Sports
OA Football Wins Davenport Title with Decisive Thanksgiving Win Over Sharon
After a 42-year drought between league titles, the Tigers brought it home with a 34-8 victory over Sharon on Thanksgiving
After its loss to Canton two weeks ago, very few thought that the Oliver Ames football team would be in position to capture the Davenport Division crown heading into Stoughton the very next week. But when the Tigers came away with the upset, they took control of their own destiny in their 42nd all-time Thanksgiving Day matchup with Sharon.
On Thursday, OA capitalized on its opportunities and earned the Small Hock crown – snapping a 42-year drought between league titles – in a 34-8 victory at Sharon high school.
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“We gave ourselves no wiggle room after the loss to Canton and knew we had to win two in a row to clinch the Davenport,” said OA coach Jim Artz. “We knew what we had to do going in [against Stoughton last week] and we came through at the end.”
Even after a win against Stoughton, OA senior captain Alex Tepper wanted to make sure that this was not his last football game in his high school career.
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"I came in really fired up,” said Tepper “Our backs were against the wall and this could have been our last football game. But we were able to come away with the win and capture the Davenport, which is great.”
Thanks to junior wide receiver/defensive back Mike McMillan, the Tigers dictated the tempo from the beginning.
On Sharon’s first possession, McMillan intercepted a pass from Sharon quarterback Caleb Pilitch-Loeb and returned it 42 yards to the Sharon 45-yard line. The very next play, quarterback Jared Schneider connected with McMillan for a 45-yard touchdown to give OA the quick 7-0 advantage following Ryan McGrath’s extra point.
Although Schneider earned MVP honors for his performance – 11-of-19, 199 yards, 1 touchdown – the senior was quick to credit McMillan.
“It’s got to be the best game I’ve probably seen him play,” Schneider said about McMillan. “He came up huge with the pick and I came right back to him on the very next play for a touchdown so that was cool.”
Even with the MVP, the Davenport championship is more rewarding for Schneider.
“I’m at a loss for words,” he said. “It’s what we worked for all year long.”
The Eagles’ only score came with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard run from senior Jake Rotman and a two-point conversion from Eric Lesser to Jared Fogel after a high snap during the extra point.
By that point, however, the damage was too significant.
“It took the wind out of us,” said first-year Sharon coach Dave Morse, whose team ended its season at 4-6. “That’s the thing with football. It’s a crazy game of emotions and ups and downs and momentum. We blew an assignment [on the touchdown pass] and that’s my fault.
“It is what it is and good teams will bounce back from that and we didn’t throughout the game. That was the difference.”
Morse, who improved his team by three wins in his first season, hopes his team has a bright outlook going forward.
“I can’t guarantee anything about the future. It depends on the hard work and who shows up to play,” he said. “Obviously today we had 11 guys out there just like they did and we didn’t execute and they did. I am optimistic. I hope we pull together and improve on this year, but, we’ll see what happens in the off-season.”
The duo of senior running backs Sam Langston and Carlton Williamson helped OA keep the momentum going combining for 164 yards for 21 carries and three touchdowns. Langston (12 carries, 120 yards) scored from 8 and 17 yards out in the first two quarters, while Williamson (9 carries, 44 yards) scored a 17-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Kicker Ryan McGrath added two field goals from 30 and 27 yards and was 2-for-3 on extra point attempts.
With one accomplishment in the books, OA turns its attention to undefeated Pembroke (10-0), the winners of the Patriot League Fisher’s Division, Tuesday night in Franklin. The winner will head to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough for the Division 3 Super Bowl next Saturday.
“All year long our goal was to make it to Gillette,” Schneider said. “Winning the Small Hock was a great feeling, but we have to get back to work. We have a game against Pembroke – a great football team – on Tuesday night and we have to prepare for that.”