Unreal. We have made it to Cookeville and to the final week of prep football action in Tennessee for 2020. A season which many thought would not be completed is nearing the finish line. Has COVID taken a toll on many games, caused programs to have to adapt and cause heartbreak due to canceled games? Yes. Did it break the season and win? No siree.
So, here you go. Two teams from the Knoxville area made it to the BlueCross Bowl this season. Both will be playing on Friday, as the first game and as the nightcap. Alcoa and Oak Ridge are both set to try to take the Gold Ball back to the Eastern Time Zone. Here is a review of their semifinal matchups and a preview of the championship games.
CLASS 5A
Oak Ridge 14, South-Doyle 0
Oak Ridge (11-3) will be going to the state title game for the first time since 2005 with a chance to win their first title since 1991, on the heels of a dominating defensive performance over the Cherokees (10-4). Out of all the great programs in 5A in the Knoxville area, Oak Ridge seemed like one of the most unlikely options after starting 2-3. However, the Cats have reeled off nine straight wins since then and have been on fire. The Cherokees’ offense was going to begin and end with Shawn Gary, and Oak Ridge silenced him, holding the elite back to 64 yards on 28 carries (2.3 YPC). S-D had only 204 yards of offense on the night and only got as far as the red zone once. Oak Ridge was harassing S-D all evening, with the defensive effort led by Ky Hirsch, who had four TFLs and two sacks. Oak Ridge, as a team, had five sacks total. For Oak Ridge, they met a similar match with a suffocating S-D defense. However, QB Mitchell Gibbons came through to get the Wildcats on the board, especially the clincher on a 37-yard touchdown run which came on a S-D defensive lapse on a 3rd and 20.
CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Friday, Dec. 4
8 p.m. ET
Oak Ridge will face off against the Summit Spartans (13-1), who, like Oak Ridge, have pulled off playoff upsets to get to Cookeville. Summit is back in the 5A Title Game for the second straight season, after losing to Knoxville Central in 2019. Summit presents a major challenge to what has, for the majority of the season, been an impressive Wildcats defense. The Spartans are led by QB Destin Wade and are a great match for Oak Ridge. In order to win a title for the first time in nearly 30 years, the Wildcats will need a better offensive performance than they put up against South-Doyle. Running back Kendall Jackson must play to the level that he has been in the previous weeks.
CLASS 3A
Alcoa 42, Red Bank 7
Alcoa (13-1) will be making its eighth straight title game appearance and will have a chance to win its sixth consecutive title. Ahmaudd Sankey led the way with three touchdowns and QB Caden Buckles looks extremely comfortable just two games into leading the offense. Alcoa’s defense was unrelenting as usual, holding their opponent to single-digits for the 12th time in 14 games this season. With a similar performance against Milan in the 3A title game, this Tornadoes defense could be considered one of the best in modern TSSAA history.
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Friday, Dec. 4
Noon ET
The Torandoes’ opponents, Milan (12-1), has a championship tradition, but not to the level of Alcoa. The Bulldogs have not won a state title since 1999, although they have finished as runners-up four times since 2008. Unless Milan’s offense, led by Anthony Brown, who has several Power 5 offers, can somehow crack the code of this airtight Alcoa defense, anchored by Georgia Tech commit Grey Carroll, it will be another runner-up finish for the Bulldogs. Milan will also have its hands full on defense. Since Alcoa QB Caden Buckles was finally cleared by the TSSAA in the playoffs, the Knoxville Catholic transfer has looked very comfortable in the offense. It also helps when he has a weapon in the backfield like Ahmaudd Sankey.