Tennessee prep football roundup: Bradley Central off to best start since 1976 after dramatic win

Staff photo / Bradley Central's Aiden McClary (13) warms up before a home game in September 2020. Bradley Central beat Farragut on Friday night.
Staff photo / Bradley Central's Aiden McClary (13) warms up before a home game in September 2020. Bradley Central beat Farragut on Friday night.

Bradley Central remained unbeaten Friday, but just barely. The No. 5-ranked Bears got a 41-yard field goal from junior kicker Era Rojas as time expired for a 31-28 Region 2-6A road win against Farragut.

The Bears (8-0, 4-0) are off to their best start since the program's 1976 state championship season.

"I probably stood in the same spot on the field for a minute or so, checking for any flags at first but then asking myself, 'Did that really just happen?' It was sort of unreal," Bears coach Damon Floyd said. "So much about winning close games like this is from the kids playing hard because they just care so much about each other.

"Everybody knows their role and they take pride in what they do to help us because it takes a total team effort to win against good teams."

(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)

After Luke Johnson connected with Trace Corum on a 69-yard pass to tie the game with two minutes remaining, Bradley Central - which had an earlier field-goal attempt and PAT blocked - answered with a 55-yard drive to set up the winning kick.

Senior quarterback Aiden McClary totaled 322 yards - 214 passing and 108 rushing - and accounted for three touchdowns for the Bears. Sophomore Jackson Wilson ran 30 times for 137 yards and a score and Marcus Goree Jr. had four catches for 117 yards and a score as the Bears rolled up 468 yards.

photo Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Bradley Central's Marcus Goree Jr. makes a touchdown catch during a Best of Preps Jamboree matchup with South Pittsburg on Aug. 14 at Finley Stadium. Bradley Central beat Farragut on Friday night.

Baylor 41, Hendersonville 35: Senior quarterback Cooper Wick threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Red Raiders to the nonregion win. Carson Yates caught six passes for 220 yards and three scores, and Caleb Hampton ran for 75 yards and two scores as Baylor (6-2) carried a 41-21 lead into the fourth. John Emendorfer led Baylor with 11 tackles and Trey McDonald added nine. Hendersonville ran 36 more plays than Baylor and outgained the Red Raiders 487-351 in total yards.

Silverdale Baptist 48, East Ridge 14: Conner Delashmitt ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns as the Seahawks improved to 7-1 with the nonregion win. Brett Rogers added 114 total yards and two scores as Silverdale Baptist outgained the Pioneers 343-126 in total yards. Chase Manning led the Silverdale defense with nine tackles, and Marquell Sails led the Pioneers with 49 rushing yards.

Rhea County 46, Howard 0: The Golden Eagles did not attempt a pass, but didn't need to as they outrushed Howard 269-24 to finish unbeaten in Region 4-5A for a second straight season. Ethan Davis ran for 84 yards on 10 carries and scored four touchdowns, and Kaleb Martin added 77 rushing yards and a pair of scores as Rhea, which scored 23 points in each of the first two quarters, improved to 6-2 overall, 4-0 in the region.

Whitwell 57, Lookout Valley 14: The Tigers built a 43-14 lead by halftime and cruised to the Region 3-1A win, compiling 422 total yards for the game. Brandon Easterly completed all six of his passes for 116 yards and two scores, and Chandler Britton ran for 99 yards, caught a touchdown pass and recovered a fumble as Whitwell improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the region. Wesley Nunley led the Tigers' defense - which forced three turnovers - with six solo tackles and two assists.

Kingston 49, Signal Mountain 0: The Yellow Jackets remained unbeaten in Region 3-3A with a dominating performance. Kingston (7-1, 4-0) jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, aided by two Eagles turnovers, and the defense remained relentless throughout, holding Signal Mountain to just three rushing yards and 90 total yards. Duncan Cannon threw for 51 yards for the Eagles (5-3, 2-2).

Marion County 56, Polk County 7: The fourth-ranked Warriors scored 21 points in each of the first two quarters for their third Region 3-2A game in as many weeks, improving to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the league. Freshman Sam Pickett totaled 186 yards and two touchdown - rushing for 128, including a 98-yard score - on four carries. Taye Hutchins added 160 total yards, with 94 of that coming on the ground, and a pair of scores. Brody Leonard also scored twice, including a 60-yard run, as the Warriors piled up 517 rushing yards and outgained the Wildcats 598-191 in total yards.

Boyd Buchanan 48, Notre Dame 13: Brohns Donaldson had a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and scored on a 60-yard run to lead the Buccaneers to the Division II-AA East Region win. Jaydden Madison had an interception and Brody Grant a fumble recovery for Boyd Buchanan (3-4, 1-3).

South Pittsburg 76, Sale Creek 18: Class 1A's fourth-ranked Pirates raced out to a 69-6 halftime lead in securing their fifth Region 3-1A title in a stretch of six seasons. Jamarion Farrior returned an interception for a score and Richard Hunter connected with his twin brother Reginald on a pair of touchdown passes. De'Andre Kelly ran for two scores and caught a touchdown pass as South Pittsburg (5-1, 2-0) rolled up 580 total yards against the Panthers (3-4, 1-1), who had won three of their previous four games.

Bledsoe County 41, Tellico Plains 24: Gunner Sweatt ran for 157 yards and two scores, and Cadillac Siever added 146 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Warriors to the Region 3-2A win. A 21-point second quarter put Bledsoe ahead for good, although Landon Hollingshead threw for 271 yards and four scores to keep the Bears within striking distance.

Grace Academy 50, Tennessee School for the Deaf 6: The Eagles improved to 9-0 in their first season of eight-man football, outgaining the Vikings 380-117 in total offense. Wesley Thompson rolled up 224 total yards, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two. Thompson led the defense with 6.5 tackles and Avery Ivarson had six.

Other area scores:

Soddy-Daisy 31, Ooltewah 23

Bearden 14, Cleveland 10

Copper Basin 62, Bradley Knights 0

Giles County 56, Sequatchie County 0

Lenoir City 24, Hixson 14

Brainerd 36, Sweetwater 0

Clay County 41, Grundy County 21

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.

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