BUT STILL WHIPS FERN CREEK, 35-19
Buckner, KY – The Colonels of Oldham County finally got a chance to play at home. After opening the season with four straight games on the road – at South Oldham, Shelby County, Central, and Trinity – the Colonels began a four-game home stand against the Tigers of Fern Creek.
The game was attended by a large crowd of Oldham and Tiger fans. Unlike most games, however, the mood prior to the game was somber, as the two teams gathered near midfield to participate in a 15-minute service in in memory of the victims of the New York and Washington, D.C. terrorist attacks and in honor of the rescue workers.
Fern Creek came into the game with a 1-0 district slate, having beaten South Oldham, 24-0, just two weeks earlier. Oldham was 1-1 after a loss to district favorite Trinity the week before. Both teams saw the game as crucial to their playoff hopes.
Oldham coach Mike Jackson worried before the game of the impact the New York and Washington tragedies might have on his troops. With no precedent, the Colonel mentor had no way to gauge the reaction his team would have on the field.
The Colonels started off well, taking the opening kickoff and picking up three quick first downs. Miles Brewer gained 15 yards on his first carry of the game, Brent Gibbs lined up at fullback and got a rare carry, gaining 13 yards, and Derek Miller’s first pass of the game went to Donta Smith for 14 yards. But the opening drive stalled just inside Tiger territory, and Oldham County was forced to punt.
After Fern Creek went three-and-out on their first two series, Oldham County got the ball in good field position near mid-field. Shortly afterward, the Colonels got on the board first when Josh Riordan took a double-handoff and raced down the middle of the field for 49 yards and a touchdown. Chris Thompson’s point after made it 7-0.
The Oldham defense forced another punt on the Tigers’ next possession, but Fern Creek punter Eric Boley put the Colonels in a hole inside their own 20. Forced to punt on his goal line, Oldham punter Bill Hyer’s kick was blocked at the Oldham five, and the Tigers scored on their first play from scrimmage, a five yard sneak by quarterback Will Jacobs. The point after failed, leaving Oldham with narrow one-point lead.
Oldham County started their ensuing possession at their own 14, and began to piece together a long drive. However, after gaining a first down on a long run, Brewer was stripped of the ball at the Fern Creek 25. The ball bounced to the Creek 20, where the Tigers recovered it to kill the threat.
Fern Creek moved the ball to midfield as the half neared a close, but on third and eleven, a sack by Brent Gibbs ended the drive. When Fern Creek tried to punt, the Colonels – who had pressured Boley all night, resulting in a number of short punts – finally got to him, and Jason Rimmer blocked the kick. Oldham recovered at the Fern Creek 25, and on the very next play, Miller found Donta Smith in the end zone on a 25 yard touchdown pass. The Tigers, playing Donta man-to-man on the play with their own star wide receiver / defensive back, 6’5" sophomore Mario Urrutia, had to live with the knowledge that Urrutia covered Smith about as well as he could have been defended. Donta simply made an amazing, one-handed catch in the end zone.
Oldham got another chance to score before the half ended. On fourth down at their own 34, Fern Creek opted to try to run out the clock with a play from scrimmage in lieu of risking another blocked punt deep in their own territory. But the pitch out from Jacobs was fumbled, and although the Tigers recovered the bobble, Oldham got the ball on downs at the Fern Creek 24 yard line with 13 seconds left in the half.
With time enough for two passes into the end zone, the Creek defense covered the receivers and flushed Miller out of the pocket. Although he ran for 9 yards, the half came to a close with Oldham County at the Tiger 15.
The news was mixed at the break. Leading 14-6, Oldham already had 216 yards in total offense, Miller was a perfect five for five passing, and seven runners had combined for 116 yards rushing. But the Colonels had fumbled away one scoring opportunity, racked up costly penalties (they would finish with a whopping 13 penalties for 110 yards), had a punt blocked, and mis-managed the game clock at the end of the half.
Defensively, the Colonels had pretty much shut down the Tigers, with the only Fern Creek score coming on a five yard "drive" after the blocked punt.
The defense continued their mastery of the Tigers as the second half began, forcing Fern Creek to go three and out. Oldham then appeared to pull ahead when Brad Koenig dashed 49 yards to paydirt, only to see the score come off the board on a penalty. The Colonels followed up the missed touchdown by fumbling the ball to Fern Creek just moments later.
The Tigers promptly marched downfield, scoring with 7:07 showing in the third when Will Jacobs hit Dwight Johnson for a seven yard touchdown pass. The Tigers went for two points on the conversion attempt to tie, but Jacobs was pulled down in the backfield for a loss, leaving the score, 14-12.
