Oakland Dominates Region Clash, Beats Blackman, 53-18
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The Patriots let it be known who the best of Rutherford Co. was last night in their overwhelming victory over the home Blaze. The hype was there. The crowd was there. The atmosphere was ripe for a prime time, close…
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Continue ReadingThe Patriots let it be known who the best of Rutherford Co. was last night in their overwhelming victory over the home Blaze.
The hype was there. The crowd was there. The atmosphere was ripe for a prime time, close game between two 6A power schools but the home Blaze did not live up to the hype as Oakland came into their stadium and handed them a 53-18 butt kicking.
Much of the Middle Tennessee area was excited about this region showdown, thinking that Blackman had a legitimate shot at upsetting the Patriots but that was far from the case as Oakland made a statement on their opening drive and never looked back.
The game started by Blackman on-side kicking to an Oakland offense that didn’t need momentum early but good field position was handed to them and they took advantage by scoring on the 2nd play from scrimmage.
After forcing Blackman to go three and out, the Oakland offense went right back down the field and scored again, showing that it could be a long night for the Blaze, which it was.
Blackman would answer in the 1st half with a pair of scoring drives to bring the score to 21-12 but that’s as close as the game would get as the Patriots couldn’t stand for a comeback, so they turned up the dial and took command of the game from then on out.
Oakland went into the locker room at halftime with a 31-12 lead and while the Blaze might have had a plan to come back and make it a contest, the game didn’t feel that way. The Patriots held control from the jump and never felt threatened throughout the 1st half, so it felt like a blowout was coming and that’s exactly what happened.
The second half was basically a practice session for both teams as we had a running clock and the winner already decided. Blackman just simply could not get anything going on either side of the ball and it snowballed early to where there was no point of return.
The Patriots line of scrimmage dictated this game from the jump where they were able to run the ball at will on offense with Eric Taylor Eric Taylor 5'8" | 175 lbs | ATH Oakland | 2023 State TN , Tamari Hill Tamari Hill 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Brentwood Academy | 2025 State TN and others while the D-line put pressure on Blackman quarterback Jack Risner Jack Risner 6'5" | 220 lbs | QB Blackman | 2023 State TN all night long, making him move off his spot and get rid of the ball earlier than desired.
Overall, it was just not a good night for the home team as Oakland walked into the stadium and made a statement that not only are they the best team in the region but possibly the best team in the state this season.
Looking ahead, Blackman is still in good position for postseason play and has all their state title aspirations ahead of them but they must regroup and continue to develop as the road won’t get any easier as they might have to face these Patriots yet again.
Oakland on the other hand, sits in prime position for a top seed in the playoffs and is considered the team to beat in the Class 6A ranks come postseason play.
Unheralded Football is Played At Oakland
– Under the teaching of Oakland head coach Kevin Creasy, the Patriots simply know how to win football games and do so in dominating fashion. Week in and week out, Oakland plays technique sound, disciplined football and they do all this without a bunch of 4 or 5 star players, so you know the culture is strong inside this program.
That culture flexed its muscle last night at Blackman as the Patriots did not seem phased at all by the hype of the game nor the big crowd in attendance. They were all about business and knew what they had to do to win the game and they accomplished their goals, doing so in dominating fashion.
Until Coach Creasy decides to walk away from the Oakland program, the Patriots will continue to be the standard in this state within high school football and should be considered the favorites to win the Class 6A title every season (Well Maryville could question that lol).
Games Notes ….
– The Oakland secondary got deeper last night with the return of Eric Taylor Eric Taylor 5'8" | 175 lbs | ATH Oakland | 2023 State TN but they are still not at full strength with junior safety Stephen Ellison Stephen Ellison 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Oakland | 2024 State TN on the sidelines, however the Patriots now have a group that can contend for one of the best defensive backfields in the state. Along with Taylor at nickel back/safety, the Pats also have Jeremiah Collins, who is a ballhawking defender that can play a variety of roles in the secondary and sophomore defensive back Bronson Crisp that will be the next big star to come out of Oakland.
Once the Pats are able to get Ellison back on the field, these guys could be quite scary as they would then have the numbers and depth along with the talent to shut down any crop of receivers they come across over the back half of the season and the playoffs.
– Blackman definitely struggled last night but they still have big time offensive talent that will cause problems for the opposition over the final months of the season. The Pats did a good job of keeping the Blaze receivers in check while also putting constant pressure on Risner but last night’s game will be a great learning experience for the Blackman offense, so they can look at the film and see what they must improve upon to become that formidable opponent come postseason play.
– Oakland quarterback Kade Hewitt Kade Hewitt 6'1" | 215 lbs | QB Oakland | 2023 TN may not be the flashiest of players but he is one of the best pure leaders in this state and someone that knows how to run an offense and play within the team concept. The 6’2 215 plus pound signal caller is a physical dude that does everything right and never tries to do too much as he is a team 1st guy that will do anything it takes to win.
Hewitt is a true dual threat guy that uses his legs and his arm to beat a defense but it’s his leadership qualities and football knowledge that shows up game in and game out. This is the perfect quarterback to play within Coach Creasy’s offense and someone that already knows how to win titles as he helped lead the Patriots to a state championship last season.
It will be interesting to see where his college recruitment goes as yes he could switch positions to linebacker or H-back but the way he plays behind center may give him a shot to prove his worth at quarterback on the next level.