After consecutive losses to highly ranked fellow Class 6A teams, Ooltewah coach Mac Bryan hoped a rivalry game against neighbor East Hamilton would right the ship.
Behind a four-touchdown performance from running back Sincere Quinn, the Owls rediscovered their winning formula while defeating the Class 4A Hurricanes 47-0 Friday night at James N. Monroe Stadium.
Ooltewah (2-2) scored on five on its first six first-half possessions and led 33-0 at halftime on the way to dropping East Hamilton to 1-3.
Despite limited action in the second half, Quinn totaled 146 yards on 17 carries to pace a balanced offense that amassed 512 total yards. The junior had touchdown runs of 37, 10, 4 and 3 yards.
"That's just about what we expect when we put the ball in Sincere's hands. He's such a dynamic player that is a threat every time he touches the football," Bryan said. "But you've got to give a lot of credit to our offensive line for giving him room to run."
Owls quarterback Kyrell Sanford turned in a stellar performance, completing 10 of 12 passes for 236 yards. The junior was perfect on his seven passses in the first quarter, a period in which Ooltewah sprint to a 19-0 lead while gashing East Hamilton for 247 yards to the Hurricanes' negative-seven.
"Kyrell threw the ball well and protected the football," Bryan said. "Turnovers have plagued us recently, and it's nice to see how our offense can perform when we don't give the ball away."
Sanford's favorite target was Andrew Manning, who finished with seven receptions for 233 yards and a 69-yard touchdown gallop on the Owls' opening drive. Manning came within a whisker of closing the first half with his second score, hauling in a 54-yard pass from fellow receiver Bryce Matthews after a lateral from Sanford.
"Andrew is a big-time target, and he's so athletic," Bryan said. "When he gets the ball in open space, big things always happen."
The Owls on the other side of the ball made a difference, too. Ooltewah made eight tackles for loss in the first half and allowed the Hurricanes only 82 total yards on 51 plays. Linebacker Jaylin Rogers tallied two sacks and a fumble recovery, while Elijah Wigfall snared a pair of interceptions.
"I thought we set the tone early with our defensive pressure up front,"Bryan said. "Plus we were pretty efficient offensively and were able to establish our brand of football."
Contact Paul Payne at sports@timesfreepress.com.