Health & Fitness
BLOG: JV Football Team Defeats Taunton on Last Play of Game
The OA football team used key defensive stops and a broad mixture of offensive players to pull off a last minute victory over a well-prepared Taunton team 28-22.
The OA-Taunton JV football game was tied 22-22 with 1:10 left in the game when the OA Tigers began their game-winning drive and ended up with a 28-22 victory on a breezy afternoon in Taunton.
OA began the contest with QB John McMillan throwing to last years defensive player of the year Jordan Schuster-Southern, who played his first game after recovering from an ankle injury, and dependable wideout Cooper Johnson. After moving the ball downfield, McMillan handed the ball to Colin O'Hearne for a 3-yd touchdown run and a 6-0 lead. McMillan ran in the 2 point conversion.
In the second quarter, Taunton's running game gained momentum and they tied the score at 8-8. However, OA marched down the field using running back Mike Ferrara and a mixture of plays to get in scoring position. This time McMillan found Schuster-Southern in the end zone and a Ferrara 2 pt. play gave OA a 16-8 lead.
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The OA defense slowed the tough Taunton squad and forced them into a passing situation which lead to a Colin O'Hearne interception and the score remained in OA's favor at the half.
The 3rd quarter started with another Taunton touchdown and 2pt conversion that tied the game again at 16-16. OA's offense stalled and the quater ended in a tie.
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The Tiger defense came up big in the fourth quarter as Cam McGrath out-jumped a Taunton receiver on a fourth down pass play and the Tigers got the ball at mid-field. McMillan got great blocking from his offensive line and scrambled for a 25 yd touchdown run. Unfortunately the QB keeper on the 2 pt. conversation was no good so OA was up by 22-16 with 5:30 left to play.
After another OA defensive stand lead by a key tackle-for-lose by Sam Kelly, the Taunton squad was forced to punt the ball to OA. The Tigers were driving into enemy territory when QB McMillan tripped as he turned to roll-out and fumbled the ball back to Taunton. They wasted no time scoring by using a combination of running plays and tied the game at 22-22 with 1:36 left in the game. The OA defense came through with a huge play on the 2-pt conversion as Joe Dixon and team stopped Taunton's big fullback to prevent the opposition from taking the lead. Nice job Joe!
With just over 1 minute remaining the OA Tigers used Ferrara on a screen, Johnson on a hitch and Schuster-Southern on a slant to move the ball into Taunton territory. McMillan next rolled-out to his right and found Johnson along the sideline on the 2 yard line for a 20 yd pass and this stopped the clock with 24 seconds remaining. After a running play, Johnson got the call again but was pushed from behind and the pass interference gave the Tigers a first and goal on the Taunton 1 yd line. After the last time out and conversation on the sideline, the Tigers had enough time for one play. McMillan took the snap and made a quick toss to Jordan Schuster-Southern and the big receiver grabbed the ball and held on for his 2nd TD and an exciting victory as the OA Tigers move their record to 5-1.
