Oakland Punches Its Ticket to State Championship in 42-14 win

Murfreesboro, Tenn. – The defending 6A state champion Oakland Patriots hosted the Blackman Blaze in a cross-town matchup on Friday night, with the winner heading to the state title game next week.   Both squads came in riding big win streaks with loaded rosters, but who would prevail?   Well, the Patriots were firing on all cylinders, dominating the Blaze 42-14 at Ray Hughes Stadium to advance to their sixth straight championship game.   <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/1994606315327676653?s=20 </div></figure>   After a quick three-and-out by Blackman, Oakland drove down the field and into BHS territory within two minutes. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='856867' first='Craig' last='Tutt'] finished the drive with a 34-yard rushing touchdown to give his team the early lead.   The Patriots struck again just three minutes later when Kamani Bass got out into the open field, juked out a defender, and strolled into paydirt untouched.   Down 14-0, the Blaze needed to respond.   They did just that by marching down the field, but were forced to settle for a field goal attempt. However, it was hooked wide right, giving Oakland the ball back.   Both teams traded punts, then Tutt came up big again. The Ole Miss commit broke a tackle and ran nearly coast-to-coast for his second long score of the game.   Heading into halftime, the Pats led 21-0 and would get the ball back after the intermission.   They made the most of it, driving down the field where Tutt caught a 33-yard touchdown pass for the hat trick, extending Oakland's lead to 28-0.   The Blaze finally showed life towards the end of the third quarter, when senior tailback Jabari Kemp muscled in for his team's first score of the contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='1029916' first='Micah' last='Nance'] crossed paydirt two minutes later, and just like that, Blackman was back in the ball game.   Following that score, Oakland went on a nearly 10-minute drive, ending in Tutt's fourth touchdown of the night to deliver the knockout punch.   [player_tooltip player_id='1138121' first='Kyrie' last='Gainor'] added to the Patriots' lead on the next drive with a 52-yard pick-six that cleared both sets of bleachers.   Blackman ran out the clock, ending the game as the Oakland Patriots won 42-14, punching their ticket to Chattanooga.   Player of the Game    The four-star Ole Miss commit showed why he's one of the best players in the nation on Friday night. Not only did he have a good day defensively with several key tackles and good coverage in the back end of the Oakland secondary, but Tutt was also fantastic offensively.   He had nearly 200 total yards and four touchdowns to punch his team's ticket to Chattanooga, where he'll look to capture his third state championship.    Other Notable Players   2027 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] – Blackman   It was a tough day for the Blackman Blaze, but [player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] was one of the few bright spots. The big wide receiver had four catches and nearly 100 yards, while being open many other times.   The Patriot defense was too much for his offense, but Oduor showed out.   2027 RB Kamani Bass – Oakland   With Oakland's RB2 out, Bass needed to step up in his absence. He did just that, complimenting Tutt with his incredible speed and explosiveness.   The junior had multiple crucial runs, including a long touchdown in the first quarter that extended their lead. Bass is stuck rotating in with two other running backs, but is primed for a breakout campaign next year.   2026 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1138121' first='Kyrie' last='Gainor'] – Oakland   Gainor is one of the more underrated defensive backs in Tennessee, but he had a good game in the semifinals.   You didn't hear his name called often, which is a good thing as a cornerback.   He played sound coverage in Oakland's secondary and minimized damage with vital tackles after receivers caught passes. Gainor also had a pick-six at the end of the contest to put Blackman away.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/A_Fiorella74/status/1994573776147943542?s=20 </div></figure>   2026 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1215798' first='Marquis' last='Earl'] – Oakland   Senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1215798' first='Marquis' last='Earl'] made his presence known early in the game with a big third-down sack on the opening possession.   His hit set the tone for the game, and it was on from there.   Besides making that great play at the beginning of the contest, Earl was a key contributor with good coverage and multiple tackles to help his team win.

Murfreesboro, Tenn. – The defending 6A state champion Oakland Patriots hosted the Blackman Blaze in a cross-town matchup on Friday night, with the winner heading to the state title game next week.