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ENLARGE
Oakland's Curtis Tenbrook (43) is brought down by Riddle's Blake Barron (32) while D.J. McKenna assists in the first quarter in Riddle on Friday.
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ENLARGE
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Riddle's Auston Gill runs for a big gain in the second quarter against Oakland Friday night. Gill ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort.
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ENLARGE
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Oakland's Jessup Simmons leaps to catch a 15-yard reception from Kody Bendele at the Riddle 5-yard line Friday. The catch set up a touchdown run by Bendele and the Oakers went on to rally for a 23-19 win.
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RIDDLE — Friday night represented a turning point for both the Oakland and Riddle football teams.
Coming into their homecoming game mired in a three-game scoreless skid, the Irish quickly scored three touchdowns and appeared on their way to a needed victory. But the real turnaround coalesced for the Oakers, who rallied for a 23-19 win, their first in a season of perseverance.
Kody Bendele and Jessup Simmons sparked Oakland's comeback with three quick scoring drives, including a go-ahead TD with 8:51 to play. That all coincided with the ejection of quarterback Tylar Blansett, and Riddle was never able to answer after its lead evaporated.
“All season, we've stayed after it through the losses,” said coach Dallas Amer, who won 14 games in his first two seasons in Oakland, but had to wait until Week 6 for his 15th. “I've been telling the guys ‘the victory is in the effort.' Tonight, it showed on the scoreboard.”
For the Irish, the loss wasted a career night from sophomore running back Auston Gill, who ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Riddle outgained Oakland on the ground 219-137, but managed only 23 yards of offense in the final 16 minutes.
“In the second half, when they scored and gained some momentum, we kind of hung our heads,” said Gill, who had scoring runs of 34, 28 and 10 yards. “That's when it slipped away.”
Gill's third TD of the day gave the Irish a 19-8 lead early in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, Bendele hit Simmons for an 18-yard reception on third-and-long and again for a 15-yard gain to get into the red zone.
That's when Blansett, a sophomore two-way starter the last two seasons, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.
“He's our leader at quarterback and our middle linebacker, and had been playing well at both positions,” Riddle coach Russell Hobson said. “While that was hard to overcome, in the long run, Oakland outplayed us.”
Three plays after the ejection, Bendele scored on a fourth-and-goal from the 2 and Curtis Tenbrook added a 2-point conversion run to cut Riddle's lead to 19-16. Oakland's defense held the Irish to a five-play, 1-yard drive and quickly got the ball back at its own 37.
Freshman running back David Henry, who had a team-high 73 rushing yards, had several key runs on Oakland's go-ahead drive. Bendele converted a fourth-down conversion run, then hit Simmons for a 14-yard pass, setting up his own 3-yard TD run. It was the first time the Oakers had led all season.
“A lot of the credit goes to the defense and the offensive line,” said Bendele, who gained 132 yards of total offense. “We made some key conversions, kept the ball moving and that was the key.”
The teams traded punts, with Riddle getting the ball back on its own 25 with 4:25 to play. The Irish got to the 42, but were driven backwards on a fourth-and-7 play with 2:25, essentially ending the game. Freshman backup Erik Rogers had three passes dropped on a warm, moist night.
“It's a tough situation to put a freshman into, but really, it's not his responsibility to win the game,” Hobson said. “When Blansett went out, we were up two touchdowns. The defense had to make plays. Oakland played a great game and deserved to win.”
Simmons caught all five of Bendele's attempts for 85 receiving yards, including a 25-yard TD pass with 23 seconds before halftime that made it 13-8.
“We drew up a different offense this week into more of a power run, and as a receiver, I was a little bummed,” Simmons said. “But I wanted to contribute, even if it was just as a blocker, and it turned out to be my best receiving game yet.”
Riddle took command in the first half by scoring 13 points in the matter of 2 minutes. Defensive lineman Tanner Exceen intercepted Bendele late in the first quarter and returned it to the Oakland 35, setting up Gill's first TD run. The Irish recovered an onside kick, and five plays later Gill scored again to make it 13-0.
“Our O-line (David Love, Kyle Kremer, Zack Reid, Jacob Jeffries and Daryn McNeil) played the game of their lives,” Hobson said. “Playing against a stacked box, they got us some good-sized holes.”
For Oakland, the win comes too late for a third consecutive state playoff berth, but provided a boost for a team with only four seniors.
“All four of us seniors knew it would be a rebuilding year,” Bendele said. “We knew we just had to play as hard as we can. We want to bring these young players along, teach them some things and rebuild the program up again.”
• You can reach sports reporter Rob McCallum by e-mail at rmccallum@nrtoday.com, or by phone at 957-4221.
Oakland 0 8 8 7 — 0
Riddle 7 6 6 0 — 19
1st: R — Gill 34 run (Hanson kick). 2nd: R — Gill 28 run (kick failed); O — Simmons 25 pass from Bendele (Bendele run). 3rd: R — Gill 10 run (run failed); O — Bendele 2 run (Tenbrook run). 4th: O — Bendele run (Garoutte kick).
