Oak Ridge rolls past Campbell County, ready for postseason
The 2024 regular season ended on a winning note for the Oak Ridge High School football team last week, as the Wildcats concluded a second-consecutive perfect run through their Region 3-5A schedule.
ORHS, which has battled a wide array of injuries throughout the season, routed Campbell County 34-3 on Friday night in Jacksboro.
This marked the final meeting as regional foes for the Cougars and Wildcats, as Oak Ridge will move up to Class 6A in 2025.
Following Friday night’s victory, Oak Ridge has now defeated CCHS 38 times in 39 meetings.
The Cougars (2-8 overall, 0-4 in the region), who were the only team in the league not to qualify for the playoffs, gained the upper hand in the regular-season finale for both schools.
Campbell County took the opening kickoff and engineered a long drive that consumed 10 minutes, 18 seconds, resulting in a short field goal by Nathan Massengill to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead. CCHS led after the first quarter, but the Wildcats (6-4, 4-0) responded by scoring 35 unanswered points.
After the Cougars’ initial time-consuming drive, the Wildcats clamped down. The Oak Ridge defense allowed Campbell County just 181 yards of total offense in the contest.
“Our defense played really well after that first drive,” Oak Ridge second-year Coach Derek Rang said. “(Campbell County) Coach (Mark) Pemberton does a great job. He’s one of the winningest active coaches in the state.”
The Cougars held the lead until the 8:59 mark of the second quarter, when running back Damillyan Porter capped Oak Ridge’s first offensive possession with a 12-yard touchdown run. Kicker Eli Pearson added the extra point to give the Wildcats a 7-3 advantage.
Porter scored his second touchdown late in the second quarter with a short run, putting the Wildcats up 14-3 at halftime after another successful PAT from Pearson.
Porter rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He also caught a 2-yard pass from quarterback Blaine Stansberry in the opening quarters.
But Porter was far from finished, totaling 187 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries before sitting out most of the fourth quarter.
“Mill ran the ball well, and you just can’t say enough about him,” Rang said.
Porter’s final touchdown of the regular season came late in the third quarter, one play after T.J. Hibben recovered a CCHS fumble.
That 13-yard run extended Oak Ridge’s lead to 20-3, although Pearson missed the ensuing extra point.
Early in the final quarter, Oak Ridge’s defense joined in on the scoring as Qhyvez Williams intercepted a pass from Campbell County’s Luke Lindsey and returned it for a touchdown.
The Wildcats’ final score came on a 3-yard run by backup quarterback Parker Free, who also plays catcher on the Wildcats’ baseball team.
The win propelled Oak Ridge into the playoffs with momentum. The Wildcats will return home to Blankenship Field for the first time in a month, hosting Rhea County (5-4) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Rang said the team must stay focused during the postseason.
“We have to take things one game at a time, and we have to protect Blankenship,” he said. “We play in the best stadium, and we have to protect it.”