Wildcats ‘D’ shines in 17-7 win over Lenoir City
Oak Ridge’s roller-coaster ride of a 2024 season continued Friday night in Lenoir City, where the Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak with a 17-7 victory over the Panthers.
Oak Ridge High School (5-4 overall, 3-0 in Region 3-5A) used a stingy defense to find its way back into the win column on the road against Lenoir City (5-4, 2-1), coached by former Wildcats’ coach Scott Cummings. The Wildcats prevailed with the region championship hanging in the balance, as their defense held the Panthers, who run the veer, to just 142 yards of total offense.
“Our defensive coaches did a great job all week,” Wildcats coach Derek Rang said. “We were able to take away the under-center veer stuff. We spent all week working on that, and we were able to take that away and hold them out of the end zone.”
The Wildcats held Lenoir City’s patented ground attack to just 73 net yards. They nearly achieved a shutout, but Panthers quarterback Luke Chadwick, a junior, threw a late 36-yard touchdown pass to Darius Bass with 3:03 remaining in the game. Kicker Riley Pickett added the extra point to pull LCHS within 10 points, but it was too little, too late for the Panthers.
“Our defense played lights out, and you can’t say enough about them,” Rang said.
In addition to its defensive dominance, Oak Ridge, which can clinch an outright region title with a win against Campbell County in Jacksboro this Friday night, also posted a stellar performance on special teams.
Wildcats kicker Eli Pearson opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal late in the first quarter, capping a 14-play drive. In the second stanza, Pearson flipped field position with a 63-yard punt that pinned the Panthers deep in their territory. After a defensive stop, the Wildcats forced LCHS to punt and took over on the Panthers’ 31-yard line.
From there, it took Oak Ridge eight plays to find the end zone for the first touchdown of the contest. Damillyan Porter scored on a 4-yard run, and Pearson added the PAT to make the score 10-0 in the waning seconds before halftime.
“Eli Pearson is one of the best punters in the state,” Rang said. “He’s a valuable weapon for us.”
The Wildcats extended their advantage to 17-0 when Rush Douglas scored on a 3-yard plunge, set up by LaDanian Pendergrass’s recovery of a Lenoir City fumble at the Panther 36. The ensuing scoring drive consumed more than four minutes and comprised eight plays.
Lenoir City’s defense was also stiff, holding Oak Ridge to just 123 total yards. Despite seeing his team come up short, Cummings said the Panthers still have plenty to play for this week.
Lenoir City can clinch the No. 2 seed in the playoffs with a win over Karns at home this week. A victory would earn the Panthers a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
