Pioneers Remain Undefeated with 14-9 Win over Irish

The East Ridge High School football team remained undefeated on the year with a 14-9 win over Notre Dame Friday evening on the Irish’s home turf.

Traneil Moore topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season by rushing for 217 yards on 30 carries.

East Ridge’s defense kept Irish quarter Alex Darras in check as he managed less than 50 yards through the air on a cool, wet net. Darras completed just five of 19 throws. Notre Dame had less than 200 yards offense.

East Ridge scored on its initial possession. Moore romped the final 13 yards for one of two touchdowns he would score on the night.

Notre Dame bounced back with running back Ricky Ballard scoring from 40 yards out. The Irish took the lead, 9-7, on a safety.

East Ridge (7-0, 3-0 in Region 3/3A) scored on a short Moore run early in the second quarter, taking a 14-9 lead that would ultimately account for all the scoring.

East Ridge quarterback Eric Bennett completed six of 11 throws accounting for 105 yards in challenging conditions. The Pioneers were penalized only five times for 40 yards, while Notre Dame marched backward 15 times, amassing 146 yards in penalties.

The Pioneers will travel to Howard on Oct. 16 in a Region 3/3A contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.