#2 Whitehaven @ #1 Cane Ridge

[kwc]

Congrats CR on a well deserved win. Both defenses were stout. Both defenses held the opposing team to one TD offensively. Whitehaven had a bad play in Special Teams. That was the difference in the game. 

We win some. We lose some. The OC does play it close to the best at times. 

Go beat Maryville!

[JohnnyRadcliff]

Congrats to Cane Ridge on their victory and 1st state title appearance!

[MomTo81]

On 11/25/2017 at 10:30 AM, RavenNation2016 said:

I think I already seen a post saying our game will be over at halftime. 

There is no way that any Maryville fan would say that!  And our players definitely don't think that either.

[kwc]

Cane Ridge football shows 'Memphis grind' in semifinal win over Whitehaven

 

Michael Murphy, USA TODAY NETWORK – TennesseePublished 11:20 p.m. CT Nov. 24, 2017 | Updated 12:11 a.m. CT Nov. 25, 2017

Senior Jared McCray still remembers some of his first interactions with Cane Ridge coach Eddie Woods, and, quite frankly, they weren’t very flattering.

“He said we were some soft Antioch Nashville boys,” McCray said.

It wasn’t bullying, though. It was the start of boot camp — Memphis style.

“When I first got here I knew we had potential, but I knew right off the bat that we had to get tougher,” said Woods, a Memphis native and 2001 Melrose High School graduate. “We came in with that old school, blue collar mentality and worked our butts off. I tried to run guys off."

State semifinals: Tennessee high school football acti“This senior group, they stayed.”

It’s been a little less than three years since Woods first arrived, and it’s safe to say he's successfully instilled his squad with what he refers to as "that Memphis grind.”

“We’ve been going through this process for three years, and I feel like that hometown Memphis grind, I kind of put in my kids here,” Woods said after Friday's 14-7 semifinal win over defending Class 6A champion Whitehaven. “It showed tonight. We played their type of game, we beat them at it.”

The Ravens managed just 184 yards, but a first-half defensive score from senior Jarad McCray, along with junior running back Devon Startling’s 88-yard, third-quarter score, proved enough.

“Soft?" added McCray, "Nah, we ain’t that.”

Cane Ridge's Devon Starling (5) runs in a touchdown against Whitehaven during the second half of the Class 6A semifinal at Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tenn., Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

 

Cane Ridge (13-1), making its first BlueCross Bowl appearance in the school’s nine-year history, will square off against East Tennessee power Maryville in Friday's Class 6A state championship at Tennessee Tech.

Jared McCray hauled in eight catches for 60 yards against Whitehaven defensive back Rayshad Williams, although the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Vanderbilt commitment did have a third-quarter interception for the Tigers (11-3). 

“That was the best competition I’ve had all year, but I had to give my all,” Jared McCray said. “I told him I wasn’t about to back down. I’m going to be here all night."

Whitehaven quarterback Vincent Guy hooked up with tight end Cormonte Hamilton for a 19-yard touchdown as the third-quarter clock expired to pull the Tigers  within seven. 

Cane Ridge's Jarad McCray (7) reacts after their Class 6A semifinal victory over Whitehaven at Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tenn., Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

 

However, the Ravens defense, led by Jahsun Bryant, stood tall in the final 12 minutes.

“It’s all about adversity,” said Bryant, who tallied a team-high 11 tackles. “Summer practices, I threw up mostly every day and Coach still pushed me.”

Starling finished with 141 yards on 17 carries, while defensive end Dewayne Johnson added six tackles and a sack for Cane Ridge. 

Reach Michael Murphy at mfmurphy@tennessean.com, 615-259-8026 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.

[kwc]

Whitehaven football falls to Cane Ridge, former Melrose coach in Class 6A semifinals

The Commercial AppealPublished 10:57 p.m. CT Nov. 24, 2017 | Updated 11:45 p.m. CT Nov. 24, 2017

     

 

ANTIOCH, Tenn. — Eddie Woods knows what Memphis high school football is all about. And Friday, he borrowed a page out of the playbook for his guys at Cane Ridge.

Devon Starling scored on an 87-yard touchdown run as the Ravens advanced to the Class 6A state title game for the first time in school history, holding off defending state champ Whitehaven, 14-7.

The Ravens (13-1) will take on Maryville on Friday at Tennessee Tech. 

And it was a sweet victory for Woods, who probably knows the Tigers as well as anyone. He played at Melrose and coached his alma mater before accepting the Cane Ridge job three seasons ago.

"We knew it was going to be a physical game," he said. "I told my kids that's the type of players (Whitehaven) has. But we had that Memphis grind and we beat them at their own game.

