Knoxville Central football gets revenge on South-Doyle in 5A quarterfinals
It was less than a month ago, but Central’s 27-7 loss to South-Doyle on Oct. 19 left a sour taste in the Bobcats and coach Bryson Rosser’s mouths.
After trailing by two touchdowns midway through the second quarter, Central battled back with three field goals from Ian Cummins and an 8-yard touchdown run by Jason Merritts to beat South-Doyle 15-14 and move on the semifinals in the Class 5A playoffs.
“It’s awesome to come back out and redeem ourselves and just get revenge,” said sophomore quarter Eli Sharp, who finished with six rushes for 55 yards. “We just came out here and played our hearts out.”
After South-Doyle (7-6) started off with a 25-yard touchdown catch from Ton’Quez Ball (three catches, 31 yards) in the first quarter and a 1-yard running score from quarterback Mason Brang in the second, Central (8-5) was down 14-0.
“We changed a couple of blocking schemes and changed a few personnel, but we felt that we weren’t staying on blocks early in the game,” Rosser said. “We’ve been relying on the those big guys up front, and they did a better job in the second half.”
Cummins’ first kick from 24 yards out put the Bobcats on the board in the second quarter, and Merritts’ touchdown run in the third trimmed South-Doyle’s lead to 14-9 after Central failed a two-point conversion.
The fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker as Cummins came in and knocked in a 35-yard field goal at the start of the quarter and a 47-yarder — that had plenty of leg and was right down the middle — with 6:45 left.
“Whenever I’m going out for a kick, I’m never worrying about distance because the kick shouldn’t matter from any distance … It’s all about leg swing,” Cummins said. “This just means I get to dress out with my brothers for one more week. That’s what this (win) really means to me.”
Trey’sean Moore (19 rushes for 60 yards) and Sharp led the way on the ground for Central while Elijah Young, who ran 16 times for 79 yards, kept South-Doyle in the game. Brang ran the ball 12 times for 5 yards and completed 7 of his 19 passes for 82 yards and also had an interception on the Cherokees’ last play of the game, a 30-yard desperation heave as he was being hit.
Central, which started the season 1-3, now has to face a Catholic team that beat Oak Ridge. The Bobcats have not faced the Irish this season.
Still, the challenge is new but familiar for Rosser’s squad as they get ready to host the Irish next Friday.
“They’re an unbelievable team,” Rosser said. “They’re tough to defend and tough to score on. But that’s the beauty of the playoffs and the beauty of the challenge. We’ll be ready.”