Notre Dame, McCallie go 2-0 in Best of Preps Jamboree

East Ridge's Alonzo Russell runs the ball during the Pioneers' contest against Sale Creek during the Best of Preps Football Jamboree on Friday night at Finley Stadium.
East Ridge's Alonzo Russell runs the ball during the Pioneers' contest against Sale Creek during the Best of Preps Football Jamboree on Friday night at Finley Stadium.
photo East Ridge's Alonzo Russell runs the ball during the Pioneers' contest against Sale Creek during the Best of Preps Football Jamboree on Friday night at Finley Stadium.

The offense may be a relic from the Depression Era, but it was pure money for Notre Dame at the Best of Preps Football Jamboree on Friday at Finley Stadium.

The Fighting Irish went 2-0 in a pair of 20-minute scrimmages, blanking Walker Valley 21-0 before edging Bradley Central 14-12. They scored on each of their five possessions as their wing-T hybrid offense, full of misdirection and movement, produced repeated big plays.

"We do a lot of things offensively," Notre Dame coach Charles Fant said with a smile. "Coach Jags (Jeff Jagodzinski), our offensive coordinator, is brilliant, and he puts our kids in great positions.

"We're playing a 1930s offense, and you can go watch some of the old footage and that's what we're doing. It's really neat to bring something back like that, and we're having a lot of success with it."

In their opener, the Irish had three scoring plays of more than 30 yards, including two long touchdown passes by running back Jeffrey Watkins. Charlie Menham caught the first one for 31 yards, and George Fillauer went 69 yards untouched for the second. Watkins ended the scoring with a 39-yard run.

Against Bradley, star athlete Cameron Wynn got in on the fun, scoring on a 39-yard run. After Bradley tied it on Dylan Standifer's 63-yard touchdown pass to Tray Curry, Notre Dame went 70 yards in five plays, with Watkins scoring on an 18-yard run.

The Bears came right back, with back-to-back Standifer passes to Saylor Clark passes covering 34 and 36 yards, but a pair of missed extra points provided the final margin.

"I liked how hard our kids played," Fant said. "We don't have a lot of kids this year, so we had to play all our 35 kids. Our line really did well. We've only got five or six kids that are playing all the stuff, so they are just tough."

In other action at Finley:

* Chattanooga Christian School 14, Sale Creek 0: The Chargers were solid in the day's first scrimmage, moving the ball at will and getting a pair of touchdown drives. Mondo Ellison scored on the team's first play, a 60-yard run, and Jayden Beck capped the other scoring possession. CCS could have had a third score, but the Panthers bowed up defensively after facing first-and-goal. Linebacker Ethan Hyde had two tackles for loss in stopping the threat.

* Hixson 6, CCS 0: In a matchup of reserve players, the Wildcats broke through in the final minute on Bradley Woodall's 8-yard run on fourth down, capping a 45-yard drive. The Hixson defense stymied CCS, forcing a fumble to stop the Chargers' first possession, and Brad Ridge ended the second one with a tackle for a 2-yard loss.

* Sale Creek 7, East Ridge 0: The Panthers took momentum early when Chase Burton intercepted a pass on the Pioneers' first possession, leading to a 43-yard scoring drive. Braden Penny had two nice runs and Cody Defore capped the drive with a 2-yard run. Maddux Beason ended East Ridge's final possession with a sack.

* Tyner 0, Hixson 0: Each offense crossed the 50 to no avail in the penalty-filled period. Hixson's first possession featured first-down runs by Bradley Dossett, Maurice Carter and Malachi Wise, but a penalty and a bad snap ended the drive early at midfield. Tyner immediately got a 21-yard run by Jerome Stoudemire, but two runs went backward and the Rams ended up trying a 51-yard field goal that went just wide.

* Tyner 7, East Ridge 7: In one of the day's most exciting quarters, both teams scored in the final five minutes. After East Ridge quarterback Alonzo Russell missed a wide-open Alexander Wade on first down, the Pioneers scored two plays later on Nico Johnikin's long run. The Rams came right back after Solomon Bridgeman hooked up with Marcus Gladden for 43 yards to set up Tyon Young's tying run with 30 seconds to play.

* McCallie 21, Walker Valley 0: The Blue Tornado looked in midseason form, scoring on three consecutive possessions, including touchdown runs by B.J. Harris (36 yards) and Austin Breedlove (26 yards). Kristopher Bowman had a sack as the McCallie defense allowed fewer than 30 yards.

* McCallie 15, Bradley Central 0: The Tornado defense was the star in the evening's final quarter. The Bears managed one first down and did not cross midfield in their three possessions, thanks in part to six McCallie tackles for loss. After big T.J. Mason produced a loss with a big hit, Dane Beard tackled Bradley's Ashton Boyd in the end zone for a safety. Moments later McCallie quarterback DeAngelo Hardy capped a quick 70-yard drive with a 12-yard run. Harris added a 3-yard scoring run late.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

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