"When I got this job, right off the bat I knew we had to be tougher ... I tried to run some kids off but these seniors, these are the ones that stayed."

Whitehaven's Bryson Eason (20) reacts after their Class 6A semifinal loss to Cane Ridge at Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tenn., Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

 

After running for nearly 500 yards in their quarterfinal victory over White Station last week, the Tigers weren't nearly as productive against the fired-up Ravens. Three times Whitehaven got into the Cane Ridge red zone but failed to score.

The most frustrating possession came in the third quarter when Martavious French recovered a fumble on the Ravens' 15 that Whitehaven was unable to cash in. Starling — who was held to just 11 yards on nine first-half carries — went the distance on Cane Ridge's ensuing possession to make it 14-0.

Whitehaven finally got on the board on the final play of the third quarter when Vincent Guy found Cormontae Hamilton with a 19-yard touchdown pass.

Whitehaven's Cormontae Hamilton (9) receives a pass for a touchdown against Cane Ridge during the second half of the Class 6A semifinal at Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tenn., Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

 

An earlier 65-yard touchdown run by Guy was called back due to a holding penalty, one of several in the game that negated positive Whitehaven yardage.

Cane Ridge opened the scoring the second quarter when Jarod McCray fell on a loose ball in the end zone following a bad snap on a punt.

Whitehaven ends the season with an 11-3 record. It's the schools' most losses since finishing 9-3 in 2013.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas

 

[BlackHavenSenator]

We should have been playing tonight 

[Hoganknows]

On 11/25/2017 at 8:21 AM, thegreatone36 said:

Neither could hold a stick to Maryville or Oakland? Wasn't Whitehaven the 6a champ last year? That beat Oakland in the title game? And Oakland had just beaten Maryville? And now Cane Ridge just beat Whitehaven the following year. This sounds just like last year when many of y'all said that Whitehaven wouldn't hold a stick up to Oakland, yet they beat them. If I'm Cane Ridge's head coach coach, I'd love to let my players know that the rest of the state thinks they can't even be on the same field with Maryville 

How Ya Like Me Now.....blowout last night as I predicted. Oakland /Maryville was State Champ Game.

[workinprogress]

Hogan you know I respect your opinion but I think you are wrong in this case. I know what you are saying and I see it but disagree. CR earned their spot in the championship by knocking off Whitehaven. Yes CR looked awful but they were playing in their first state championship and they were playing against Maryville.

Whitehaven fans no you should not have been playing last night. You got beat. Ill give your defense credit, its very stout. But your offense resembles a pee wee offense. Give your athlete the ball on a toss right, toss left. Occasionally run the dive or vertical routes. I've seen y'all do it for a couple years now but its probably what y'all have done for a while. You win because you have athletes that are somewhat disciplined. Against CR you played a team that had equal athletes, coaching,etc and they made less mistakes and won. Plain and simple.

Edited December 2, 2017 by workinprogress

[Hoganknows]

23 hours ago, workinprogress said:

Hogan you know I respect your opinion but I think you are wrong in this case. I know what you are saying and I see it but disagree. CR earned their spot in the championship by knocking off Whitehaven. Yes CR looked awful but they were playing in their first state championship and they were playing against Maryville.

Whitehaven fans no you should not have been playing last night. You got beat. Ill give your defense credit, its very stout. But your offense resembles a pee wee offense. Give your athlete the ball on a toss right, toss left. Occasionally run the dive or vertical routes. I've seen y'all do it for a couple years now but its probably what y'all have done for a while. You win because you have athletes that are somewhat disciplined. Against CR you played a team that had equal athletes, coaching,etc and they made less mistakes and won. Plain and simple.

The Whitehaven team I saw in that semifinal game was a pee wee offense and had a holding penalty on almost each and every play and that was reason Cane Ridge won- Whitehaven was just bad this season...hence CR played a real 6A team in the finals and got their #### handed to them as expected. CR side of the bracket was very average this year and played out to be that way in the finals...the Championship game was in Marville in the Semifinals...case closed. I knew this result last Friday after watching CR/Whitehaven play....both very average for 6A ball.

Last..like to add East Tennessee won 5 State Championships ...Middle & West won 4 together. Power this year was in the East big time.

Edited December 3, 2017 by Hoganknows

[BlackHavenSenator]

I refuse to cuss

[kwc]

On 12/7/2017 at 1:29 AM, BlackHavenSenator said:

I refuse to cuss

LOLOLOLOL ... don't do it BHS! Just breath deeply and say ... wooossssssaaaah!