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Gordonsville pulls away late in otherwise nip-and-tuck game
GORDONSVILLE, Tenn. | At one point midway through the third quarter, Oneida trailed Gordonsville 7-6 and took possession on the cusp of field goal range, inside the Tigers’ 40-yard-line.
In fact, it was still a 7-6 game with eight minutes to play in the game. At that point, the Tigers’ only score had come on a fourth down conversion in the first quarter, and the game appeared very much on track to end in a major upset. In the final period, however, Gordonsville showed why it is undefeated and ranked as one of the top Class 2A teams in Tennessee, using a powerful rushing attack to put two more scores on the board and pull out a 21-6 win.
Even before Gordonsville’s offense kicked in, though, its defense shifted the tone of the game. The Indians had scored just before halftime to nearly even things up, and got the ball to start the second half with an opportunity to take the lead. But the Tigers locked down defensively in the second half, completely shutting down an Oneida run game that had been very efficient in the first half.
Despite that, Oneida finished the game with 300 yards of total offense — more than Gordonsville’s 266.
The Indians had only three possessions in the first half, but moved the ball well on all three of them. On each occasion, Oneida got inside Gordonsville’s 30-yard-line. Finally, on the third possession, the Indians found the end zone on a short pass from Brock Ryon to Grady Keeton. Gordonsville blocked the extra point try that would have tied the game, but it was still a one-point game with Oneida slated to get the ball to start the second half.
However, Gordonsville forced a three-and-out to start the second half with a ferocious defensive effort. The Indians flipped the field with a nice Ben Gilbert punt, then stood tall defensively in their own right, including back-to-back sacks by Jesse Zachary, which resulted in them getting the ball back at Gordonsville’s 31-yard-line. Again, though, the Tigers allowed nothing to Oneida’s offense, and the ball eventually was forced over on downs.
From that point, Gordonsville went to work with its run game. The Tigers put together a 16-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a Turner Bucher touchdown and a 14-6 lead. Oneida turned the ball over on downs again on its ensuing possession, and Gordonsville added an insurance touchdown with a five-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a Lee Scurlock touchdown.
The Indians’ final possession saw them get all the way to Gordonsville’s 13-yard-line before the ball was turned over on downs.
Ben Gilbert finished with 99 yards on 10 carries, including a 54-yard gallop. Brock Ryon completed 22 of 33 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Grady Keeton, who had six catches, including the touchdown reception.
Gilbert also finished with 12 tackles, as did Waylon Hill.
Game Capsule
First National Bank Player of the Game: Senior quarterback Brock Ryon showed poise and decision-making while completing 22 of 33 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown.
Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Senior defensive end Jesse Zachary had 2.5 sacks and finished with nine tackles.
Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With six seconds remaining in the first half, Ryon connected with senior wide receiver Grady Keeton on a 6-yard touchdown pass to potentially tie the game.
The Game Was Over When: On a fourth-and-three from Gordonsville’s 42-yard-line, the Tigers forced an incomplete pass, taking over with 4:41 remaining in a 14-6 game. From there, they quickly scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to salt the game away.
Scoring Summary: 1st — J. Foster 25-yard pass to Camrix Scott (Gavin Kemp kick). 2nd — Brock Ryon 5-yard pass to Grady Keeton (kick failed). 4th — Turner Bucher 5-yard run (Kemp kick) … Lee Scurlock 10-yard run (Kemp kick).
Stats That Stood Out: Oneida finished with 300 yards of total offense, to 266 for Gordonsville. However, the Tigers dominated time of possession, 26:59 to 14:20.
Final Ride: Friday’s game was the last for 12 Oneida seniors, including wide receiver Grady Keeton, linebacker Ben Gilbert, quarterback Brock Ryon, defensive end Jesse Zachary, defensive back Samuel Eckstein, linebacker Maddox Hutcherson, lineman Evan Cotton, lineman Colton Sircy, lineman Reece Lamb, lineman Brady Burke and lineman Jaxson Cross.
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Scoreboard
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Friday, November 14
Gordonsville 21, Oneida 6
Bledsoe Co. 21, Happy Valley 20
Anderson Co. 44, stone Memorial 14
Coalfield 39, Jo Byrne 14
Eagleton 17, Grundy Co. 6
Meigs Co. 49, Sequatchie Co. 19
Sale Creek 22, Rockwood 14
South Pittsburg 49, Oliver Springs 0
Giles Co. 41, McMinn Central 6
Friday, November 21
Meigs Co. at Gatlinburg-Pittman, 7 p.m.
Anderson Co. at Greeneville, 7 p.m.
Eagleton at Bledsoe Co., 7 p.m.
Gordonsville at Marion Co., 7 p.m.
Coalfield at Sale Creek, 7 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Saturday, November 15
Tennessee 42, New Mexico St. 9
Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30
Oklahoma 23, Alabama 21
Georgia 35, Texas 10
Ole Miss 34, Florida 24
LSU 23, Arkansas 22
Kentucky 42, Tennessee Tech 10
Missouri 49, Mississippi State 27
Saturday, November 22
Tennessee at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Texas, 3:30 p.m.
Samford at Texas A&M, 12 p.m.
Missouri at Oklahoma, 12 p.m.
Charlotte at Georgia, 12:45 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Alabama, 2 p.m.
Mercer at Auburn, 2 p.m.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 3:30 p.m.
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina, 4:15 p.m.
Western Kentucky at LSU, 7:45 p.m.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Wednesday, November 12
Tennessee 99, North Florida 66
Truett McConnell 74, Bryan College 63
Monday, November 17
Rice at Tennessee, 8:30 p.m.
Bryan College at Union Commonwealth, 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 20
Tennessee State at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 22
Bryan College at Tennessee Wesleyan, 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Wednesday, November 12
Bryan College 95, Truett McConnell 41
Thursday, November 13
Tennessee 68, Belmont 58
Saturday, November 15
Bryan College 80, Union Commonwealth 60
Wednesday, November 19
Bryan College at Brenau, 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 20
Tennessee at Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 22
Bryan College at Tennessee Wesleyan, 2 p.m.
ON THE AIR
Monday, November 17
The Round Table — IHSN, 6 p.m.
Rice at Tennessee — SEC Network, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 20
Tennessee State at Tennessee — SEC Network+, 7 p.m.
Lady Vols at MTSU — ESPN+, 7:30 p.m.
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