The special talent that Tennessee and Vanderbilt already have noticed in Notre Dame High School dual-threat sophomore quarterback Cameron Wynn was on full display in a 50-26 Region 3-3A victory Friday night at East Ridge.
Wynn juked and jived his way to 166 yards and three touchdowns on eight rushes as the Irish amassed 378 rushing yards on 32 carries. He also completed four of seven passes for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which included a 66-yard bomb to Justyn Baker.
Despite excelling as a receiver last season on offense, the playmaker who has two Southeastern Conference offers already in his lap has shown he can make plays wherever Notre Dame coach Charles Fant puts him.
"The thing that makes Cameron so special is the broken play," Fant said after marveling over the Irish run game after the win. "When he is in open space, there aren't many as good as him. He makes the big plays that we see mobile quarterbacks at the college level do on Saturdays."
Notre Dame (5-2, 3-0) is atop the region, while East Ridge (3-4, 1-2) needs to finish the season strong to earn a playoff spot.
Despite the Irish being penalized 11 times for 110 yards and four turnovers, plus two lost onside-kick returns, Wynn and senior Andrew Banks' big-time play potential helped seal the deal. Wynn finished with five runs of 20-plus yards, and Banks carried the load in the second half as well.
"I just want to thank my linemen," Wynn said. "They made the hole, and then we did the rest. Every time I see a hole, I'm going for it. I'm not going to let it go, because I want to make a big play to help my team out."
Typically used on jet sweeps in weeks previous, Banks followed standout lineman Sam Stovall and Thomas Kulik for 140 yards in the second half. Banks finished with 157 yards on 11 carries and scored a touchdown.
"I just went in there and kept pounding the ball," Banks said. "I wanted to dedicate this game to my friend Kevin, who I lost a year ago. I'm glad I could have a big night for him."
Notre Dame held a 22-0 lead after the first quarter, in which Wynn had 98 rushing yards and another 72 passing. However, East Ridge fought back with Traneil Moore and Lorenzo Stewart.
The two hard-nosed running backs for the Pioneers combined for four touchdowns and 160 yards on 24 carries. Moore finished with 14 for 107 and a 42-yard touchdown to open the third quarter, while Stewart had 53 yards and three scoring runs.
East Ridge trailed only 29-19 early in the third but could not contain the Notre Dame running game.
Stovall and Alex Flemister had interceptions for the Irish defense, while Alonzo Russell and Jawuan Simmons had pickoffs for the Pioneers against Notre Dame's backup quarterback. Notre Dame tight end Patrick Johnson had a pair of catches for 41 yards and a score and also had some big hits on defense.
"Whenever you can run the football, this is what happens," Fant said. "You are always in the game. Getting off to a 22-0 lead was big for us tonight, because East Ridge fought and clawed after that until the end of the game."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at sports@timesfreepress.com