Oak Ridge stuns McMinn, now heads to TSSAA third round
For the second time in three years, Oak Ridge is heading to the quarterfinals of the TSSAA Class 5A football playoffs.
The Wildcats secured their spot with a hard-fought 27-20 victory over McMinn County on Friday night at Blankenship Field.
Oak Ridge Coach Derek Rang endured some anxious moments after watching his team jump out to a 24-0 halftime lead and extend it to 27-0, only to see the Cherokees score 20 unanswered points in the second half.
Despite the rally, Rang expressed satisfaction with advancing to face East Hamilton in the third round this week.
“It really should’ve been 31-0 at halftime, but we shot ourselves in the foot,” Rang said. “Still, it was 24-0.
“It would’ve been nice to come out and bury them. But in playoff football, if you have one more point than the other team, we’ll take that.”
The Wildcats (8-4) scored 14 points in the first quarter. Damillyan Porter’s 7-yard touchdown run and Eli Pearson’s extra point gave Oak Ridge a 7-0 lead with 8:18 remaining.
Porter added a second touchdown on a 3-yard run, extending the lead to 14-0.
Junior quarterback Blaine Stansberry fumbled on the McMinn County 4-yard line during another promising drive, but he redeemed himself with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Porter with 3:14 left in the second quarter.
Stansberry made history during the game, becoming Oak Ridge’s all-time leader in career passing yards before halftime.
“It feels great,” Stansberry said. “I didn’t think I was going to get it this year with the way our offense was going, but it’s great to know that I’m at the top elite level with all the great quarterbacks who have played on this field.”
Stansberry completed 20 of 25 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 19 yards on seven carries.
Porter, who sat out much of the second half, led the Wildcats with 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. He also had 11 receptions for 153 yards, including one touchdown.
Pearson’s 24-yard field goal as time expired in the first half made it 24-0. His third-quarter field goal extended the lead to 27-0.
The Cherokees rallied, beginning with Taylon White’s touchdown run, which cut the deficit to 27-6 with 2:45 left in the third quarter. Early in the fourth, Luke Lawson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass, and McMinn County successfully executed an onside kick. Lawson led another scoring drive, narrowing the gap to 27-20.
McMinn County had two more possessions to try to complete the comeback.
On one, J.T. Gormley sacked Lawson, who later threw an interception to Dallas Frendt. The Wildcats couldn’t run out the clock, giving the Cherokees one last chance, but Tim Walters knocked down a fourth-down pass at the line of scrimmage to seal the win.
“My team had my back, and I knew I had to make a play — and I did it,” Walters said.
Next, Oak Ridge travels to East Hamilton (9-3) for a quarterfinal matchup. East Hamilton defeated Lenoir City 24-6 on Friday.
Jakaryn Dyer (52) wraps up McMinn County running back Jakaryn Dyer (8) with a little help from senior defensive back Dallas Frendt (27) during Friday night’s round two TSSAA playoff game. The Wildcats beat beat the Cherokees 27-20 and advance to round three.
Tony Cox | The Courier News
The first half of Friday night’s round two TSSAA playoff game at Oak Ridge belonged to running back Damillyan Porter (8). Porter scored three touchdowns in the first half of the Wildcats playoff game against McMinn County — two rushing, one receiving. He concluded the night with 84 rushing yards and was the leading reciever with 11 catches for 153 yards.