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Sports
A unique victory : Sports : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisA unique victory
| Oswego East' offense gets job done in two quarters over Rich South
| by Kristin Sharp
| 9/1/2011
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Oswego East senior quarterback Dakoda Skenandore stood on the sidelines and watched the entire first quarter tick away last Friday as Rich South took the opening kickoff and marched 89 yards in 12 minutes.
The Stars eventually scored on their first possession of the second quarter on senior quarterback Parish Voss' 9-yard pass to junior Dahmeer Jackson to cap off a 98-yard drive that took 12:01 off the game clock.
"What was going through my mind was 'Oh boy, here we go again' but I was trying to stay positive as best I could," Skenandore said. "As soon as we got out there, (Chris) Cooper ran for a (34)-yard gain and right away I knew it was going to be a great game."
On Oswego East's first play from scrimmage, Cooper - a junior running back making his varsity debut - took the handoff from Skenandore and raced 34 yards into Rich South territory.
Cooper touched the ball five more times before reaching the end zone on first-and-goal from the 7. Junior kicker Cooper Fell's extra point kick went wide left, but with 7:48 remaining in the first half, the Wolves tied the game at 6.
"I've never seen that before," Oswego East head coach Mark Green said of Rich South playing through the entire first quarter. "We came back and although we missed the extra point, it was what we thought we could do offensively against them. We didn't anticipate not running an offensive play until the second quarter, but we forced a fumble down at the 20-yard line that we didn't get and you have to give Rich South credit. They converted third downs and fourth downs on that drive. ... But we were able to bounce back."
And the Oswego East defensive unit bounced back as well, holding Rich South to three-and-out on its next series and giving up just six more points for the remainder of the game as the Wolves went on to celebrate a 27-12 victory in their season opener.
"Our kids got used to the speed of the game a little bit," Green said. "Being a first-week opponent that we've never played before, you never really know what to expect. They ran things differently than what we scouted, so the kids did a good job adjusting on the fly."
Oswego East (1-0) capitalized on its second possession of the game, going 62 yards on eight plays to reach the end zone again. Although the Wolves were pushed back by an unsportsmanlike penalty, two plays later junior Sean Kennedy roped in a Skenandore pass in traffic for a huge 41-yard gain to put Oswego East at the Stars 9.
"We're connecting really well," said Skenandore, who threw for 118 yards on 11 of 14 passing. "I know everyone's speed and where everyone will be. I can trust them."
Cooper gained 6 yards before reaching the end zone for a second time in the night - this one on a 3-yard plunge across the goal line. Fell's kick was good and Oswego East took the lead, 13-6.
"We worked together as a team and we worked on what we did at practice," Cooper said. "I've been working to start, and it was a great opportunity. A lot of weight definitely came off. We got the first touchdown and felt we could run a little more. It gave us some confidence."
But moments later, Rich South junior Brian Mays took the ensuing kickoff and raced 98 yards for the touchdown. The two-point pass play failed, and Oswego East maintained its 13-12 lead.
Oswego East junior Chase Skenandore showcased his track and field talents on the Stars' kickoff, returning the ball 50 yards to the Rich South 45 and another Wolves' scoring drive was underway.
Senior fullback Seth Adams converted on third-and-1 for a first down at the 28 and Oswego East was aided by an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Stars. Two plays later, sophomore Branden Lowe scored on a 14-yard run with 21 seconds remaining in the first half.
Fell's kick was good, and Oswego East would take a 20-12 lead into halftime.
Oswego East was held to three-and-out on the first play of the second half, but the Wolves' defense was effective in stopping the Stars once again. Junior linebacker Gunnar Mlsna made a big tackle on second down, senior defensive back Joe Marchert deflected a Voss pass and Rich South sent its punt team out on third-and-9. But the Stars were given new life on a roughing the kicker penalty. But a 1-yard gain and two incomplete passes forced Rich South to eventually punt.
Oswego East capitalized on its next series, going 77 yards on 13 plays for a touchdown and a 27-12 lead. Lowe (60 yards, 11 carries) broke through a hole for a 16-yard run on first down and Dakoda Skenandore completed four passes for 17 yards. Cooper scored from the 11-yard line for his third TD of the game with nine seconds left in the third quarter, and Fell's kick was good.
Cooper, who finished with 137 yards on 22 carries, and Lowe - listed on the sophomore roster in the game program - carried the load in the backfield last Friday as senior veteran running back Jake Aceret stood on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason scrimmage.
"I think the most important thing is they held onto the football," Green said. "We didn't have any turnovers, and that's to their credit. It was a hard-hitting football game."
Rich South fumbled its kickoff return and Oswego East recovered at the 15, but the Wolves were unable to capitalize despite a 44-yard reception by senior tight end Ryan Kossakowski.
Marchert helped stall Rich South's next drive, intercepting Voss near midfield. Oswego East was held to three-and-out after a holding call, but senior corner Johnny Perry intercepted Voss with 50 seconds remaining in the game to help seal the Wolves' victory.
"It comes down to turnovers and big plays," Rich South head coach Eric Gomez said. "We had opportunities to make big plays. They caused a fumble, interceptions. We couldn't stop their run. They just beat us on the line and that's basically the game. If you can't stop the run game, you're not going to win. I thought they played a good game. They were fairly mistake-free. I thought coach Green's team looked really good in the first game."
Oswego East now prepares for its first road game of the season, traveling to Oak Lawn (1-0) Friday at 7 p.m. to play the Spartans for the first time in school history. Oak Lawn also won its season opener 21-17 over Niles North after trailing 10-7 at halftime.
"I know it's an away game, but we plan on staying strong, working hard through practice this week and going 2-0," Cooper said.
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