Oakland uses fourth-quarter comeback to hold on against Riverdale

Murfreesboro, Tenn. – After a long TSSAA regular season slate, it was time for one of the best rivalries in Tennessee, the Battle of the Boro between the Riverdale Warriors and Oakland Patriots.   This year, it was on the campus of OHS, where it looked to be another instant classic between the 9-0 Pats and 7-2 Warriors, with playoff seeding on the line.   Both teams traded punches throughout the game, but in the end, Oakland overcame a late deficit to win 35-21 and complete a perfect regular season.   The game was electric from the start, when Oakland's Gio Malone took the opening kickoff coast-to-coast for an early score.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1984050904941916289 </div></figure>   Riverdale's offense took the field soon after and had serious trouble finding ways to move the chains until a chunk play placed them in the red zone.   2028 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1287058' first='Gavin' last='Hampton'] finished the drive with a beautiful ball to the back of the end zone, where freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1538130' first='Luke' last='Tritch'] made a contested grab to tie things at seven apiece.   Oakland drove down the field on the next drive and reclaimed the lead on a [player_tooltip player_id='1281472' first='Joel' last='Wyatt'] screen pass.   However, the PAT was blocked, which made things interesting.   After a missed field goal towards the end of the first half, the Warriors took over at their 28-yard line with 6:52 left.   Hampton led his team down the field, eventually finding senior [player_tooltip player_id='1103005' first='Corben' last='Reynolds'] on a jailbreak screen for the go-ahead touchdown right before the intermission.   RHS got the ball to begin the second half and put together a methodical, nearly nine-minute drive that was capped off by a designed QB run with Hampton.   That score was his third of the night as he continues his impressive campaign.   That lead wouldn't last long at all. The Pats drove down the field in two minutes, where [player_tooltip player_id='856867' first='Craig' last='Tutt'] punched it in, then [player_tooltip player_id='424644' first='Kam' last='Morton'] completed the two-point conversion to tie things at 21.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1984076199170027736 </div></figure>   The score remained the same until junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='866735' first='Donte' last='Cameron'] called his own number and scored to give Oakland a 28-21 lead.   OHS scored a garbage-time touchdown to pad the stats, but it was an extremely competitive game that went down to the wire.   But, the Patriots always find a way to win, and they did just that.   Their 35-21 victory moves them to 10-0, the sixth undefeated regular season under head coach Kevin Creasy.   Player of the Game    There were many people you could have argued for giving this to, given that it was a complete team win.   But Cameron made too many big plays not to receive it. The junior signal caller was impressive all night as a dual-threat player.   He made multiple big-time throws, but the biggest plays came with his legs, including a 40+ yard touchdown run to give Oakland the lead late.   Cameron is a well-put-together player who makes you respect all of his abilities, as we saw on Thursday night.   He's one of the more underrated players in the Midstate and will be an X-factor on Oakland's potential state championship run.    Other Notable Players   2028 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1287058' first='Gavin' last='Hampton'] – Riverdale   Hampton continues to impress as the season goes along, especially after the way he started it, throwing four interceptions in the season opener.   He prefers to stay in the pocket and pick apart opposing defenses. But the sophomore is relatively mobile and can do quite a few things with his legs.   He had three total touchdowns tonight, including a beautiful pass on Riverdale's opening drive.   Hampton has grown so much this season and is clearly confident and poised in the pocket after getting some experience under his belt.   The 2028 quarterback did a nice job of layering his throws, being aware in the pocket, making great decisions throughout the game and being tough as nails while facing a premier defense.   2028 ATH Gio Malone – Oakland   Malone set the tone for this game as soon as the ball was kicked off the tee.   The sophomore took it 90+ yards to the house for an opening touchdown, but was also solid when he got in on offense.   He had a couple of receptions while featuring smooth route running, good break in his routes and clean footwork to find himself open.   Malone has strong hands, allowing him to be a reliable receiver for most of the season.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/corbreynolds2.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-1940083" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Riverdale wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1103005' first='Corben' last='Reynolds'].</figcaption></figure>   2026 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1103005' first='Corben' last='Reynolds'] – Riverdale   For some reason, Reynolds went somewhat under the radar on Thursday night, but he had a good game. He caught a screen midway through the contest that gave Riverdale a lead that they held for over 20 minutes.   Reynolds not only had the touchdown catch, but he also made multiple clutch catches on money downs to extend drives for his team.   He's a crisp route runner with good hands, nice burst, the ability to find holes in coverage and make contested catches consistently.   The senior wide receiver has good size at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds with a lean frame and long arms. He's an outstanding player who can be used in a multitude of ways.   2026 S [player_tooltip player_id='856867' first='Craig' last='Tutt'] – Oakland   It seems like we talk about Tutt every Oakland game, but he's one of the best players in the state for a reason. The Ole Miss commit played great at safety last night, but had one of his better rushing games in 2025.   The senior broke off a couple of good runs, including a 20+ yard gain on fourth and two at the end of the game, to all but end things.   He's an explosive runner, but is best suited for safety, where he excels.

Murfreesboro, Tenn. – After a long TSSAA regular season slate, it was time for one of the best rivalries in Tennessee, the Battle of the Boro between the Riverdale Warriors and Oakland Patriots.