Oakland Earns 6A Title Yet Again (Three Peat!)

The perennial power that is the Oakland Patriots will be putting another “Gold Ball” inside their trophy case as on Saturday night, the team from Murfreesboro defeated Beech, 42-6 to win their third 6A state title in a row and continue to add more lore to their football program under head coach Kevin Creasy.    Many people came into this contest thinking that the Buccaneers may have a shot at pulling off the upset but early on, that proved to not be the case as the Patriots jumped out to a 14-0 lead and they never looked back.    The run game was on point for Oakland and it usually is but on Saturday evening, they leaned heavily on the runner with star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='268153' first='Kade' last='Hewitt'] dealing with injuries and those runners sure stepped up, especially senior star [player_tooltip player_id='201077' first='Eric' last='Taylor'].   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/joe_spears7/status/1599209730810949635?s=20&t=cyfvGjLK-XpoOKhsxm-pzg </div></figure>   The two-way talent exploded early against the Buccaneers and kept the momentum going throughout the rest of the game. For the entire night, Taylor put up over 170 yards rushing as well as four touchdowns on the ground and someone the Beech defense just did not have an answer for.    The Buccaneers would get on the board after a touchdown pass from [player_tooltip player_id='480626' first='Justyce' last='Law'] to [player_tooltip player_id='155800' first='Tyler' last='Nix'] and bring the game to 14-6 but that would be the last time Beech would score the remainder of the night.    All night long, the Beech run game just couldn't gain any traction as the Patriots front seven was just too stout. [player_tooltip player_id='150315' first='Darius' last='Johnson'] had a few good runs but overall, Oakland kept him in check and forced the Bucs to lean on their pass game more.    From then on out, it was all Oakland. The Patriots put their foot down and said we got this game as they came out of the locker room at halftime and went on to dominate the Buccaneers by outscoring them in the second half 28-0.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/cecil_joyce/status/1596322671716753408?s=20&t=cyfvGjLK-XpoOKhsxm-pzg </div></figure>   It was an all out, rushing attack onslaught by the Patriots as Taylor took over and was complimented well by senior back/safety Mason Bell and sophomore stud [player_tooltip player_id='219449' first='Tamari' last='Hill']. The Oakland backfield was very impressive but they wouldn't have been able to run through open holes without the stellar play up front by the Patriots offensive line.    Led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='153479' first='Zach' last='Turk'] and Keith Bowman along with junior stud [player_tooltip player_id='258681' first='Jake' last='Riggs'], the Oakland offensive line manhandled the Buccaneers defensive front all night long and was the main catalyst towards not only letting their running backs shine but lead this team to eventual state title.    The game was pretty much sealed up in the 3rd quarter where the Patriots broke out to a double digit lead and it was only a formality before Oakland was crowned champions yet again.    It was another outstanding performance from the Patriots in a championship as they were clearly the better team and dominated this game from start to finish. Oakland is the standard when it comes to winning football games and championships in the Mid-Tennessee region and as long as Coach Creasy remains at the helm, it will stay that way going forward.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/OHSPatsFootball/status/1599259581905260544?s=20&t=cyfvGjLK-XpoOKhsxm-pzg </div></figure>     Player of the Game/MVP   (RB/DB) [player_tooltip player_id='201077' first='Eric' last='Taylor'] - Oakland    - There was no question about who the MVP of this championship game would be as Taylor was the clear cut favorite after putting up over 170 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the night. It was an outstanding performance in the biggest game of the year, so it shows you the maturity and focus that Taylor has. He may be 5'8 180 pounds but Taylor is legit and someone that could reach the college ranks due to his running style and abilities.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/12/etaylor-756x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-534469" width="353" height="478"/></figure>     Other Top Performers    - (RB/S) Mason Bell - Oakland: Bell was a major contributor in the Patriots, 42-6 win over Beech. He produced several big plays on both sides of the ball, including one rushing touchdown and a fumble recovery on defense.    - (OL) [player_tooltip player_id='153479' first='Zach' last='Turk'] - Oakland: The Patriots opened up holes all night long for the run game and Turk was a big piece in those efforts. Consistent, strong and technique sound, Turk is underrated as a versatile guy that can play several O-line roles.    - (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='149386' first='Tre' last='Johnson'] - Oakland: Johnson was a very active performer in this championship game as he put himself in the mix to make a tackle on the ball almost every play, including a pair of tackles for loss.   - (Ath) [player_tooltip player_id='410577' first='J.P.' last='Courtney'] - Beech: It wasn't the best of showings for the Buccaneers but Courtney was the lone bright spot who flashed in this game with multiple big plays as well as contributing on defense.   - (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='150315' first='Darius' last='Johnson'] - Beech: Johnson did everything he could when the ball was in his hands but it was tough running the ball against a stout Patriots defense. This Mid-TN running back had several big runs and picked up multiple 1st downs to keep drives alive.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/12/darjohnson.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-532875" width="364" height="243"/></figure>