KEY DRIVE
Despite dominating time of possession and forcing two turnovers in the first half, Oak Hill Academy only led Manchester Academy 13-6 at halftime. Coming out of the half, though, the Raiders unleashed a monster drive that set the tone for the victory. Taking the ball at its 34-yard line, Oak Hill Academy marched 66 yards for a touchdown, and chewed up more than half of the third quarter in the process. The 13-play drive spanned nearly seven minutes, and was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from junior Drew Riley, his third of the night. All 13 plays on the drive were on the ground.
“We felt like we had the advantage running the ball,” Drew Riley said. “We just kept going back to it over and over.”
KEY PLAY
Oak Hill Academy led 7-6 midway through the second quarter when coach Tony Stanford took a chance. Facing fourth-and-7 from the Manchester Academy 22, Oak Hill Academy sent out kicker John Willis Stevens for an apparent 39-yard field goal attempt. But when holder Ken Dill took the snap, he paused before flipping the ball over his head into the waiting arms of receiver Blake Thomas, who sprinted outside and gained 19 yards, giving the Raiders a first-and-goal at the Manchester Academy 3. Two plays later, Drew Riley scored his second touchdown to make it 13-6.
“We don’t have anybody that can kick it that far, so we had to do something,” joked Stanford of the fake field goal. “But, really, that’s a play we’ve practiced. We practice that play nearly every day, and Ken Dill flips that thing over his shoulder perfectly every single time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him miss. That ended up being a big play because we needed to score a touchdown in that situation.”
TURNING POINT
The second Oak Hill Academy took the ball from Manchester Academy for the first time, the Bulldogs trailed 6-0. But leaning on a physical offensive line and a running game that dominated the game, the Raiders used a 14-play drive to take the lead and never looked back.
“We worked on it all week,” Stanford said. “Our guys did a great job executing the game plan.”
UNSUNG HERO
Riley Pierce, Oak Hill Academy’s quarterback, showed great poise in leading the offense. Following a game plan that included bleeding the play clock from the opening drive, Pierce showed complete command of his team and added a 1-yard touchdown run.
DIFFERENCE-MAKERS
The Riley twins stole the show Friday night. Drew and Drake Riley combined for 34 of Oak Hill Academy’s 48 carries, and the brothers kept the chains moving all night.
“It felt great,” Drake Riley said. “Running the ball is such a big part of our offense, and that’s what we did well tonight.
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