The Patriots advanced to their sixth consecutive TSSAA football playoff state championship game, beating Region 3 rival Blackman, 42-14, on Nov. 28 in the Class 6A state semifinals at Oakland High School.
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Ole Miss football commit Craig Tutt powered the Patriots (14-0) with 21 carries for 159 yards and three rushing touchdowns, including a 73-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave Oakland a 21-0 lead over a stingy Blackman defense. He also had one touchdown reception and 64 receiving yards.
Oakland will cap three days of state championship games at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga when it plays at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 against the winner of the Ravenwood-Southwind semifinal.
Oakland won three straight state titles from 2020 to 2022 before Houston defeated the Patriots in 2023. Oakland returned the favor in 2024, defeating Houston to regain the title.
Tutt’s 33-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Kam Morton in the third quarter extended Oakland’s lead to 28-0 before icing the game in the fourth quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run and a 35-14 lead.
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Oakland’s Kyrie Gainor returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown in the final seconds of the final score. Morton completed 9 of 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to Kemani Bass late in the first quarter.
Oakland totaled 357 yards of offense on a Blackman defense (12-2) that has only allowed two other teams, not named Oakland, to score more than two touchdowns.
Contact The Tennessean high school sports editor George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared in the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Oakland Returns to Sixth Straight TSSAA Football Playoff Championship