Scouting the Standouts: Oaklands beats Rockvale 30-7

<p>With fall break beginning this weekend, public schools in Rutherford County played their football games on Thursday night this week and there were a couple pivotal region matchups on the slate.</p>   <p>One of the those games featured the defending state champions, Oakland, traveling to take on a rising Rockvale program. Both teams could use a jolt at this point in the season and a victory would have gone a long way for each program.</p>   <p>Oakland would be the team that left the game victorious, leaving with a 30-7 road victory to stay in the region title mix.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three Quarterbacks Shine as Runners</h2>   <p>Oakland has traditionally ran the ball with their running backs, but sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='424644' first='Kam' last='Morton'] has high-level arm talent, and that has allowed for the offense to take on a new form that spreads defenses out while still prioritizing their rushing attack. It also allows for the offensive staff to get very creative with how they use they utilize their best playmakers, including senior quarterback/athlete [player_tooltip player_id='866735' first='Donte' last='Cameron'].</p>   <p>Morton ran the offense in between the 20s tonight and showed off his ability as a runner as the opposing defense was determined to limit the explosive plays. He has a very strong core and consistently rack up yards after contact on runs up the middle. Cameron is more dynamic as a runner and can generate a big play at any moment, often being used as a runner in the red zone.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2105820034756939989?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>Rockvale wanted to limit the screens and force Morton to layer throws over the middle against their talented defense. Oakland utilized the threat of Cameron's legs to pull the defense in on a screen and hit tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1868595' first='Jacob' last='Vaughn'] downfield for an explosive touchdown score right before halftime.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2105822944802877545?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>The best weapon for the Rockvale offense tonight was quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1553521' first='Arden' last='Lewis'], specifically as a runner. He is a crafty runner and can change direction on a seconds notice, making him impossible to contain outside the pocket. The offense began to move down the field in the second half when the offense could get his rushing ability involved.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Special Teams Wins Game for Oakland</h2>   <p>Unfortunately for the home team, Lewis did not get the chance to operate in space often as the special teams unit for Oakland constantly pinned the Rockets deep in their own territory. Having the experience advantage proved to be a massive difference in these situations with Rockvale operating with their backs near the goal line.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2105817098580808107?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>The biggest effect of that environment was evident when Rockvale was punting. [player_tooltip player_id='1030581' first='Ja'Vonni' last='Malone'] opened the scoring with a return for a touchdown that came on a punt that was kicked right in front of the goal line. The Patriots final score came via [player_tooltip player_id='1204871' first='Kylan' last='Mitchell'] blocked punt that eventually resulted in a safety. The amount of points that swung in the favor of Oakland simply from the field position battle ultimately proved impossible for Rockvale to overcome.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2105836187202064679?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Oakland Front Seven Dominates</h2>   <p>The Oakland front seven took full advantage of the large advantage in the field position battle and constantly generated pressure in the backfield.</p>   <p>A pair of sophomores made several plays throughout the game, with defensive end Andrew Ivy and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1305173' first='Trenton' last='Gibbs'] consistently speeding up the process of the ball carrier in the backfield. This pair led a front seven that constantly kept their opponent behind the chains and in third-and-long situations.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2105824544392970724?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>D'Vohn McGhee made some plays from his defensive end position as well, most notably intercepting a batted pass and giving his offense the ball at midfield.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2105818712917922254?s=20 </div></figure>

With fall break beginning this weekend, public schools in Rutherford County played their football games on Thursday night this week and there were a couple pivotal region matchups on the slate.