Wildcats crush Cleveland in 6A debut
Oak Ridge defenders Zayden Williams (16) and Blake Woody (40) bring down Cleveland quarterback Kason McGowan during the Wildcats’ 35-7 region victory Friday night. (photo:Brennan Gleason | ORHS Sports Media )
The Wildcats stayed perfect on the year and gave their alumni a homecoming win by dismantling Cleveland, 35-7, Friday night at Blankenship Field.
Oak Ridge (5-0, 1-0) overcame a sluggish start before quarterback Blaine Stansberry found wideout Will Pressley for a 43-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. Eli Pearson’s extra point made it 7-0 with 3 minutes, 6 seconds left in the frame.
The Wildcats blew the game open in the second quarter with three more scores through the air. Stansberry connected with Malik Howard from 24 yards on the first play of the period, then hit Damillyan Porter for a 23-yard strike midway through the quarter. Before halftime, Stansberry went back to Pressley on a 20-yard toss to give Oak Ridge a 28-0 advantage at the break.
Stansberry finished 11-for-15 for 206 yards and four touchdown passes. Porter added a 22-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, capping his night with 109 rushing yards on 14 carries and two catches for 23 yards and another score.
Pressley led the receiving corps with three catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while Howard caught three passes for 55 yards and a score.
The Oak Ridge defense dominated, holding Cleveland (0-5, 0-2) scoreless for more than 44 minutes before quarterback Cassen McGowan connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth.
“We came in here and we wanted to attack their offensive line and their quarterback,” Wildcats coach Derek Rang said. “Anytime you play a team in our region, they’re going to have good players. Their quarterback is a tough little sucker.”
The Wildcats now hit the road for a key region showdown at Bradley Central, which has won four straight after a season-opening loss to McMinn County. The Bears (4-1, 2-0) defeated Red Bank 21-10 last week.
“We’re going to have to notch up our preparation,” Rang said. “Bradley Central has been a good, solid 6A team for a long time.”
