Football Playoffs: Missing Games Not In DNA Of Owls' Stutz

(Updated with playing status of Rhea County player)

With the football season on the line, as is the case with Rhea County and Ooltewah on Friday in the TSSAA Class 5A playoff quarterfinals at James N. Monroe, no player wants to miss out on the action.

Well, that even goes for any regular season game for Owls weakside linebacker Taylor Stutz, who missed two early games due to a broken left hand suffered in practice just days before the Owls were scheduled to scrimmage Farragut.

“I finished that practice and the trainer came up to me and asked why my hand was swollen,” Stutz said after Monday’s workout that ended in near darkness.

“I said, ‘I don’t know.’ Turns out it was broken and I had surgery Monday after hurting my hand on Wednesday.”

Following the operation, during which a plate was inserted into his hand, Stutz was ordered to relax and avoid doing anything strenuous that would cause him to sweat. Doctors were concerned about possible infection. Doctors also told Stutz he could miss up to six weeks of the season.

Turns out the hard-nosed Stutz was tougher than that. He worked hard to rehab the hand and had healed enough by Game 3 to see limited action against North Carolina’s Clyde A. Erwin High School, and did OK.

Same thing in Game 2 against East Hamilton.

Stutz’s first full game came a week later against Rhea County, a team which ended the Owls’ 2014 season with a 47-14 blowout in Evensville. Both teams went into that game state-ranked with 11-0 records.

The Owls blanked the Golden Eagles, 16-0, on Sept. 18 this season and used that victory as a springboard to the Region 4-5A regular-season championship and No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Stutz had no apprehension about going the distance against the physically tenacious Eagles due to his freakish injury.

“Pain doesn’t bother me,” he said.

What did concern him about playing with a large cast that looks like the rounded bottom of a gourd wrapped in tape and hiding anything that resembles a human hand?

“Wrapping up can be a really big deal,” said Stutz, who has 34 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, one recovered fumble and broke up one pass in 10 games. “It’s hard to grab cloth because it affects me when I club my arms trying to grab cloth from behind to get somebody down.”

Defensive coordinator Doug Greene marvels at the quick return by Stutz and despite playing with one hand wrapped tightly says his starting linebacker does an awful lot for the team that doesn’t show up in statistics.

“He’s the guy who’s there for the cutback,” said Greene, who left Rhea County as head coach to be the defensive coordinator for Owls coach Mac Bryan. “If he’s not there, they’ll crease us. Taylor is a very selfless player and he’ll do anything to help us win. He’s probably the most popular kid on the team and the kids love him. I’d say he’s a future fraternity president.”

When Rhea County (9-3) and Ooltewah (10-2) take to Jim Jarvis Field for the second time on Friday, Stutz won’t be thinking about his injured left hand. The Owls will be collectively battling to get past the Eagles and earn a spot in the playoff semifinals, something Ooltewah hasn’t accomplished since 2008.

Seven years ago the Owls went 11-2 and had to play Soddy-Daisy a second time when they met in the Class 5A second round. Ooltewah routed the Trojans, 55-21, during the season, but desperately fought for a 17-7 win in the playoffs.

“Rhea County is obviously a better team than they were when we first played them,” Stutz said, “and we’re a better team, too. It should be a really good game.”

Bryan added, “Eight weeks later, we’re both different football teams. But it’s a bigger deal playing a team twice in football. So much prep goes into the first game and you move on. I believe the old adage that says it’s hard to beat a good football team twice is true. We’ve got quite a challenge on our hands.”

The first time around, Ooltewah beating Rhea was the fourth victory in a seven-game winning streak after a season-opening 9-5 loss to Riverdale. The Owls slipped up against Cleveland but go into Friday’s showdown having won three in a row, including last week’s 26-17 second-round win against Oak Ridge.

Rhea is even hotter.

The Eagles lost to Indianapolis Cathedral the week following the Ooltewah game, but has reeled off six consecutive victories, winning by an average score of 39.5-to-7.7. Thirty-two of the 46 points Rhea allowed in that stretch came in a 47-32 win over Walker Valley, a team that took the Owls into double overtime before falling, 45-44, in the regular-season finale.

“We’re not going to be playing the same Rhea County we saw several weeks ago,” said middle linebacker Jeremiah Jackson, who on Monday was named a finalist for the Mr. Football Lineman of the Year award. “This is a new Rhea version because they’ve gotten better. It didn’t surprise me they beat Farragut. They’re going to come in here and give us a run for our money.”

Jackson, who holds the school record with 400-plus tackles, had made 141 stops -- 20 went for lost yardage and seven sacks for a grand total in those two categories of minus-133 yards.

No wonder, the 6-foot, 236-pound senior is up for one of the state’s top prep football honors.

“If I do win Mr. Football, it will mean a lot,” Jackson said. “Everything I’ve gone through in high school, from taking care of my momma, to losing my grandfather on the day of the Rhea game last year, to growing up a lot faster than teenagers expect to, has not always been easy.

“I don’t take it as an individual award. Without our defensive line, I can’t make all those plays. Coach (J.D.) Dunbar is one of the best D-line coaches in the state and he has those guys ready for each game. And my man Nick Putman is having his best season ever.”

Against the Admirals, Rhea’s Mason Stephenson rushed for 292 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns. With the game tied at 34-34, Stephenson dominated the Eagles’ game-winning drive and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run with 59.4 seconds remaining.

Ooltewah quarterback London Elrod, who has passed for 1,859 yards and 12 touchdowns despite missing a couple of games, is one of many players to show steady progress throughout the season.

Rashun Freeman, a top-notch free safety, has also made an impact on the Owls’ offense with 427 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns while spelling starter Cameron Turner (813 yards, 10 touchdowns).

Freeman has scored nine times, including five in the Walker Valley shootout, in the Owls’ last three games.

“They’ve improved a lot,” London said of the Eagles. “I think we have too, so it should be a good game. They’re strong, disciplined and physical on defense and we’ve improved offensively. It looks like a good matchup.”

Rhea County coach Mark Pemberton failed to respond to text, e-mail and phone messages seeking comment on this story.

NOTE: Rhea County defensive end James Sharp was suspended for the Ooltewah game due to him being ejected from the Farragut game for receiving two unsportsmanlike penalties. However, on Tuesday it was learned that the TSSAA reversed the one-game suspension and Sharp is expected to play in Friday's quarterfinal game.) 

TSSAA Football Playoff Schedule

Third Round, Nov. 20

Chattanooga Area Schools

All Games Start at 7 p.m. Local Time

Class 1A

Columbia Academy (11-1) at South Pittsburg (9-3)

Class 2A

Tyner (9-3) at Marion County (11-1)

Class 3A

Notre Dame (9-3) vs. East Ridge (12-0), Finley Stadium

Class 4A

Marshall County (11-1) at East Hamilton (8-4)

Class 5A

Rhea County (9-3) at Ooltewah (10-2)

Division II-AA

Baylor (9-2) at Brentwood Academy (10-1)

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)