CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Bradley Central football team gained 467 yards Friday night against Oak Ridge, but it was 5 yards the Bears lost that made the most difference.
Bradley’s A.J. Shelton was whistled for a penalty described as “aiding a teammate into the end zone,” wiping off a fourth-quarter James Stovall touchdown reception, and the Wildcats held off the Bears 28-26 to advance to the quarterfinals of the TSSAA Class 6A playoffs.
Oak Ridge (8-4) will play at Murfreesboro Riverdale next Friday.
On the nullified score, Stovall caught the ball inside the 10-yard line and seemed to fight his way into the end zone for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown with 9:02 remaining. But the officials ruled saying that Shelton illegally pulled Stovall the final few yards.
“They told me that the other receiver helped pull [Stovall] in,” Bradley coach Damon Floyd said.
The 5-yard penalty pushed the Bears back, and they had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Clayton Steels.
The Bears (9-3) dominated the first half, running 46 plays as compared to 19 for Oak Ridge. They also led 16-7 as Stovall had 10 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in the first two quarters.
The Wildcats reverted to old-fashioned, smash-mouth football in the second half, running the ball on 23 of 26 plays in the final 24 minutes.
“We just decided to pound the rock,” Oak Ridge coach Scott Blade said. “We wanted to go with the ‘4 yards and a cloud of dust’ approach. They got our whole playbook tonight.”
Bradley Zullinger hooked up with Rocky Fludd for a 5-yard touchdown, capping an 11-play, 62-yard Wildcats drive to start the second half. An interception by Rian Hall ended the Bears’ second possession, and Oak Ridge drove downfield in 1:58, with Fludd running in from 6 yards out to give the Wildcats a 21-16 lead going into the fourth quarter.
After the Steels field goal cut the lead to 21-19 with 8:35 remaining, the Wildcats scored on a Zullinger plunge from a yard out. Bradley went 80 yards in nine plays to score, with Bryce Copeland passing to Shelton from 15 yards away with 1:57 remaining.
The Bears forced a punt and got the ball at their own 20, but after a first down two Copeland passes fell incomplete – the latter ending the game.
Copeland, a sophomore, finished 29-for-42 for 283 yards. Stovall, a junior, had 19 catches for 181 yards.
Zullinger and Fludd had 69 yards rushing to lead Oak Ridge.
“We return a lot of skill guys, but we’re going to miss the seniors’ leadership in the locker room,” Copeland said. “They’ve turned this program around.
“I can come back; they can’t.”
Floyd had no words for his team afterward, noting he “wasn’t prepared for a loss. The guys gave everything they could tonight. It’s a tough way to end.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/gh3sports.