 unanswered points.
Potts played perhaps his best game of the year as he was 16-for-26, with 250 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
Greene had three receptions (all for touchdowns) and amassed 61 receiving yards. Gianni Magdos had six receptions for 120 yards while scoring twice. Wheeler paced the Panthers’ rushing attack with 132 yards.
“We got beat in all three phases of the game,” Cummings said after the season, a campaign full of injuries, concluded. “I’ve never had a team with so many injuries.”
Following the game, it was a time to reflect upon the season, but it was also time to look ahead for the Wildcats.
Jai Hundley, an outgoing senior, addressed the team. There were no tears but he encouraged the returners to give their best effort.
“Jai is just a great kid; he’s a spiritual kid,” Cummings said. “He works hard in the weight room and he works hard at everything he does.”
Hundley had some last words of encouragement.
“There were no tears and he told them that if they left it all out on the field that there would be no reason for tears,” Cummings said.
The coach echoed his running back’s sentiments.
“We’ve got to get our middle schools and our feeder programs all on the same page,” Cummings said. “We’ve got to get these underclassmen, these young guys, to understand that every day counts.
“We’ll take some time to relax, but after Christmas break, we’ll get back to work, and everything is mandatory again and we’ll get ready for next season.”