EVENSVILLE, Tenn. – Rhea County started this football season 9-0, with plenty of success due to an offense that during that stretch helped the Golden Eagles score at least 20 points in every on-field victory, produce 40-plus three times and churn out a season-high 66 in late October.
However, that same offense struggled in a loss to close the regular season as well as a postseason victory last week, and on Friday night it came to a grinding halt in a 23-0 loss to Oak Ridge in the second round of the TSSAA Class 5A playoffs – along with Rhea County’s season.
The Golden Eagles managed more than 100 yards of offense, but fumbles, penalties and short gains that kept them from moving the chains and stifled their momentum all game. Rhea County’s ground game is renowned, but on this night it was the Wildcats’ Kendall Jackson, a Division I prospect, who stood out as he ran for all three touchdowns for the visitors, who improved to 9-3 and will face Knoxville West – a 32-3 winner over Walker Valley – in next week’s quarterfinals.
Rhea County, which had help from a special teams touchdown in a 14-0 win against Fulton in the first round, finishes 10-2.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area high school football games)