By Fred Kroner
Oakwood’s football team, which has the highest-scoring offense in the 10-team Vermilion Valley Conference (averaging 40.8 points per game), rolled up 34 consecutive points on Friday (Sept.29) and outscored Hoopeston Area 34-30, on the Cornjerkers’ field.
Hoopeston Area scored the game’s first touchdown as well as the last four. The visiting Comets carried a 34-6 lead into the final quarter.
“We stumbled out of the blocks and on our first defensive series, played timid,” Oakwood head coach Cameron Lee said.
He didn’t panic, and neither did his players.
“I told them, ‘Nothing is wrong We’re fine.’ We just had to find ourselves,” Lee said. “We finally got going in the second quarter and made a couple of defensive stands.”
Oakwood continued to display its big-play prowess in taking a 21-0 halftime lead.
The Comets took the lead for good at the 10:13 mark of the second period on a 61-yard run by Cameron Black and Jacob Pricer’s conversion kick.
“We hit a big run and that was the biggest run of the game,” Lee said. “It gave us some excitement and is like what Cam has given us before.
“Being able to score that fast set the tone.”
The 7-6 score held until the final minute of the half.
Oakwood then reached the end zone twice, first when Jackson Dudley passed 9 yards to Alec Harrison with 54 seconds left in the quarter.
On the final play of the half, Chase Harrison hauled in a 47-yard scoring strike from Dudley, and Pricer converted his third placement of the half.
Oakwood received the second-half kickoff and Black immediately returned it 72 yards for a score. Pricer’s kick created a 28-6 margin.
Dudley completed 9 of 22 passes for 156 yards and three TDs. Chase Harrison hauled in five of the completions for 91 yards and two TDs. Alec Harrison snared four passes for 63 yards and one touchdown.
Black rushed for 77 yards on 12 carries.
After allowing an early score, the Oakwood defense went more than 30 minutes before it yielded another TD.
“We had two scoreless quarters and played pretty well,” Lee said, “but there seems to be a period of time when we make mental lapses.
“It comes down to inexperience. We’re a young group.”
Hoopeston’s comeback bid started with a TD at 10:19 of the fourth quarter.
The Cornjerkers’ then recovered an onsides kick and went in to score again. They then executed a second consecutive successful onsides kick, which led to a second TD within 42 seconds after the previous score.
Lee called a timeout before the next kickoff – also of the onsides variety – took place.
“I burnt a timeout to make lineup changes,” Lee said.
One switch was to move Alec Harrison up front. He latched onto the next onside kick.
The Comets were able to run out the clock for the game’s final 83 seconds.
Lee said his team wasn’t in a celebratory mood after the victory.
“There was almost a sense that they didn’t do good,” he said. “That seems like a program going in the right direction.
“There’s enough awareness that this is not good enough and there’s improvement to be made.”
Oakwood (4-2) returns to action at home on Friday (Oct. 6) against Iroquois West (2-4).
“It will be nice to be back home chasing playoff eligibility in front of our home crowd,” Lee said.
