Week 11 roundup: Second round begins
As high school football fans turned the calendar to November, the TSSAA postseason began last week.
All three area teams were in action and all three advanced to the second round.
Those games will be played Friday night.
Kickoffs for both contests are scheduled for 7 p.m.
In Class 5A, region rivals Clinton and Oak Ridge will renew acquaintances on the gridiron for their first-ever playoff showdown.
The 2023 calendar year marks the second time that the Dragons and Wildcats have met twice in the same year since World War II. The two rivals played twice during the 1943 campaign with the Dragons prevailing both times.
Oak Ridge (9-2 and the Region 3-5A champion in 2023) advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 49-22 victory over East Hamilton on a night when school records fell at Blankenship Field.
Wildcats’ quarterback Blaine Stansberry, a sophomore, threw for a school single-game record 358 yards against the Hurricanes (6-5). He was 10-for-20 with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also became the school’s all-time single-season leader in passing yards, shattering two of Mitchell Gibbons’ all-time records.
Senior wide receiver Brandon Heyward also became the career receiving yardage leader, surpassing Tee Higgins of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Heyward finished the first-round playoff contest with five catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Senior running back De’Jauvis Dozier rushed for 215 yards and three scores. He also had an 80-yard touchdown reception.
The Dragons, meanwhile, improved to 5-6 with a 34-10 win over McMinn County in Athens last week.
The victory was Clinton’s first in the playoffs since 2009. It also was the third straight for Clinton this season.
The Dragons, who got off to a 2-6 start, had three touchdown runs from D’Mon Marable, who usually terrorizes opposing offenses.
Clinton and Oak Ridge will collide at Blankenship Field this week. The Wildcats defeated the Dragons 37-24 in Clinton on Sept. 22.
Meanwhile at Anderson County, the Mavericks notched a 49-0 victory over Sullivan East in the opening round of the playoffs.
Senior running back and Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist Nick Moog had 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns for ACHS (7-4) as it continued its quest to defend its 2022 Class 4A state title.
In the second round, Anderson County will see a familiar foe as it hosts Elizabethton, a 49-0 winner over Carter.
The Cyclones enter the second-round contest with a 9-1 record.
Anderson County edged Elizabethton twice last year, with both games in Clinton.
The Mavs won a 35-34 overtime thriller in the regular season. They also won, 30-24, in the playoffs.
