OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Big plays by wide receiver Tee Higgins and slotback Jordan Graham staked Oak Ridge High School to a big lead, and the Wildcats withstood a furious Soddy-Daisy rally down the stretch to take a 45-33 victory Thursday night in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
Oak Ridge (10-1) led 38-7 late in the third quarter before Soddy-Daisy (7-4) scored four touchdowns in the final 4:39 to make things interesting.
The Wildcats travel to Ooltewah (9-2) next Friday in round two. The Owls downed Clinton 40-21 Thursday in their playoff opener.
"I'm not letting a sloppy finish take away from the significance of the win," said Oak Ridge coach Joe Gaddis.
Oak Ridge 45, Soddy-Daisy 33
The star: Soddy-Daisy's Tre Carter caught six passes for 224 yards and two long touchdowns. Up next: Oak Ridge (10-1) plays next Friday at Ooltewah (9-2).
Higgins hauled in touchdown passes of 36 and 9 yards from quarterback Jordan Dunbar as the Wildcats took a 21-7 lead into halftime.
Dunbar, looking more and more comfortable running the Wildcats' flexbone offense, carried 10 times for 69 yards. He also scored on an 11-yard keeper in the first half.
"He's getting better running it and executing it every week," Gaddis said.
Graham, a freshman, opened the second half with an electrifying 88-yard kickoff return. He bounced off a Soddy-Daisy tackler, reversed his field, cut back up the middle and then broke several tackles. The zigzagging return took 25 seconds.
"He is phenomenal," Trojans coach Justin Barnes said of Graham. "He has got the speed, the quickness and the toughness."
The 5-foot-6, 150-pound Graham also rushed for 154 yards on eight carries and scored on a key 50-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
Fullback T.J. Allison (14 carries, 72 yards) added a 22-yard TD run in the third quarter, and Brandon Nickle hit a 44-yard field goal to push the Wildcats' advantage to 38-7.
But back came the Trojans in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Justin Cooke completed a pair of touchdown passes each to Tre Carter (89 and 49 yards) and Ty Boeck (3 and 12 yards). Carter hauled in six passes for 227 yards, and Cooke was 19-of-33 for 334 passing yards.
"Give our guys credit, they kept fighting," Barnes said.
Soddy-Daisy outgained Oak Ridge in total yards, 473-398.