No shelter for Lions
Amazing season ends with loss to Tornadoes
The Red Bank High School football team gathered for one last huddle in 2020, moments after a 42-7 loss to top-ranked Alcoa in the TSSAA Class 3A state semifinals ended the Lions’ season Friday night.
Nearby, the Tornadoes were celebrating being one step closer to what would be the 19th state championship in program history.
But on the end of the field that mattered to him at that moment, Red Bank coach Chris Brown locked in on his team, pointing out to the Lions that “your history is more than one game” and reminding them that “this season wasn’t supposed to happen,” referring to the high number of COVID-19 cases that had overtaken Hamilton County in August.
The Lions hadn’t lost on the field prior to Friday night. Their final record will sit at 10-4, technically, due to three games the Lions had to forfeit due to COVID-19 concerns within the program. Only the Tornadoes actually beat them on the field, halting Red Bank’s best run since the 2017 team also reached the semifinals.
Alcoa ( 13-1) will try to win its sixth straight championship when it faces Milan (12-1) — a 27-13 winner over Pearl Cohn in Friday’s other semifinal — in the Class 3A BlueCross Bowl next Friday at Tennessee Tech.
“Eventually the words will resonate with them,” Brown said of his players. “You can’t go through what they’ve been through and overcome what they’ve had to overcome, to not feel pride to get as far as they’ve gotten. I’m not upset at the way we played as much as I’m just upset that we don’t get a chance to stay together.”
It was a dejected bunch of Lions who made their way off the field Friday. Tears were shed and heads were down initially, until they encountered an unidentified Red Bank supporter in a black jacket who made it a point to tell every player, “Don’t walk off this field with your head down.”
The same supporter stopped Red Bank quarterback Joseph Blackmon — who had a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kell Eddins but also two interceptions — and told the junior, “Now you know what it takes.”
It wasn’t just Blackmon who was challenged, though. Nobody on the Red Bank offense was able to get going against an Alcoa defense that had surrendered just 56 points in the 13 games this season prior to Friday. Of the 15 plays that Red Bank ran in the first half, seven went for negative yardage. For the game, the Lions had just 81 yards of total offense and committed three turnovers.
The Red Bank defense had some chances early. First it was on third-and-9 on the game’s first drive, when quarterback Caden Buckles eluded a rush and chucked a pass downfield to a falling Brayden Anderson, who made the catch on his back with two defenders draped on him.
A drive later, the Lions got to Buckles, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jadon High, who returned the ball to the Alcoa 15. Three rushing plays gained no yardage for the home team, and a 32-yard field-goal attempt by Jake Wright sailed wide left.
The Tornadoes scored on their next five possessions, leaving the Lions behind.
“This team was unflappable. Resilient,” Brown said. “We could have had 1,000 excuses not to come out and work, but they did it anyway, and played at a high enough level to come all the way to the semifinals and bring that game here to our field.
“This is the best family I’ve been associated with, football wise.”
Red Bank standout Lumiere Strickland was held to 25 rushing yards in his final game as a Lion. Alcoa was led by Ahmauud Sankey, who had 110 rushing yards and three scores. Ronald Jackson added 89 yards on two carries with a 40- yard score, while Buckles threw for 161 yards — all in the first half — and ran for a score and freshman Elijah Cannon had the game’s final score.