OCHS Sports

OC vs. Fellowship Christian ­– OC traveled to Roswell to face the Fellowship Christian Paladins for the Patriots third game of the season.  Despite the Atlanta traffic, the fact that the band couldn’t play due to a noise ordinance and the handicap of having to play on a turf field (just kidding there), OC came away winners defeating the Paladins 43-20.

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            OC won the toss and elected to receive.  FC kicked off but it was a squib type kick that was hard to handle and FC recovered the ball.  As a result FC didn’t take long to put the ball in the end zone.  Their kicker put it through the uprights and the score was 7-0 Paladins.

            On the ensuing kickoff Taylor Liedberg fielded another squib kick from the Paladins and lost the ball when FC’s #53’s helmet knocked the ball out of Liedberg’s grasp.  Paladins recovered on the OC 40.  On the first play of this series FC ran the ball to the end zone for an apparent touchdown but it was called back for a holding penalty.  FC’s next play resulted in an intentional grounding penalty against FC’s quarterback.  They had to move back to the 45 and lost the down setting up an obvious pass play which John Mathews intercepted for OC. 

            The Patriot’s offence finally had the ball for the first time in the game on their own 25 yard line.  OC would move the ball out to their 41 yard line when Anthony Thornton got the call around the right side and ran all the way to the end zone for OC’s first points of the game.  Griffin Giles would make the PAT and the score was tied at 7 each.

Anthony Thornton gaining yards.

            On the kickoff Giles would put the ball in the end for a touchback which gave FC the ball on the 20.  FC would take a couple two or three plays then would pitch out to their running back who scampered 60 yards for the Paladin’s second touchdown of the quarter. 

            On the kickoff OC would mishandle the ball and lose it to FC for the third time of the quarter giving them the ball on their 42.  But to illustrate how a game can turn on a dime, FC fumbled and Jay Fleming picked it up for a 40 yard touchdown with 1:07 left in the quarter tying the score 14-14.

            Following another touchback kickoff by Giles FC would make a thirty yard reception putting the ball deep in OC territory.  FC would move the ball to OC’s 4 yard line but OC’s defense got tough and held forcing the turnover on downs.      

Tanner Bowman after his touchdown.

            OC, starting on the 4 got a procedure penalty which moved the ball back to the three.  But OC’s offense started moving the ball 4 and 5 yards at a pop.  Once OC got a first down on the 17 Thornton got a 20 yard gain to the 37 yard line.  Two plays later, OC quarterback Kendrick Presley would run through FC’s defense for an apparent 45 yard touchdown.  However, a holding penalty would bring it back.  Nevertheless, after the penalty assessment, which put the ball on our 48, Presley would complete his first pass of the game to Jarrett McElheney on FC’s 35.  On the next play Presley, on a keeper, would get all the way down to the Paladins 15 yard line for a first down.  Presley would keep the ball again and finish off the remaining 15 yards for OC’s third touchdown of the game.  Giles came in for the PAT but that was a fake and Fleming scored 2 points for OC.

            FC would not be able to move the ball after the kickoff.  FC tried some razzle dazzle on the punt but in the end OC would get the ball with less than a minute left on the clock.  On the first play from scrimmage Presley would dump a little pass to Fleming over the middle and Fleming would run all the way down to the Paladin 16 yard line.  With just seconds remaining OC did a play action pass fake which gave Presley a hole in the line.  Presley’s short 16 yard run put another touchdown on the board for the Patriots.  Giles would make the PAT and at halftime the score was 29-14.

            The third quarter was interesting in that FC would earn 5 first downs to OC’s 0 yet not score a single point.  Inopportune penalties and another opportune interception by Mathews would put a stopper in any scoring chances the Paladins had made for themselves. 

            In the 4^th quarter FC would score and attempted a 2 point conversion but that failed.  On the kickoff, which was like the other hard to handle kickoff’s OC’s Giles was able to handle the ball mainly because, as he said, it bounced right into his chest and he curled up around it.  OC would not be able to make any hay with this possession and would give the ball up on downs on the FC 20.

The most important statistic.

            FC would run three plays and then try a fake punt play on 4^th and 20.  OC wasn’t ready for it but the Paladins would not gain enough yards for the first down and OC took over on the FC 25.

            OC would get thrown for a loss back to the 31.  The second play from scrimmage saw Presley run for OC’s 5^th touchdown of the game.  Giles would again good for the PAT.   With 3:09 left in the game the score was OC 36-20. 

            FC returned Giles’s kickoff to the 30.  On 3^rd and 8 the Paladin QB ran right for a pass throwing it short and Giles intercepted giving OC the ball on FC’s 30 with about 2 minutes left in the game.  Presley would give fullback Tanner Bowman the ball on the first play from scrimmage.  Bowman, who would not be denied, ran up the middle through the FC defense to score OC’s final touchdown of the game.  Giles’s PAT closed out the scoring at 43-20.

            On the night OC only had 8 first downs to FC’s 15; OC lost the ball to fumbles twice on the first two kickoffs and recovered one and OC had three interceptions.   Presley was 2 for 3 passing, and both teams had a bunch of penalty yardage.  However, where it counts, the score on the board, OC scored twice in the first, second and fourth quarter.  

Hey, it was in the parking lot.

            Despite the win, Coach Milligan was somewhat disappointed, “I’d hope to get some of the younger guys some playing time tonight.  Yeah, we won, but it was ugly.” 

            OC is now 2-1 going into the region portion of the schedule.  The Pats have a week off next week before they take on Georgia Military (0-2 2012, 0-9 2011) at home on Friday, September 28^th for Homecoming.

            You can see all the pictures here:  http://hdgp.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8677417