East Ridge running sensation Traneil Moore, galloping through a big hole against Notre Dame in their 2015 playoff game, led the Pioneers to a school-record best 12-1 record. He rushed for 2,295 yards and 28 touchdown, and earned the TSSAA Class 3A Mr. Football Back of the Year award.
photo by File/Dennis Norwood
East Ridge established unparalleled football success in 2015, starting with their first undefeated regular season in school history.
The Pioneers certainly didn’t stop there.
They added two playoff victories against Smith County and Region 3-3A rival Chattanooga Christian before running into Notre Dame and losing to the Irish, another region adversary, 55-27, in the quarterfinals, 55-27.
The two playoff wins were the first for East Ridge since 2001, a string of seven first-round losses. The team’s only other double-digit win seasons – both 10-2 records – were in 1997 and 2001.
Last season’s quarterfinal berth was the school’s first since 1970 when the Pioneers lost to Memphis Melrose, 26-6, in the semifinals, according to the Tennessee Prep Football Database website.
The Pioneers also watched Traneil Moore run hog wild to power an offense that averaged 29.6 points per game and that led to the final – and most impressive – season of “firsts” in 2015 when the junior running back was acclaimed selected the Class 3A Mr. Football back of the Year.
“That was a big honor,” Moore said. “I was shocked, surprised and excited.”
The 17-year-old Moore, a transfer from Tyner Academy making his football debut with the Pioneers, rushed for 2,295 yards and 28 touchdowns while playing in 12 of the team’s 13 games.
Amazingly, the 6-foot, 195-pound Moore put up 600 yards and nine scores in the three playoff games.
“Early in the season I was a little surprised by the success I had running the ball,” Moore said. “Once we got going, I thought it would be a great season because I knew my talent.”
While the Pioneers lost several stalwarts off last year’s squad, Moore is back and he provides a running threat most schools in the Chattanooga area only dream about.
Well, as it turns out, Moore isn’t back quite yet.
He has missed most all of the Pioneers’ summer and preseason workouts, rehabbing his left knee, an injury he said was originally sustained when he was still at Tyner.
On four occasions last season Moore said the knee swelled and had to be drained.
Then, he said: “I was running and came to a complete stop to make a cut during spring practice, the knee hyperextended and the ligament (meniscus, which provides structural integrity to the knee) tore.”
Moore underwent surgery on in late May, he said.
So, Moore’s return to the lineup remains questionable as his senior season fast approaches.
“He will be back,” new East Ridge coach Tim James said. “It’s just a matter of when. I’m hopeful it’ll be by late September or early October.”
Moore said, “I think sometime in September. “I won’t miss much time. I’m running straight now; I just can’t sprint yet.”
Moore was barely on the radar screen when the 2015 season began, but it didn’t take long for him to find plenty of running daylight and the glare of the Chattanooga football spotlight.
After six games, Moore had gained 1,000-plus yards.
East Ridge beat Chattanooga Christian, 28-13, during the regular season and Moore piled up 72 yards on an 80-yard, go-ahead drive before suffering a hand injury. Lorenzo Stewart, Moore’s backup, scored on a 3-yard touchdown to give the Pioneers a 14-10 lead they never relinquished.
In a 35-28 first-round playoff win in overtime against Smith County, Moore galloped for 239 yards on 22 carries and scored five touchdowns – four rushing and one receiving – while powering the Pioneers to their first playoff win in 15 years.
With Moore expected to be sidelined for a few games, including the season opener at home against Polk County, James will start 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior Lorenzo Stewart, Moore’s backup last season who rushed for almost 800 yards.
Aside from his goal of returning to the field as quickly as possible, Moore, who has college offers from Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee State and East Tennessee State (he visited Tennessee last December), has a couple other objectives in mind this season.
“My number one goal is to be better than I was last year,” he said. “And all the stats I had last year, I want to increase those numbers.”
What about team expectations?
“I think we can actually win it all this year,” Moore said with a ton of confidence.
The odds of that happening will swing in East Ridge’s favor the minute Moore returns to the lineup.
(Reach Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)