Big Play Defense Boosts Oakdale Over Harriman 42-22

By Terry Futrell

The Oakdale defense stepped up big time in the Eagles’ 42-22 victory over the Harriman Blue Devils Friday evening. The Eagles picked off three Harriman passes, returning one 95 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles also recovered three Blue Devil fumbles, running one back 68 yards for a touchdown. The victory guaranteed a spot in postseason play for the Eagles.

Offensively, Oakdale put up 260 yards, compared to 183 yards for the Blue Devils. But there was a third offense on the field, the Oakdale defense, which also racked up 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Neither team moved the ball effectively until late in the first quarter. The Blue Devils took possession on their own 48 after an Oakdale punt and drove deep into the Oakdale red zone. On the second play of the second quarter, Oakdale’s Joseph Summers picked off a Harriman pass at the 5-yard line and raced the length of the field for a 95-yard Eagle touchdown at 11:31 on the clock. A few seconds later on Harriman’s first play of the series, Timmy Holder recovered a Blue Devil fumble at the Harriman 20-yard line. After a false start penalty on Oakdale, quarterback Elisha Davis hit Nehemiah Cooney in the end zone for a 25-yard Eagle touchdown with 11:10 on the clock.

Harriman went 3 and out on their next series, and the Eagles began driving from their own 27-yard line. After several successful runs by Holder and Hunter Boyer, Davis ran for 32 yards, and then punched the ball into the end zone from the 6-yard line with 6:52 on the clock. The Eagles went up 21-0.

Beginning on their own 40, Harriman was finally able to put together a successful drive that culminated in a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Pelfrey to Tahdarius Boyd with 2:55 left in the half.

Harriman intercepted Davis on Oakdale’s next series, but three plays later Holder picked up a Harriman fumble and ran 68 yards for another Oakdale touchdown with 1:49 on the clock. The Eagles took a 28-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Harriman’s first series of the second half was short-lived as Oakdale’s Hunter Boyer intercepted Pelfrey’s pass on the very first play. Oakdale quickly reciprocated and gave the ball back to the Blue Devils on a fumble recovered by Harriman at the Oakdale 31-yard line. Seven plays later, Pelfrey found Grayson Kreis in the back of the end zone to put the Blue Devils on the board at 8:11 of the third quarter. After a successful 2-point conversion, Oakdale’s lead was cut to 28-14.

Later in the third quarter, Oakdale gave up the ball on a bad snap at their own 41-yard line. Harriman recovered the fumble, and an Oakdale penalty gave the Blue Devils the ball at the Oakdale 14-yard line. After another Oakdale penalty for holding, Harriman’s Travis Frazier took the ball into the end zone from 8 yards out. After another successful 2-point conversion, the Blue Devil’s cut Oakdale’s lead to 28-22 with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Oakdale took the kickoff at their own 44-yard line and moved the ball in six plays to the Harriman 7-yard line. Nehemiah Cooney ran the ball into the end zone for an Oakdale touchdown. The Eagles expanded their lead to 35-22 with 59 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The Eagle defense shut down the Blue Devils who went 3 and out. Oakdale took over at their own 45-yard line to begin the fourth quarter. Oakdale quickly advanced the ball to the Harriman 22-yard line. From there, Holder raced into the end zone for the final score of the game at 9:19 of the fourth quarter as the Eagles took a 42-22 lead.

Oakdale’s Davis completed 4 of 11 passes for 67 yards and one touchdown with one interception. The Eagles rushed 34 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns. For Harriman, Pelfrey completed 12 of 34 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. The Blue Devils rushed 23 times for 51 yards and one touchdown.