For the third consecutive year, the Oakland Patriots are at the top of the high school football world. Can we really grasp the enormousness of an accomplishment like this, or will the perspective aspect of time tell us?
Before we get all philosophical, let’s examine a few things. During the past three seasons, Oakland has a combined record of 44-1. If you add up the scores of the past three Class 6A TSSAA state title games it is Oakland 141 Opposition 65. Pretty impressive numbers when you think about the competitive nature of high school football here in the Volunteer state. If you add the 2018 Patriot Class 6A state title those numbers are 58-2 and 178 to 65.
One of the keys to this type of domination is of course players, but when you see those types of numbers in a public school setting there is more to this chicken salad than just chicken. Complete dedication to excellence and lots of hard work has equaled near-flawless execution. The 42-6 domination of Beech in this year’s title tilt was keyed by an offense that only had one play for negative yardage (2-yard loss) and no penalties. Averaging 7.1 yards per carry while churning out 277 yards on the ground and finding pay dirt 5 times, this unit was Patriotic pigskin poetry in motion. Defensively, scheme plus speed plus playmaking ability has yielded units that always find a way.
As the years roll by faces in uniform change, but a constant at Oakland has been a unified staff under the guidance of head coach Kevin Creasy. A master at game-planning and in-game adjustments, Creasy has been the steadiest of guiding hands. The ability of the Oakland staff to put kids in positions of success and inspire the surgeon-like execution has been pretty amazing during the past three seasons.
Here comes the philosophy. This Oakland run might just continue for a few more seasons. The first-ever threepeat in Class 6A is no doubt a HUGE accomplishment. Four championships in five years speaks volumes about this program. But before we get too analytical, let’s see how far this horse can run and just enjoy the ride while it lasts.
