All season long, Oneida Middle School coach Jason Terry has said there’s been something different about the way his team has approached the game, beginning with the earliest preparations in June, before the dead period and the start of fall camp.
On Saturday, the hard work culminated in a TMSAA Area II championship, the Indians’ 10th since the formation of the TMSAA in the early 2000s.
Oneida defeated Wartburg 35-0 at Campbell County High School in LaFollette, Tenn. Saturday afternoon to capture the first Area II championship of Terry’s tenure as head coach. The last time the Indians won the crown, this year’s high school seniors were eighth graders, and Heath Sexton was their coach.
The Indians won their first Area II championship in 2008.
Unlike on the basketball side, where TMSAA moved to a true state championship three years ago after long crowning sectional champions, football teams can only advance as far as the area championship game. Each area is divided into two districts. Area II includes teams like Dayton City and Rockwood. In Class A, which includes the rest of Scott County’s middle school teams, Midway defeated Coalfield to win this year’s championship.
Terry and a few of his players will be on The Round Table on the IH Sports Network Monday evening to talk about their championship win. The show airs live from El Rey in Oneida Plaza beginning at 6 p.m.
