It was all bad for Red Bank High School’s football team just a week before.
But seven days after being throttled by McCallie in a shutout loss, it was the Lions who held East Ridge’s offense without a touchdown Friday night, suffocating the Pioneers in a 22-10 Region 3-3A win.
Led by special teams and defense, the Lions (2-3, 1-1) stifled the Pioneers (3-2, 1-1) on the ground enough to force them to attack through air, but it was a no-fly zone at Red Bank. The Lions sacked the quarterback, blocked a punt and won the field-position game with a few good returns as they ended their losing streak at three games.
“The guys came to practice knowing that they had a chance to beat a team that’s our same level and that we could compete with,” Red Bank coach Chad Grabowski said. “It’s hard to go against Baylor and McCallie when they can go get anybody they want. They’ve got 90 deep, and they’re all the same kid whether it’s first or third string.
“Being able to come out and compete against a team that’s our caliber of opponent is huge, and we’ve got that for the rest of the season, so it’s good. We get back on track, and that’s what we need to do.”