While the Red Bank Lions were able to avoid the rain Friday night, they weren’t able to weather the storm.
Perennial state power Alcoa did what it has done so often to Chattanooga-area football teams in November: The Tornadoes blew into town and won, this time posting a 38-13 victory at Red Bank in a TSSAA Class 4A quarterfinal.
“We just ran up against a team that’s just a very, very good football team that doesn’t make mistakes,” Lions coach Ted Gatewood said. “You better have everything dialed up, because they’re going to expose it.”
Ninth-ranked Red Bank (8-5) was held to 93 yards in the first half but would go on to finish with 291 for the game against second-ranked Alcoa (12-1).
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football playoffs)
Down 21-0, the Lions appeared to gain some life when defensive back Koan Cruce forced a fumble and lineman Deshawn Davidson recovered the ball near midfield with less than a minute remaining before halftime. However, quarterback Austin Jones was baited into an interception two plays later by Alcoa cornerback Jamir Dean to keep Red Bank off the scoreboard.
“We start out 1-4 and then end up in the quarterfinals,” Gatewood said of the Lions, who won the Region 3-4A title this season for the program’s fifth league title in the past eight years. “I’m proud of the fact that throughout this journey they just kept fighting and fighting and getting better each week. They hung in there the whole time.”
Trailing 31-0, the Lions avoided the shutout when they scored on the first play of the fourth quarter as Jones hit Trammel Davis Jr. in stride for a 73-yard touchdown pass.
Alcoa returned the ensuing to Red Bank’s 9-yard line, then punched it in two plays later for a 38-6 lead.
“We ran out of time,” Gatewood said. “They were in control, and we had to fight back.”
Alcoa quarterback Thomas Manu was unshakeable, other than a lone fumble in the first half. The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist had touchdown throws of 8, 10, 37 and 60 yards while finishing 15 of 19 passing for 185 yards. The junior still has more touchdowns (43) than incompletions (40) this season.
Running back Jacolbi Salley ended his Red Bank career with a 122-yard performance on 13 carries. The senior’s longest run came on the final play of the game, a 33-yard burst. Jones was 6-of-12 passing for 94 yards and rushed for 112 yards on 16 carries, including the second touchdown for the Lions.
Gatewood expressed his admiration after the game for a group of seniors that made the playoffs each season of their Red Bank careers.
“They’ve been through some ups and downs,” he said. “They’ve left their mark in a good way on Red Bank football.”
The coach also looked forward to the future, including Jones returning for his senior season.
“We’ve got a great core coming back,” Gatewood said. “It’s just a matter of what we can do in the offseason. We need to get ready and meld some pieces in there with (the core) and move forward.
“We have a pretty senior-heavy offensive line, but we’ve got some guys behind them that are going to fill in and do well for us.”
Contact Robert Holder at sports@timesfreepress.com.