Blackman Cruises to Region Victory (Game Recap/Top Performers)

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Blaze flexed their muscles early and never let up till the final whistle in their region road win over Stewarts Creek. It was a solid performance from the road team and a statement win over a cross county rival. </h2>     Looking to bounce back after taking their first loss of the season last week, Blackman made their presence known early against Stewarts Creek as they used an explosive first quarter to position themselves for a 35-0 victory over the Red Hawks. The Blaze scored just about everything they needed in the 1st quarter and never looked back as they moved to 6-1 on the season and 3-1 inside their region.   Blackman started fast on their first drive as [player_tooltip player_id='1699904' first='Jaevion' last='Elliott'] from [player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] over the middle where the junior wideout made a one handed catch, bounced off his defender then ran past the Red Hawks defense all the way into the end zone.    Oduor scored again on the Blaze's second offensive possession. Deep into the Stewarts Creek red zone, on third down Elliott threw a back shoulder fade where Oduor hauled it in for his second touchdown of the 1st quarter. Ranked as the 2nd best receiver prospect from our #TN2027 class, Oduor displayed early on  why Vanderbilt has offered and many other Power Four programs are showing interest.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/bryoduoe.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-1925942" style="width:226px;height:auto" /></figure>   The road team continued to pour it on as Blackman scored again on their third possession with a short yard run from junior Daniel Smith. The Blaze pushed their score out further as almost immediately on the following defensive possession, junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1207776' first='Jayden' last='Gowin'] picked off [player_tooltip player_id='1326463' first='R.C.' last='Davis'] and ran it back to the endzone to put his team ahead, 28-0.   That score stayed the same through halftime and into the 4th quarter before we saw any points put on the board. The Red Hawks coaching staff made defensive adjustments in the 2nd quarter that slowed up the Blackman offense but the 28-0 hole proved to be too big to overcome.    As we worked through the second half, Blackman remained in control but sloppy play from the first half followed them, which left a lot out on the field to be desired from the Blaze offense. While they had a good showing on Thursday evening, I felt like the Blackman offense could have performed at a higher level and even scored more than 35 points.    Regardless of that, the road team was clearly headed to victory but we had to play out the 4th quarter. The Blaze put one more touchdown on the board late in 4th after Elliott scrambled to his right then started running down the sideline where things opened up and the Blaze quarterback found paydirt. It was an impressive run from Elliott that showed off his athleticism and speed.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/jaeelliott.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1925943" style="width:280px;height:auto" /></figure>   The game was over by that point but Stewarts Creek wouldn't quit playing. The Red Hawks continued to fight and gave whatever they had. Their effort resulted in points with 26 seconds remaining as Davis ran a bootleg to his left and raced past defenders and into the end zone. It was good to see the home team continue playing till the final whistle and put some points on the board.    It may turn out to be a long season for the Red Hawks after their 2-0 start. They are dealing with some injuries and a good chunk of those are with some of their top players. Stewarts Creek still has a glimmer of hope at reaching the playoffs but they must win out and hope other region foes falter to squeeze in.    This was an overall solid performance from Blackman, especially coming off a shutout defeat in “Week Six” to Oakland. This win moved the Blaze into a tie for second place in the region but they can eventually hold that spot to themselves. Blackman has a bye next week but after some rest, they finish out the regular season with three big region games against Smyrna, Siegel and Rockvale.   - - - - -   Player of the Game    Oduor was clearly the best overall talent on the field Thursday evening and he established himself early in this matchup by scoring two touchdowns but more importantly, displaying his great combination of size, speed and tremendous college upside. You could sense his presence on the field as someone the Red Hawks defenders could not handle. The Blaze junior wideout already sits as one of the top prospects from his position for the #TN2027 class but showed in this game why big time programs are looking in his direction due to his physical abilities and traits that translate very well to the college game.    - - - - -   Three Stars …….    Producing three total touchdowns in this game, Elliott proved to be a difference maker versus Stewarts Creek by using his arm and his legs to help push his team to victory. The Blaze signal caller showed a calm, cool presence under center with a strong feel for what the Red Hawks were running on defense. The coaching staff called upon his arm early to put them ahead and Elliott obliged. When the time called for it, Elliott extended plays with his legs and picked up a few first downs. It was an overall solid performance from this dual threat, under the radar talent with long term upside.    - - -    Gowin stood out with his performance Thursday evening with his active motor and activity around the football. This junior linebacker flashed early in the game with multiple tackles but also a good read off Davis where he picked off a pass and ran it back for six. As the game went on, Gowin continued to flash by doing good work versus the Red Hawks run game, showing quick reads and a nose for the ball. This guy is a true middle backer that can find his way into the college game one day with continued development and enhancement with his athleticism and agility.    - - -     I'm not sure what his stat sheet looked like by the end of the game but I really liked how Thornton performed and what he showed me for the future. This junior safety was aggressive from start to finish, especially in run support where he made several physical tackles, including several around the line of scrimmage. Thornton is beginning to come into his own, meaning he has taken his game to another level and placed himself on the map as a potential college guy. I have to do more scouting with the Blaze safety but I really liked what I've seen this year from Thornton and how he performed versus the Red Hawks.    - - - - -   Other Top Performers   (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='1662405' first='Jonathan' last='Hadley'] - Stewarts Creek: Hadley was an active guy in this region matchup and one of the better performers from his Red Hawks team. He did some good things on defense versus the Blackman run game but really stood out with his work on special teams. On two occasions, Hadley was Johnny on the spot as he recovered muffed fumbles to give his Red Hawks offense good field position.   (S) [player_tooltip player_id='1589509' first='A'Darien' last='Davis'] - Blackman: The stat sheet may not show the impact Davis had on this game but the Blaze safety was active with excellent positioning against the Red Hawks that forced their quarterback to look the other way when throwing the ball. Davis also made his presence felt in this game with several big hits and physical tackles.    ‘27 (DT) [player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart'] - Blackman: A current Top 100 junior prospect by Prep Redzone Tennessee, Stewart had a solid performance versus the Red Hawks where he did good work plugging up holes in the run game while occasionally flashing a pass rush. The added weight Stewart has put on helps him a ton and helps his cause when it comes to his overall recruitment.    ‘27 (DB/WR) [player_tooltip player_id='1662944' first='Dallas' last='Johnson'] - Stewarts Creek: The Red Hawks didn't have many top performers in this game but one guy who stood out to me was Johnson. This junior two-way prospect flashed excellent speed throughout the game along with high football intelligence. Johnson is a talented young man with great size that translates to either side of the ball but I really like his upside as a potential college corner or safety prospect.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/blackman2.jpg?w=819" alt="" class="wp-image-1925944" style="width:235px;height:auto" /></figure>