Oakland High School (14-0) rolled past rival Blackman High School (13-2) 42-14 on Friday night, powered by a four-touchdown outing from Ole Miss commit Craig Tutt.

The Patriots defeated the Blaze for the second time this season, marking the first meeting of two Rutherford County schools in the TSSAA semifinals. The win propels Oakland to its sixth straight BlueCross Bowl appearance.

“Our guys played their tails off, and they deserve to win,” Oakland head coach Kevin Creasy said. “We are very proud to go back to the state championship for the sixth year in a row.”

The Patriots wasted no time following a Blackman three-and-out as Tutt raced down the sideline for a 35-yard score to put Oakland up 7-0 four minutes in. A few minutes later, Oakland rushing attack struck again as running back Kemani Bass broke off a 36-yard touchdown run to put the Patriots up 14-0 halfway through the first.  

Just as it looked like Oakland might run away early, Blackman mounted a long offensive possession. The drive, sparked by a 38-yard strike from senior quarterback Jaevion Elliott to wideout Brylan Oduor put the Blaze in scoring position. The drive stalled in the red zone, forcing a Tyler Borombozin field goal attempt that sailed wide right, keeping Oakland on top 14-0 at the end of the first.  

A sack on a double pass forced a Patriots punt, giving Blackman the ball at midfield to begin the second quarter. After another three-and-out, Tutt broke free up the middle on a third-down draw play, sprinting 73 yards to extend Oakland’s lead to three scores midway through the second quarter.  

The Patriots threatened to add points in the final seconds before halftime, but Blaze defensive back Jaden Lark intercepted a Kam Morton deep ball to keep the score 21-0 at halftime in favor of the Patriots.  

Oakland found paydirt on the first possession of the second half as Morton connected with Tutt on a wheel route for a 33-yard touchdown, putting the Patriots on top  28-0 four minutes into the third. On the ensuing drive, the Blaze drove down the field on the heels of an Elliot scramble for over 50 yards.  

The Patriots stood tall on the goal line, keeping Blackman out of the end zone, maintaining its 28-point lead halfway through the third quarter. On the next drive for the Blaze, Blackman running back Jabari Kemp punched in a touchdown from a yard out, giving the Blaze its first points against Oakland in nearly seven quarters this season.  

Early in the fourth quarter, momentum shifted in favor of Blackman as Tutt fumbled in Patriot territory, leading to another score for the Blaze. Running back Micah Nace bounced a run outside from two yards out to cut the Oakland lead to 28-14 a minute into the fourth.

“Even though it was a three-score game, they had all the momentum,” Creasy said. “We hadn’t gotten a first down, we knew we were going to have to score again.”

On the next drive, the Patriots marched down the field on a 14-play, 67-yard drive that took over nine minutes off the clock. Tutt finished the drive for Oakland, taking a wildcat keeper into the endzone for his fourth touchdown of the night, boosting the Patriot lead to 35-14 with under two minutes remaining.

“I was making the plays that needed to be made,” Tutt said. “That’s all that mattered.” 

Oakland senior Kyrie Gainor capped off the win with a 52-yard touchdown return after intercepting Blackman’s Elliot, sealing the 42-14 victory over the Blaze.  

With the semifinal win, Oakland advances to its sixth straight BlueCross Bowl to take on undefeated Ravenwood High School (14-0) in the TSSAA 6A state championship at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. ET.

“We lost last year [to Ravenwood], and it’s not going to be the same,” Tutt said. “I refuse to lose, we’re going back to state to win.”