OA vs. Pembroke: Keys to a Tiger Victory

Tonight, the Davenport Division champion Oliver Ames football team (6-4 overall) will look to pull off an upset against undefeated Pembroke (10-0) – the winners of the Patriot League’s Fisher Division – in the Division 3 Eastern Massachusetts semifinals. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Franklin High School.

The winner will play at Gillette Stadium for the EMass title game on Saturday.

With their backs against the wall , the Tigers fought through adversity and showed resiliency in a pivotal the very next week before capping things off with a decisive over Sharon to clinch the Small Hock.

The Tigers will look to build off that momentum through the arm of senior quarterback Jared Schneider, who earned MVP honors for his performance against Sharon, and the running game of Sam Langston and Carlton Williamson against a tough Pembroke defense.

Unlike OA, Pembroke cruised its way to a league title and earned its first Turkey Day win over Silver Lake. The Titans, coached by former Whitman-Hanson head coach Bob Bamcroft (third season at Pembroke), are led by senior running back Jon Hooper, who leads Division 3 in touchdowns with 18.

The Tigers could possess some matchup problems for the Titans.

Defensively, OA, which allows just 16.5 points per game (good for second in the division) had its way with the run oriented Sharon, holding them to a little over 100 yards of total offense. The game before, the Tiger ‘D’ was opportunistic, taking the ball away from Stoughton on several occasions and helping the offense generate some points by providing great field position.

Offensively, OA has been improving in recent weeks, averaging 21.6 points per game - tops in the Davenport.

Pembroke, meanwhile, led the small division of the Patriot League in scoring offense (averaging 25.5 points per contest) and defense (giving up 12.3 per game).

This has the makings of an entertaining contest. With that in mind, here are the keys to an OA victory.

Chew up the clock

Similar to the Thanksgiving games, the MIAA institutes 10-minute quarters during the playoffs. Therefore, there are more opportunities for lengthy drives to keep opposing offenses off the field.

For OA, this trend has worked often in its six victories. Look for the Tigers to do the same and keep the Pembroke offense on the sidelines.

Create opportunities on ‘D’

The OA defense has been at its best when they are opportunistic. Against Pembroke, they will need to do the same.

Look for OA to put several men in the box to stop Hooper and the Pembroke running game. If successful, OA could force Pembroke out of its comfort zone and force quarterback Luke Nagle into passing situations.

Focus on task at hand

The OA football program made history last week winning its first league title since 1968. That is now a thing of the past, however.

On Tuesday, the Tigers’ focus will clearly be on pulling off the upset to earn a berth in the Eastern Mass. championship game.

OA will have full coverage of tonight's game with a live blog. Be sure to check in if you can't make it to Franklin.