CHATTANOOGA — Maverick Chance stood alone in the middle of Finley Stadium with a blank look on his face.
The Ravenwood senior quarterback wasn’t alone in that feeling. About 100 other teammates were just as shocked by what had just happened.
“Disappointed,” was the only word that came to Chance’s mind at that moment, he said.
Oakland running back Craig Tutt tied a TSSAA football state championship with seven touchdowns, and the Patriots romped through a 62-21 victory over Ravenwood on Dec. 6 in the Class 6A BlueCross Bowl.
The rout spanned 48 minutes of game clock. Oakland blockers shoved Tutt across the goal line for his seventh score — tying former Beech star Jalen Hurd’s 2012 mark — as the game clock expired.
Ravenwood (14-1) will graduate 38 seniors and try to regroup as it seeks its first state title since 2015.
First-year coach Ricky Rodriguez, who was promoted as an assistant in the offseason after Will Hester left the job, knows first-hand how tough that task will be with Oakland (15-0) sitting atop the Class 6A food chain. The Patriots won their fifth title in six seasons.
“I’ve got to eat this one, because this one’s on me,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to be better for it. Very similar to last year (losing in the state semifinals). Starting in January when we get back from Christmas break, we’re going to try to motivate these kids to get back to this same spot.”
Rodriguez brought his team to Chattanooga a day early to settle the environment and do a walkthrough at Baylor School, similar to what the team did before a win at Madison Ridgeland Academy (Mississippi) during the regular season.
The Raptors bobbed their heads and loosely bounced around the field during pregame. They looked ready, Rodriguez said.
Oakland and Ravenwood matched up well in the 2024 regular season, with Ravenwood pulling out a 32-31 overtime win.
But this time was much different.
Oakland scored 21 points within the game’s first three minutes and three seconds and Ravenwood never really recovered. The Raptors turned the ball over four times with three fumbles and an interception.
“You can’t do that against a team of this caliber,” Rodriguez said. “(Oakland) Coach (Kevin) Creasy’s the best coach in the state of Tennessee. He’s gonna have his teams prepared in all aspects. You give them the momentum, it’s very hard to sway that back on your side.”
Rodriguez didn’t elaborate on Oakland trying for a TD in the game's final seconds.
“I didn’t believe there was any ill intent,” Rodriguez said, adding that he and Creasy talked about it afterwards.
Chance played every snap on offense. He finished with 72 yards rushing and two scores, to go with a 4-of-7 passing mark for 82 yards and an interception. He also caught a 32-yard pass. Ravenwood’s offense struggled elsewhere.
And stopping Tutt, an Ole Miss signee, was even more difficult. He finished with 226 yards rushing on 32 carries.
“Credit to their O-linemen. Super mature O-line,” Ravenwood senior linebacker Matt Anderson said. “Their blocking scheme is great, and I mean Craig Tutt, he’s a beast. He’s super patient when he gets that hole. He’ll cut it back, be patient and then he’s super fast.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Oakland, Craig Tutt defeat Ravenwood for 6A TSSAA football state title