OXFORD — Kris Pickle was frank earlier this week when he said his New Hope High School football team has nothing to lose when it faced Oxford in a pivotal Class 5A, Region 1 game.
After all, Oxford entered the game ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 5A. The Chargers also are considered a favorite to come out of the North to play for a state title for a second-consecutive season, so Pickle believed all the pressure would be on coach Johnny Hill’s squad.
On the other hand, Pickle, who is in his first year, has a program that won only four games last season back on track and in the thick of the playoff hunt.
For three quarters Friday night, the Trojans showed they are deserving of their state ranking of No. 10 as they stayed within two scores of the Chargers. But Oxford controlled the clock in the second half and bottled up New Hope on offense en route to a 42-21 victory at Bobby Holcomb Field.
Oxford seized the momentum in the second half by recovering on onside kick. The move helped the Chargers prevent the Trojans from getting back on the field after they had scored the final eight points of the first half to take a 25-21 lead. A chop block penalty wiped out an Oxford score, while a delay of game penalty forced the Chargers back another 5 yards that proved to be the difference in a missed 38-yard field goal.
“We practiced (onside kicks) all week long,” Pickle said. “We knew they were going to kick it all over the place and onside kick it here and there. We had an inexperienced guy who just made an inexperienced mistake. You can’t hang your hat over it too much. It is stuff we have to get corrected and we will get corrected this week.”
The teams then exchanged three-and-outs before Oxford took control with another timely call. Faced with a fourth-and-2 from its 42-yard line, Oxford lined up to punt but snapped the football to Michael Mcghee, one of three upbacks. The 6-foot, 230-pound senior linebacker used second effort to get 3 yards for the first down.
“The drive they scored on took the life out of us,” Pickle said. “It is hard to come back once the momentum shifts on you. I think on offense we kind of let our guard down a little bit when they scored that touchdown. That is what we have to learn from as a team, to rebound and to rally once that happens.”
One play later, Kenzie Phillips (22 carries, 146 yards) broke through an arm tackle and rumbled 60 yards for a touchdown. The extra point with 2 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the quarter gave Oxford a 32-21 lead.
Still, New Hope had plenty of time. Unfortunately, Sisson threw the second of his three interceptions at the start of the fourth quarter. New Hope received a break, though, as Phillips fumbled for the Chargers’ third turnover of the game. But the Trojans lost 4 yards on three plays and had to punt.
“In the second half, we just didn’t execute on offense,” Pickle said. “We had 21 in the first half and we had 21 at the end of the game.
“They started sending pressure. They can say what they want to. Overpursue, not overpursue. I am sure they were a little bit, but, at the end of the day, we’re still going to have to block them. When they do that, we have to make plays in the passing game. We did at times, but what killed us were the penalties.”
Pickle then offered his assessment of the officiating crew that whistled seven personal fouls in the first half (four on New Hope) and three more on the Trojans in the second half.
“It is the worst officiated game I have ever been a part of in high school football,” Pickle said. “I don’t know how many penalties there were, but I am going to say there probably were close to 25 penalties, and you can’t play a football game with 25 penalties.”
New Hope was whistled for 14 penalties for 148 yards, while Oxford was called for 13 for 140. Those totals don’t reflect other penalties that were declined or that were offsetting.
“I am not one to complain, and they’re a good football team and they are coached well, but you can’t battle officiating,” Pickle said. “You can’t battle a turnover down here that we pick the ball off and they wave it off and they end up scoring off that. They end up scoring two or three touchdowns off what were questionable calls. It seemed like every questionable call went their way. I am not belly-aching or complaining. It is what it is.
“But, at the end of the day, we just didn’t make the plays. I told the guys at the end of the game they made one more play than us.”
New Hope gained only 34 yards in the second half. The Trojans had only three first downs in the second half. That effort erased a strong first half that featured a 92-yard touchdown run by junior running back Brenton Spann, a 1-yard scoring pass from Sisson to T.J. Stephens, and a 2-yard touchdown run by C.J. Clay. Unfortunately, Sisson also was whistled for two intentional grounding penalties in the end zone, which gave Oxford four points that accounted for the halftime margin.
The loss dropped New Hope into a tie with West Point for second place in the region. New Hope will play host to Lewisburg (4-5, 1-3) this week and travel to West Point next week for a game that likely will decide which teams will get the No. 2 seed and the right to play host to a first-round North State playoff game. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will have to go on the road. New Hope will close the regular season against Saltillo (2-2).
Oxford will close the regular season against Center Hill and Lake Cormorant. Hill said he wasn’t sure if junior quarterback Jack Abraham would be back next week.
“We are right where we want to be,” Hill said. “We have no losses (in the region). West Point and New Hope have one loss (in the region). What we need is two wins in the next three games and we will win it.”
The loss left Pickle with a week to see how his team responds from the most adversity it has faced this season. He can take solace in the fact Hill liked what he saw from the Trojans.
“They played hard and played smart,” Hill said. “The running back is a junior, unfortunately, so we are going to have to see him again next year. The special teams are good. Everything they do you can see they have really done a good job. You can see he has them believing in themselves. That is a lot of it. Those kids fought for four quarters.”
That didn’t ease the sting of the loss or the bitter taste Pickle had in his mouth after the game.
“I think as the game went on and as the momentum shifted, we kind of got on our heels on our own,” Pickle said. “At the beginning of the game, we were taking it to them. I think at the end we finished the game on our heels. It is not something they did, it is just a choice we made as an individual and as a player. You have to carry that intensity level all the way through. We let our guard down, and when we did that they hit us in the mouth a little bit.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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