Atholton football takes advantage of six Oakland Mills turnovers in 16-6 victory
Sep. 25—Atholton football coach Eric Woodson always gives his team a word of the week.
This week's was "redemption," as Oakland Mills defeated Atholton, 26-20, last season. On Friday night, the Raiders protected their home field, forcing six turnovers in a 16-6 win over the Scorpions.
Trailing 10-6 with 5:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, Oakland Mills had all the momentum as its defense just made another strong stand. After his last punt was blocked, Raiders punter Ian Morton delivered a critical 50-yard boot that pinned Oakland Mills at its 9-yard line.
"The line stepped up, got us enough time for Ian to get the ball off and he put his foot in it," Woodson said. "He got the roll and he pinned them. Just to face the adversity, we had a punt blocked already. I know in his head, 'I got to get this ball off because they're coming at me again,' and he persevered.
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"That in itself was probably one of the biggest moments of our season because if [he fails], they get a short field. That was big, it turned the tide."
On Oakland Mills' first play of the drive, senior running back Shane King fumbled and Ben Hebron recovered on the Scorpions' 12. One play later, Dillan Watkins ran up the sideline for a 12-yard score, making it a two-possession game.
"It means a lot," Watkins said. "We carry off energy, emotion and momentum. So, anytime the defense makes a play, the offense knows we have to reciprocate the energy and do the same thing on the other end."
The first quarter was sloppy for both sides offensively thanks in large part to disruptive defenses. Kaiden Lee spearheaded Oakland Mills' defensive effort with a pair of sacks, creating pressure up the middle. The Scorpions' offense was unable to take advantage of several drives that started inside the Raiders' 40.
Stymied on the ground, Atholton (3-0) turned to its passing attack in the second quarter. The Raiders orchestrated a nine-play, 82-yard touchdown drive for the game's first score, as quarterback Miles Scott connected with Nico Mazzei-Williams for several first downs. Watkins capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown.
Despite the early struggles, Atholton remained committed to the run. On their opening possession of the second half, the Raiders ran 11 plays for 41 yards, including 10 carries. Justin Soriano closed that drive with a 38-yard field goal, extending Atholton's lead to 10-0.
Facing a 10-point deficit, Oakland Mills (2-2) orchestrated its best drive of the game as Xavier Patterson found success on the ground. However, late in the third quarter, Patterson fumbled inside the Raiders' 10, and Daniel Ogordi recovered the loose ball. Ogordi was all over the field for Atholton's defense with an interception and a fumble recovery and was awarded the championship belt for the defensive player of the game.
"I just came [in] saying I'm hungry," Ogordi said. "I just wanted it more. We were all hungry, defense was all eating. It was just a whole team effort."
After the fumble, the Scorpions' defense held yet again, forcing a punt. Kharles Ngansi burst through the line and blocked Morton's punt, giving the Scorpions possession on Atholton's 23. Two plays later, Cyrus Thomas-Ray connected with Patterson on a 16-yard swing pass, trimming the deficit to 10-6 with 8:44 remaining.
Oakland Mills' defense delivered another critical stand to give its offense a shot at taking the lead. However, the Raiders' defense shut the door on the comeback attempt by recovering the Scorpions' third fumble of the game.
"We played very well defensively, which gave ourselves some opportunities offensively," Oakland Mills coach Thomas Browne said. "You can't expect to win if you turn the ball over six times against a really good Atholton team."
