ALCOA 24, SEQUATCHIE COUNTY 0
The star: Alcoa’s Tykee Kellogg ran for 66 yards and a TD and caught two passes for 18 yards.Up next: The Tornadoes will play Liberty Magnet for the Class 3A state championship.
DUNLAP, Tenn. - Alcoa was in unfamiliar territory Friday, but the Tornadoes ignored the trappings that are Sequatchie County and now will move to more familiar surroundings.
They'll be shooting for the school's 15th state football championship next Friday in Cookeville after shutting down host Sequatchie and ending the Indians' win streak at 13. Alcoa won 24-0.
It wasn't the performance Sequatchie players or fans, who were four- and five-deep along the fence, wanted, but this season surpasses any of those that preceded the 2016 Indians.
"I love these guys, and the last 19-20 weeks I've had the time of my life," Sequatchie coach Adam Caine said. "They're a bunch of awesome kids and they're winners. They put this town and this school back on the map, and I can't begin to tell them how much I appreciate the ride they took me on."
Alcoa scrambled behind the driver's wheel and stayed there pretty much from start to finish, and it was the Tornadoes' defense that stood out. They limited Sequatchie to 170 yards of offense. and the Indians never got past Alcoa's 40-yard line.
"They played well. We gave up a few plays there, but we have a great defensive staff that can get ready for just about any kind of offense," Alcoa coach Gary Rankin, whose team moved even with Sequatchie in the won-loss columns at 13-1.
Sequatchie's heralded running game, spearheaded by Hunter Davenport, Austin Stevens and Ethan Barker, was limited to 3.9 yards per carry, and the Indians' longest gain was a 33-yard run by little-used Adam Pickett.
"We knew coming in that they were tough up front defensively, and we had trouble at times moving the ball," Caine said. "I felt like we moved it some, but it seemed like we had 10 fourth downs that we were really close on (converting). Maybe if we had made some of those it would've been a different outcome, but we didn't."
The Sequatchie defense was stubborn at times, but the Indians couldn't consistently pony up solid stops.
"We sputtered a little bit at times offensively, but the idea is to advance and get in the (championship) game," Rankin said.
Alcoa scored on three of its first four possessions. The Tornadoes took the opening drive 59 yards in just a handful of plays, and the opening score went to wideout Tykee Kellogg, who sprinted around end, broke through the initial line of contact and then outraced Sequatchie defenders. Ben Smith tacked on the extra point and then converted a 35-yard field goal for Alcoa's 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
It grew to 17-0 by halftime on quarterback Jaylen Myers' 3-yard run that finished a 70-yard drive. He also provided the final score, midway of the third period, on a 9-yard sprint.
"Sequatchie has a great football team and hard-nosed kids. They're physical, no doubt about that," Rankin said.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.