Oakl. Rid.
First Downs 12 13
Total Net Yards 222 246
Rushes-Yards 38-137 37-219
Passing Yards 85 27
Comp-Att-Int 5-8-1 2-6-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 3-2
Punts-Avg. 2-32.5 3-27.6
Penalties-Yards 1-5 5-50
Coming into their homecoming game mired in a three-game scoreless skid, the Irish quickly scored three touchdowns and appeared on their way to a needed victory. But the real turnaround coalesced for the Oakers, who rallied for a 23-19 win, their first in a season of perseverance.
Kody Bendele and Jessup Simmons sparked Oakland's comeback with three quick scoring drives, including a go-ahead TD with 8:51 to play. That all coincided with the ejection of quarterback Tylar Blansett, and Riddle was never able to answer after its lead evaporated.
“All season, we've stayed after it through the losses,” said coach Dallas Amer, who won 14 games in his first two seasons in Oakland, but had to wait until Week 6 for his 15th. “I've been telling the guys ‘the victory is in the effort.' Tonight, it showed on the scoreboard.”
For the Irish, the loss wasted a career night from sophomore running back Auston Gill, who ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Riddle outgained Oakland on the ground 219-137, but managed only 23 yards of offense in the final 16 minutes.
“In the second half, when they scored and gained some momentum, we kind of hung our heads,” said Gill, who had scoring runs of 34, 28 and 10 yards. “That's when it slipped away.”
Gill's third TD of the day gave the Irish a 19-8 lead early in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, Bendele hit Simmons for an 18-yard reception on third-and-long and again for a 15-yard gain to get into the red zone.
That's when Blansett, a sophomore two-way starter the last two seasons, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.
“He's our leader at quarterback and our middle linebacker, and had been playing well at both positions,” Riddle coach Russell Hobson said. “While that was hard to overcome, in the long run, Oakland outplayed us.”
Three plays after the ejection, Bendele scored on a fourth-and-goal from the 2 and Curtis Tenbrook added a 2-point conversion run to cut Riddle's lead to 19-16. Oakland's defense held the Irish to a five-play, 1-yard drive and quickly got the ball back at its own 37.
Freshman running back David Henry, who had a team-high 73 rushing yards, had several key runs on Oakland's go-ahead drive. Bendele converted a fourth-down conversion run, then hit Simmons for a 14-yard pass, setting up his own 3-yard TD run. It was the first time the Oakers had led all season.
“A lot of the credit goes to the defense and the offensive line,” said Bendele, who gained 132 yards of total offense. “We made some key conversions, kept the ball moving and that was the key.”
The teams traded punts, with Riddle getting the ball back on its own 25 with 4:25 to play. The Irish got to the 42, but were driven backwards on a fourth-and-7 play with 2:25, essentially ending the game. Freshman backup Erik Rogers had three passes dropped on a warm, moist night.
“It's a tough situation to put a freshman into, but really, it's not his responsibility to win the game,” Hobson said. “When Blansett went out, we were up two touchdowns. The defense had to make plays. Oakland played a great game and deserved to win.”
Simmons caught all five of Bendele's attempts for 85 receiving yards, including a 25-yard TD pass with 23 seconds before halftime that made it 13-8.
“We drew up a different offense this week into more of a power run, and as a receiver, I was a little bummed,” Simmons said. “But I wanted to contribute, even if it was just as a blocker, and it turned out to be my best receiving game yet.”
Riddle took command in the first half by scoring 13 points in the matter of 2 minutes. Defensive lineman Tanner Exceen intercepted Bendele late in the first quarter and returned it to the Oakland 35, setting up Gill's first TD run. The Irish recovered an onside kick, and five plays later Gill scored again to make it 13-0.
“Our O-line (David Love, Kyle Kremer, Zack Reid, Jacob Jeffries and Daryn McNeil) played the game of their lives,” Hobson said. “Playing against a stacked box, they got us some good-sized holes.”
For Oakland, the win comes too late for a third consecutive state playoff berth, but provided a boost for a team with only four seniors.
“All four of us seniors knew it would be a rebuilding year,” Bendele said. “We knew we just had to play as hard as we can. We want to bring these young players along, teach them some things and rebuild the program up again.”
• You can reach sports reporter Rob McCallum by e-mail at rmccallum@nrtoday.com, or by phone at 957-4221.
Oakland 0 8 8 7 — 0
Riddle 7 6 6 0 — 19
1st: R — Gill 34 run (Hanson kick). 2nd: R — Gill 28 run (kick failed); O — Simmons 25 pass from Bendele (Bendele run). 3rd: R — Gill 10 run (run failed); O — Bendele 2 run (Tenbrook run). 4th: O — Bendele run (Garoutte kick).
Oakl. Rid.
First Downs 12 13
Total Net Yards 222 246
Rushes-Yards 38-137 37-219
Passing Yards 85 27
Comp-Att-Int 5-8-1 2-6-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 3-2
Punts-Avg. 2-32.5 3-27.6
Penalties-Yards 1-5 5-50
