After late start to senior season Oakland football's Eric Taylor earns BlueCross Bowl Class 6A MVP

CHATTANOOGA − Oakland senior Eric Taylor impressed those watching the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl Class 6A state championship game at Finley Stadium Saturday night.

That included a two-time BlueCross Bowl MVP.

Taylor stole the show in Oakland's 42-6 win over Beech for a record third-consecutive 6A title for the Patriots (14-1).

"It feels good seeing (Taylor) carrying on and doing the same thing I was doing," said former Patriots star and Oregon running back Jordan James, who won the MVP award in 2020 and 2021.

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Taylor rushed 18 times for 175 yards and four touchdowns, earning him the MVP award and putting vindication on a season that started late for the 5-fot-8, 178-pound running back/safety because of a shoulder injury.

"It was just about getting motivated," said Taylor, who missed the first five games and then was eased back into action. "This feels great. But it's bigger than me. It's about all my teammates and coaches and family who helped me."

And he noticed his former teammate on the sideline watching.

"It did motivate me," said a smiling Taylor. "It kind of wanted to impress him a little."

It was fitting that Taylor had one of his best performances in his final game. He was one of just three sophomores who were a factor in the first of the three championships in 2020. In fact, he was just 14 while helping lead Oakland to the title that year.

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"He literally contributed to all three of our championships," Oakland coach Kevin Creasy said. "He's been so valuable to Oakland football. He's a football nut. He eats it and breathes it. He was probably in a pretty dark place when he missed half of his senior year because of the injury. But he was completely fresh (during the postseason) for the first time in a year."

Taylor's biggest play in Saturday's title game came at the best time for Oakland. It was an 83-yard run that took the Patriots from their own 4-yard line to the Beech 13, weaving through traffic and breaking several tackles along the way.

He punched it in from the 1-yard line three plays later, turning a 14-6 lead into a two-TD advantage. Oakland rolled from there.

"When you see guys like Eric running that hard, you want to keep blocking for him," said Oakland senior offensive lineman Keith Bowman. "He was also playing a lot on defense. He's a heck of a player."

Taylor is ready to pass the torch to another crop of Patriots who will be attempting a fourth straight title next year.

"We have a lot of younger guys coming up who have gotten a lot of experience," Taylor said. "When it's their time to start, they'll be ready."

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Oakland football: Eric Taylor wins Class 6A BlueCross Bowl MVP