Week 3 Football Wrap-up

By Terry Futrell – September 3, 2018

While the first two weeks of the 2018 season gave us an idea of what might happen down the stretch, Week 3 brought us the first game of league play for each of the four Morgan County teams. As a result, we have a much clearer picture of relative strengths in Class 1A Region 2, as well as a hint of Class 2A Region 2.

Midway Topples Oakdale

Coming off their Week 2 12-8 victory over Jellico, the Oakdale Eagles were optimistic facing Midway at home on Hollis Eble Field. Midway came to Oakdale sporting a 2-0 record, with victories over Class 2A Rockwood (6-0) and Monterey (40-12).

The Greenwave are tough on defense and can capitalize on opponent mistakes with an explosive offense – big plays have played a huge role in their success. Midway hit Oakdale with a balanced attack and overran the Eagles. Midway quarterback Jason Taylor completed 7 of 14 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns in the game. Receiver Hunter Mims racked up 153 yards on four catches, while Andrew Burton rushed for 111 yards. Midway easily put the Eagles away 40-7.

Midway continues to show they are a force to be reckoned with in Class 1A Region 2. The Greenwave face Unaka at home on September 7 – Unaka lost to Hancock County 16-14 on Friday.

Oakdale moves on to face Class 2A Wartburg in the Bulldogs homecoming game on September 7.

Coalfield Comes from Behind to Defeat Harriman

Coalfield hosted the Harriman Blue Devils on Rochelle Field for Week 3, the first game of league play for both teams. The Jackets defeated Wartburg 49-0 in Week 1 but lost at home to York Institute 21-0 in Week 2. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils had convincing wins over Class 2A Kingston (24-21) in Week 1 and Wartburg (54-14) in Week 2.

The Jackets performed well on defense in their first two games, but their ability to contain Harriman’s passing attack was a question mark – Coalfield’s pass defense simply wasn’t tested in their first two games. Also, the Jackets offense had been largely one-dimensional, relying heavily on the run. In their first two games, Harriman showed effectiveness in both passing and running the ball.

Coalfield jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but their offense could not effectively move the ball against the Blue Devils. Harriman capitalized on early opportunities and led the Jackets 12-3 at the half.

Coalfield came roaring back in the second half. The Jackets defense totally shut down Harriman’s offense. Meanwhile, the Coalfield offense began clicking on all cylinders with a balanced pass/run attack that overwhelmed the Blue Devils. Coalfield defeated the Blue Devils 23-12.

The Jackets rushed for 148 yards and passed for 138 yards, while limiting the Blue Devils to 76 yards on the ground and 109 yards in the air.

Coalfield travels to Sunbright on September 7, while Harriman plays tough Oneida at home.

Oneida Overpowers Wartburg

Wartburg came out strong against Class 2A Region 2 opponent Oneida, holding the Indians to a scoreless tie after the first quarter. Oneida struck first in the second quarter, returning a Wartburg fumble 80 yards for the game’s first score. Wartburg answered, scoring on a 13-yard pass from Josh Moore to Caleb McCarty, taking the lead 7-6. Oneida came through with a big play, scoring on a 62-yard rushing touchdown. Oneida led at the half 13-6. After the break, the Indians came out and scored five unanswered rushing touchdowns, three in the third quarter and two in the fourth quarter.

It was Wartburg’s passing that kept them in the game for the first half. Bulldog senior Josh Moore completed 11 of 21 passes for 129 yards and 1 TD, while Oneida completed 4 of 8 for 71 yards. Wartburg’s Caleb McCarty had 4 receptions for 92 yards. Oneida rushed 37 times for 295 yards, overwhelming the Bulldogs, who gained only 19 yards rushing in 30 attempts. Penalties also hurt the Bulldogs, who were penalized 8 times for 60 yards, compared to only 28 yards in penalties for the Indians.

Oneida and Meigs County sit at the top of Class 2A Region 2 with 1-0 league records (3-0 overall), while Cumberland Gap and Wartburg are winless in the Region.

Wartburg plays Oakdale at home on September 7.

Note: Thanks to Noah Barnett for the game stats.

Greenback Cruises Past Sunbright

In their first full game of the season, Sunbright had the misfortune of playing Greenback, the top-ranked team in the state. Considering that Greenback had already soundly defeated Class 3A Loudon (31-14) and traditionally strong Division II Class 2A CAK (63-20), the results were not surprising, with the Tigers falling to the Cherokees 49-0.

Greenback hit the Tigers hard from the beginning, scoring on the first play from scrimmage with a 57-yard pass from quarterback Bryce Hanley to Holden Willis. The Cherokees went on to score 28 points in the first quarter while not allowing the Tigers a first down. The first team Greenback defense allowed the Tigers only one first down before turning the job over to the Cherokee subs.

Sunbright now faces tough Coalfield at home on September 7.

Closing Thoughts

Now that we have seen teams in their first league action, there are a few observations we can make.

• Coalfield’s offense is now showing improvement that places it on par with their excellent defense. The successful balanced attack they showed against Harriman in the second half serves notice to other Class 1A Region 2 teams that the Jackets are for real and will compete for a high placement in the playoffs.
• Harriman has a good team that never gave up against the Jackets, but their high-powered passing attack simply couldn’t stand up to the Jacket defense.
• It is difficult to draw any conclusions about Sunbright’s performance considering that they were playing the No.1 team in the state. Greenback continues to show why they are ranked No. 1.
• Oakdale and Wartburg continue to play with spirit and enthusiasm, but both teams are rebuilding and struggling week-to-week.
• Midway continues to show that they will compete in Class 1A Region 2 and looks ahead to a key September 28 battle at Coalfield.
• Oliver Springs had a BYE week and still has not played a league opponent, though they appear to be really strong and a contender. The Bobcats first league game is at Greenback on September 14.