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Send to friendJACKSBORO — Oneida’s defense forced a turnover on downs midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s “East Tennessee” championship here, and the offense did the rest, as the Indians defeated Grace Christian Academy 20-14 for their second consecutive Area II crown.
With the loss, Grace came up just short in its bid to avenge a 30-20 loss to Oneida earlier in the season. The Indians, meanwhile, used a strong defensive performance to win the game on a muddy field at Jacksboro Middle School.
In winning their second consecutive championship, the Indians finished the season with an 8-1 record, losing only to Class AAA Lenoir City during the course of the season.
Coach Heath Sexton said his team struggled in the spring, but slowly came together with younger players contributing along the way, assistant coach Dustin Lay calling the defense for the first time, and new assistants Daniel King and Koty Duncan joining the staff.
“Once we got rolling for fall season, the attitude of the whole team changed from ‘I sure hope we can do this’ to ‘we are going to do this,’” Sexton said. “The kids really bought into the idea of teamwork because we switched and moved people around pretty reular, and I never heard anyone complain and they were always happy to see their teammate do well.
“The kids were really resilient all season through moves and shifts,” Sexton added. “Our eighth graders really stepped up in their leadership roles this season. That is the one thing I always felt this group lacked, was that little bit of control. They really grew into a great bunch that led by example through their play.”
Cole West stole the show, en route to being named the game’s offensive MVP. West carried the ball 17 times for 173 yards and three touchdowns, as the Indians outgained Grace 276 to 134.
Despite the difference in yards, the game was in question until the very end. West scored his third touchdown on an 11-yard run with 6:53 remaining in the game. But the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Rams one big play away from winning the game.
After Grace drove to the Indians’ 39-yard-line, Oneida’s defense made its final stand. A pass broken up by Dusty Hayes forced a 4th-and-long for Grace, and the Rams came up two yards short of the first down, giving Oneida possession at its 31-yard-line with 4:27 remaining.
Grace’s defense (and a pair of untimely penalties) forced Oneida into a 4th-and-two at its own 39-yard-line with just over a minute remaining. But Sexton—who has coached the Indians to four Area II championship games—put his faith in his offense, which appeared to come through in a big way. West started off left tackle, then broke wide for what appeared to be a 30-yard gain to secure the victory.
But a flag came down behind the play for an illegal block that would have forced the Indians into a 4th-and-long and certain punting situation. However, a second flag was dropped after the play: a personal foul against the Rams. The sequence gave Oneida the yardage it needed for a first down and the win.
Grace had started the game with the lead, falling on an Oneida fumble deep in Indian territory, then scoring on 3rd-and-goal from the one-yard-line for a 6-0 lead with 2:44 remaining in the opening period.
Oneida struck right back, with a 40-yard run by West setting up an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:21 remaining. Dusty Hayes added the two-point conversion, and Oneida led 8-6.
Grace regained the lead early in the second quarter, with a 29-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion to put itself up 14-8 with 7:02 remaining in the half.
The Indians again answered quickly. Runs of 20 and 28 yards by West set up his six-yard touchdown run, which tied the game with 4:34 remaining in the half.
With 2:44 remaining in the third quarter, Oneida took possession at its own 25-yard-line after a Grace punt, and drove the length of the field for the winning touchdown.
Throughout the day, Oneida was able to control the line of scrimmage, a strong point for the Indians throughout the season.
“The big hogs up front usually go unnoticed and that is one area we were excellent in this season. When your offensive and defensive line sets the tone and controls the trenches, it makes everyone else’s job easier.”
Sexton praised the efforts of his assistant coaches and the play of his team.
“This is one of the youngest teams I have coached,” he said. “We started eight different seventh graders throughout the year, and one sixth grader on offense and defense, and our special teams were mainly seventh graders. The assistant coaches did a fantastic job in practice of keeping the competition level high and correcting mistakes, and by the end of the year we were really clicking, especially on defense.
“The guys that I work with do just an outstanding job. We are all tied to the program from when we played here and we are all great friends,” he added. “One of the neat things for me personally this season was coaching with a former player of mine. Koty Duncan was on the first team I coached here in 2002. He was a great player here and is an outstanding coach.”
One of the keys to the team’s formation into a championship contender this year was keeping it simple, Sexton said.
“One thing we did was trim a lot of our formations and plays,” he said. “We were kind of limited early on with what we did based on personnel, so we took the approach of our old high school coach, Jim May. We just decided we weren’t going to do much as far as plays and formations but what we did we were going to be dang good at.”
With a junior varsity team that went undefeated this season, the future looks promising for Oneida’s middle school program.
“If we can keep the same focus and determination, the future looks bright,” Sexton said. “[Our JV players] wound up playing six games and played in several varsity games. The sixth and seventh grade classes combined to make up 42 players from our 54-player roster by the end of the year. Both classes are hard-working groups with great attitudes and a lot of ability.”
As his team celebrated its back-to-back championships, Sexton congratulated the team’s eighth graders on their accomplishments.
“They leave our program with an overall record of 25 wins and four losses, a winning percentage of 86%,” he said. “Of those 25 wins, 19 came against schools larger than us and they finished with back-to-back Class AA championships. They should be very proud of their accomplishments.”
