|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Osbourn rolls over Stonewall 51-19 at Raiders homecoming
There's nothing like a good-old shootout in a football game when a winning team breaks 50 points.
But there's a problem when only one of the teams is doing the shooting.
Osbourn rebounded from a 20-18 Monday night loss to undefeated Battlefield to topple Stonewall Jackson 51-19 at the Raiders' homecoming in Manassas last Friday night.
Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Stonewall found its groove as senior Jerimiah Owens took an Osbourn kick off 89 yards down to the goal line. That led to a 1-yard touchdown rush for running back and Army "Ironman" of the week Sean Blackman with 1:28 left on the clock.
That score held up for not even one offensive play though as Timmy Keith responded by returning the ensuing kick off for an 85-yard touchdown, reclaiming what would become a permanent lead for the Eagles (6-3 overall).
Stonewall (3-6) would not score again until 1:02 into the fourth quarter when junior Jerry Budd ran a sweep pitch from quarterback Anthony Ashby 52 yards to his left side for a touchdown.
The play had been set up after Ashby connected with Budd for a 30-yard completion, resulting in the Raiders' first earned first down in the second half.
"We were aware of their speed coming into the week. We were hoping to neutralize it and shut down certain things that the were capable of doing," said SJHS head coach Mike Dougherty. "But when your special teams do what ours did tonight, the points just pile up so quick, and it took us out of our game plans, offensively completely."
The Raiders' special teams collapse produced two Eagle touchdowns and otherwise supplied the visitors with consistently good field position.
Stonewall's offense helped out Osbourn too with two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Lucky Whitehead of the Eagles put up the most points on the day with two touchdowns while five of his teammates each added one of their own, along with a field goal from Chris Boteler.
"They have five or six guys that are faster than anybody on your roster, so if it's not Lucky, it's somebody else. We had to cover him with a linebacker; that was the only way we could defend it and they exploited that pretty quick," said Dougherty.
Budd showed a never-say-die attitude throughout the second half by tallying 104 yards on only five carries. Ashby also earned credit for two touchdown passes, his second coming as the game expired when he connected with senior tight end Zach Marquess for a 15-yard score.
Because of the score differential, the Raiders were not allowed to attempt a point-after-touchdown play.
"Basically, it's just about not giving up," said Budd. "I feel like tonight, it didn't go the way we wanted to, but I was disappointed to see some of my teammates give up. That's when you keep trying because, you know, it our homecoming. It's supposed to be a game to remember and now it's going to be remembered as a horrible game."
Stonewall is set to play its final game of the season Friday at home against arch-rival Battlefield. How the players enter the game mentally will play a big factor in how well they respond to pressure, according to the coach.
"If we come out and hang our heads against Battlefield, they'll hang 50 on us too. So, you know, we always watch film, we always break it down, and we always try to find as many positive teaching points as negative," he said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.