The next six minutes belonged to Oldham County, though, as the Colonels shocked the Tigers with two straight scores, including one from the defense.
It started on the ensuing possession, as Oldham County took nearly 4 ½ minutes off the clock, ultimately getting into the end zone with 2:31 showing in the third on a 29 yard pass from Miller to Koenig. Thompson’s kick made it 21-12.
Barely over a minute later, with Fern Creek driving near mid-field, Will Jacobs tried to fight for extra yardage in the middle of the line. The ball popped loose behind the line of scrimmage, and Jason Rimmer scooped it up for the Colonels. Rimmer dashed 52 yards, untouched, for the score. The snap was poor on the point after, and although Thompson got the kick off, it pulled left. Still, the Colonels led, 27-12 with 1:16 in the third.
The Tigers got back into the game thanks to a big play of their own on the next drive. Moving the ball just past midfield, Jacobs found Johnson on a short sideline pattern that Johnson turned into a 45 yard touchdown. Boley’s kick pulled the Tigers to within a touchdown and a two point conversion at 27-19 with 11:10 left in the game.
The final 11:10 was frantic, as both teams went all-out to secure their second district win.
After an Oldham punt, Fern Creek started at their own 32 with about 9:00 showing on the clock. Moments later, however, Jason Rimmer recovered his second fumble of the night at the Tiger 42. With 6:45 showing on the clock, Oldham began the drive that looked to finally put away the pesky Tigers. When Donta Smith ran the ball in from five yards out, the game appeared over, but for the second time, a score came off the board due to a penalty. In an eerie replay of the earlier miscue, the Colonels again followed the penalty by fumbling the ball to the Tigers, this time on an errant snap from center.
The two teams traded punts, but the Colonels were able to maintain field position. Oldham got a break on their punt, when Colonel punter Bill Hyer briefly fumbled the ball. He still got the kick away, which took an Oldham bounce to inside the ten yard line of Fern Creek. Due to the momentary delay caused by the bobble, two Colonels had time to get downfield, where they were waiting to pounce on the ball at the Fern Creek seven.
With time running out, the Tigers moved the ball out beyond their 20, but on a fourth-and-four play, Jacobs threw the ball right into the hands of Donta Smith, who returned it to the Tiger 24. On the first play from scrimmage, Brewer took a handoff and swept around the right end for a 24 yard touchdown to put the game out of reach with 1:36 showing in the contest. The snap from center was on the ground on the point after attempt, but holder Brad Keonig picked the football up, rolled around the right end, and hit Donta Smith in the end zone for a two-point conversion, making the score, 35-19.
The Tigers’ last-gasp drive died on downs at the fifty yard line with 1:10 left, and Oldham County then ran out the clock.
Oldham County improves to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the district. Fern Creek falls to 1-3 and 1-1.
NEXT GAME: Friday, 9/21/01 Oldham County vs. #11 Danville Admirals One of the richest football traditions in the state, the Admirals have made a habit of beating everyone and lost to the state’s #1-ranked team (Boyle County) by a score of just 24-21. The Colonels shouldn’t be in awe, though, having already played St. X and Trinity, and having scrimmaged Louisville Male. This will be Colonels’ last non-district game before wrapping up the season with four straight district matchups.
WYKY 105.7 FM pregame 7:00 pm, kickoff at 7:30 pm
OTHER DISTRICT SCORES:
Shelby County 23, South Oldham 15 The Rockets make it three straight wins over the Dragons, with each game decided by eight points or less.
Trinity 44, Ballard 12 In the Brohm vs. Ahrens air show, the better supporting cast won.
Eastern 43, Jeffersontown 10 The Eagles get their first victory of the season. It won’t be their last. Eastern is the Colonels’ next District opponent, coming up in two weeks.
District Standings (District records only)
Trinity 3-0
Oldham County 2-1
Ballard 1-1
Fern Creek 1-1
Shelby County 1-1
Eastern 1-1
South Oldham 0-2
Jeffersontown 0-2
UNOFFICIAL WYKY 105.7 FM STATS
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Individual stats (unofficial):
Rushing
Brewer, 15 carries – 106 yards, 1 TD
Riordan, 1-49, 1 TD
Smith, 1-30
Osborne, 5-20
Gibbs, 1-13
Koenig, 1-3
Miller, 12-(-38)
Passing
Miller, 12-14-0, 2 TDs
Smith, 1-1-0
Receiving
Smith 8-149, 1 TD
Keonig, 4-63, 1 TD
Brewer, 1-11
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