Coach Joe Gaddis’ Oak Ridge Wildcats faced the Summit Spartans in the Class 5A state championship on Overall Field at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville, Tenn., on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. (Photo by Danny Parker)
By MIKE BLACKERBY
The outlook was bleak for Oak Ridge football at midseason.
The turnaround was stunning.
The Wildcats overcame a 2-3 start to win their next nine games and advance to the Class 5A state championship game against Summit.
Despite a 28-7 title-game loss to the Spartans in Cookeville, Oak Ridge’s Joe Gaddis called the 2020 season one of the most satisfying in his 38 years as a head coach.
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The Wildcats overcame a humbling start, successfully navigated a historical COVID-challenged season and still managed to reach the biggest stage in Tennessee prep football.
“This team – because of the way it responded to the slow start and the COVID challenges – was more fun than any team I can remember,” said Gaddis, the 2020 5Star Preps high school football Coach of the Year.
“The blend of the variety of personalities we had on this team was extraordinary. It made for a great, fun year.”
Oak Ridge’s start hardly served as a portent of great things to come.
The Wildcats dropped three of their first five games.
Dobyns-Bennett held the Wildcats out of the end zone in a 19-3 win on Blankenship Field.
Farragut thumped Oak Ridge 45-25 in the Wildcats’ worst outing of the season.
An Oak Ridge defense that would go on to record five shutouts on the season gave up 25 first downs and 470 yards in the dismal showing against the Admirals.
Oak Ridge then dropped a 22-7 decision to West in a pivotal Region 3-AAA contest.
The Wildcats looked like they were headed for a mediocre season.
“Granted, we didn’t get off to a good start and I knew winning the region would be a stretch, but I told the team at the time that everything they wanted to do was still in front of them,” said Gaddis.
Suddenly, Oak Ridge caught fire.
The Wildcats posted easy wins over Clinton and Karns before taking down a quality Mt. Juliet team.
“We were becoming more and more confident,” recounted Gaddis.
“The expression ‘buying in’ is so overused, but they started doing it. We had good senior leadership.”
Oak Ridge then scored a key 28-27 upset of Powell to nail down the No. 2 seed in the region.
“Once we beat Powell we started playing really well and feeling confident in ourselves,” said Gaddis.
“As we got ready for the playoffs I remember telling the team that it’s not always the team with the best record that wins, it’s the team that gets hot at the right time.”
His words proved prophetic.
The Wildcats opened the playoffs with impressive wins over Soddy-Daisy and Rhea County.
Oak Ridge scored a major 31-28 upset of top-ranked West in the quarterfinal rematch.
The Wildcats then blanked South-Doyle 14-0 in the semifinals to advance to the state championship game for the first time since 1991.
“We had people who didn’t even think we would make the playoffs after the first half of the regular season,” said Gaddis, whose all-time coaching mark is 331-138.
“To turn it around like we did was one of the more satisfying things of my career – and I’m glad the boys got to experience what they did,” he continued.
“I remember walking down the stairs at the South-Doyle game. I was out in front with the players and remember the comments from fans that lined the steps.
“I was so happy for the players. They got to experience what it was like here in the 1980s and 90s.”