Houston secures Class 6A state title by running over Oakland
Damon Sisa carried Houston football to a Class 6A state championship on Saturday.
Sisa rushed for 179 yards and a touchdown as the Mustangs outlasted Oakland 24-9 in the Class 6A state title game at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
Houston rushed for 239 yards as a team and limited Oakland's Daune Morris to 94 rushing yards.
The Patriots stormed out to a 6-0 lead with an opening drive that lasted more than eight minutes of game time and was capped by a Morris touchdown run.
Sisa and the Houston offense answered with a dominant drive, finished off by a Shawne Jones touchdown catch.
The two teams traded field goals, but Sisa again took over the game as the Mustangs leaned on him on a drive that ended early in the fourth quarter with a 2-yard Sisa touchdown run and a 17-9 lead.
Houston's defense stymied the Oakland offense in the second half, and shut the door on three straight possessions with the Patriots having a chance to construct a game-tying drive. Houston's Tony Williams ended any thought of an Oakland comeback with a 27-yard interception return with 76 seconds left.
Oakland, the three-time defending state champions in 6A, loses in the BlueCross Bowl for the first time since 2016 after four straight wins in state championship games.
Recap the Class 6A state championship game below.
TSSAA football championship game live updates: Oakland vs. Houston in Class 6A state championship game
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Houston 24, Oakland 9, 1:16 4Q: Tony Williams pick-6 puts game away
Houston will be the Class 6A state champions. Tony Williams grabs an errant Kyler Creasy throwaway pass and rumbles 27 yards for a Houston touchdown.
The Mustangs defense has been so good in the second half.
Houston 24, @OHSPatsFootball 9. Williams 27 interception return. 1;16 4Q. pic.twitter.com/SRJNflrn6e
— Cecil Joyce (@cecil_joyce) December 3, 2023
Houston 17, Oakland 9, 7:27 4Q: Houston misses field goal, misses out on two-score lead
After Oakland goes for it on 4th and 4 deep in its own territory and failed, Houston cannot take advantage. Damon Sisa lost yardage on 3rd and 1, and a 36-yard field goal is wide left.
Houston's lead is still 17-9. Oakland often takes advantage of these opportunities, but the Patriots offense has not been good tonight.
Houston 17, Oakland 9, 11:43 4Q: Houston increases lead on Damon Sisa TD
Damon Sisa has been the best player on the field, and he again is the key to a Houston touchdown drive. He finishes it off with a 1-yard touchdown run over the left side.
The Mustangs are in control, up 17-9. Oakland's offense has lacked explosive plays so far.
Houston 17, @OHSPatsFootball 9. Sisa 2 run. 11:43 4Q. pic.twitter.com/5neZXBkryO
— Cecil Joyce (@cecil_joyce) December 3, 2023
Houston 10, Oakland 9, 6:45 3Q: Oakland cuts into lead with a field goal
Oakland drives to begin the second half, but the Patriots have to settle for a Jacob Taylor 32-yard field goal in the rain that is good. An Oakland penalty set the Patriots back.
Houston's lead is 1.
Houston 10, Oakland 6, 8:03 2Q: Houston settles for field goal
Houston again runs the ball well until it gets to goal-to-go, then tries to get the TD via the pass. Not happening on this drive, though the Trotter Jones field goal attempt is good.
Damon Sisa has already ran for more than 100 yards in the first half. Houston's lead is 10-6.
Houston 10, @OHSPatsFootball 6. Jones 25 field goal. 8:03 2Q. pic.twitter.com/qxyoCxzZ5b
— Cecil Joyce (@cecil_joyce) December 3, 2023
Houston 7, Oakland 6, :07 1Q: Houston runs through Oakland defense on its opening drive
Houston leaned on speedy running back Damon Sisa to move the ball, including a 23-yard run. But Houston gets on the board via the pass, with Chandler Day finding Shawne Jones for a 3-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone.
PAT good. Houston leads 7-6.
Oakland 6, Houston 0, 2:57 1Q: Daune Morris adds on to his stellar season
Oakland running back Daune Morris runs through a couple Houston defenders for an 8-yard touchdown carry to cap off the Patriots' opening drive.
PAT no good. But Oakland's running game looks very capable in a 9-minute drive. A reminder that Houston shut out Brentwood last week and has allowed just 17 points in the postseason.
@OHSPatsFootball 6, Houston 0. 2:57 1Q. @daune_morris 8 run. PAT missed. @NashvillePreps @Cville_Sports @Tpalmateer83 @Kreager pic.twitter.com/lQt1gAkc9L
— Cecil Joyce (@cecil_joyce) December 3, 2023
Pregame reading for Oakland vs. Houston TSSAA football Class 6A state championship game
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SATURDAY'S PREVIEW: TSSAA football playoffs: What to know about Division II state championships in Chattanooga
How to watch TSSAA football playoffs: BlueCross Bowl games
The championship games will be televised across the state on these stations (channel numbers over the air, cable channels can be found here):
Nashville: WUPX MyNetwork TV Channel 30
Memphis: WMC-TV+ Channel 5.5
Knoxville: WKNX Channel 7
Chattanooga: WFLI MyNetwork TV Channel 53.2
Jackson: Jackson Energy Authority E+ broadband Channel 6 (not OTA)
Tri-Cities: WCYB.2 CW Network Channel 5.2
Saturday's TSSAA football championships schedule
Class 4A: Upperman (14-0) vs. Pearl-Cohn (14-0), 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT
Class 2A: East Robertson (13-1) vs. Riverside (12-2), 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT
Class 6A: Oakland (12-2) vs. Houston (12-2), 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA football scores: Oakland vs Houston live updates
