HS Football: Battle of the Eagles Ends in Oak Ridge Victory

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Oak Ridge War Eagles (2-3) defeated the winless New Caney Eagles (0-4) in an offensive 41-19 battle of Eagle mascots.

Both teams were winless through their non-district play, but a strong start to their 13-6A campaigns would be enough to spin positive momentum and get the squads moving in the right direction.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Oak Ridge Head Coach Mark Schmid spoke on the team’s preparation toward a hopeful payoff.

“The kids work hard, the coaches work hard, and at the end of the day, a win is the reward,” said Schmid. “Even though you may play well and you may do things better one week, that win is what you work for.”

Seeking a morale builder for their side, Oak Ridge relied on their district-leading run game to surge through the New Caney defense. Dynamic runs from Drayton Urbay and Justin Hayes consistently moved the chains for Oak Ridge while chewing large amounts of clock.

Oak Ridge’s first drive ended in a turnover on downs, but the team’s defense stopped New Caney in its tracks. The stop inside of War Eagle territory forced Oak Ridge to work from the nine-yard line, but another offensive surge would do the job.

More runs through the teeth of the New Caney defensive front provided large swaths of field for the War Eagle offense to work with.

Large openings and a burst of speed from Urbay led to the speedy quarterback sprinting past the Eagle defense. None of the pursuing New Caney defenders could catch him, and Urbay went into the endzone for the opening score and a 7-0 lead.

“[Urbay] is so important, especially with what we do offensively,” said Schmid. “He’s essentially another running back and he gets to decide when he’s that guy.”

The time-consuming drives from the War Eagles meant there was little time for New Caney to mount drives of their own. Their three first-half drives were all pressured by a clock that was working against them, and it forced the Eagles into three straight punts.

Oak Ridge’s defense constantly made the stops needed to force the Eagles off the field. Tackles for loss and disrupting New Caney passes turned the Eagles away throughout the opening 24 minutes.

New Caney’s lackluster offense worked in tandem with the run-heavy War Eagles to produce a first half with just three scores.

After Urbay’s lengthy rushing touchdown, a read-option inside the New Caney red zone generated enough space for Hayes to breach the endzone. The 10-yard rush was the second touchdown of the half and gave the War Eagles a considerable lead given New Caney’s offensive ineptitude.

The final score of the first half came from a well-executed drive from the War Eagles that ticked the clock near zero. A timeout set up a successful last-second field goal for Oak Ridge, putting the team up 17-0 at the half.

Both teams returned to the field after the break, with New Caney set to start the second half with possession.

The Eagles were aided by a War Eagle penalty on the opening kickoff, and a previously unseen offensive production marched New Caney down the field. Efficient runs and a handful of quick passes diced the Oak Ridge defense into the red zone.

When the team needed them most, the War Eagle defense straightened their backs and held at the goal line. Four attempts from New Caney to breach the endzone came up short, and the Eagles were forced to settle for zero.

In response to New Caney’s best drive thus far, the War Eagles went on the march to increase their lead.

Another combination of rushes from Urbay and Hayes pierced the New Caney defense due to slick cuts from ball-carriers and sturdy blocks from the offensive linemen. The complete dominance at the line of scrimmage pushed the offense down the field again, and Urbay surged into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night.

“They’ve done a pretty good job week in and week out,” said Schmid in praise of his offensive line. “Justin [Hayes] is the leading rusher in the district behind those guys and so they do a really good job of creating creases and seams for him to work with.”

Fortunately for New Caney, their revamped offense continued into the team’s second drive of the third quarter. Some accurate throws and mixing up the ball carriers in the backfield gave the Eagles the biggest chunk plays they had experienced thus far.

A wildcat formation inside the Oak Ridge 10-yard line was the team’s punctuation of a well-called drive, with Ken Mitchell reaching the endzone for New Caney’s first score of the night. The score was a morale booster, but the team would need more to overcome the 24-7 deficit.

New Caney’s task became even harder, with Oak Ridge going with an unconventional pass to get the team out of trouble. On a third down and long, Urbay dropped back to pass. His receivers soared past the New Caney defensive backs for an over 60-yard touchdown pass into the arms of Bryce Coleman.

“Getting a turnover through an interception is something we’ve been behind the sticks on all season,” said Schmid. “Week in and week out we’ve lost the turnover battle, but tonight we won it and that was big for us.”

Coleman’s touchdown was his first of the season, and it was a sharp boost to Oak Ridge’s chances of winning.

Their chances were increased even further when a lofted pass from New Caney hung in the air enough for Oak Ridge’s defense to settle underneath it for an interception. Christopher Salem’s pick moved the ball deep inside New Caney territory, and the writing was on the wall heading into the fourth quarter.

New Caney continued to scrap for their points, riding more long rushing plays into Oak Ridge’s side of the field. Corey Johnson was the main workhorse for the Eagles’ second scoring drive, capping the drive with his first rushing score, but the drive came in response to another War Eagle touchdown, keeping the team down 38-13.

A couple of second-unit skills players got reps for Oak Ridge through the midway point of the fourth quarter, with Travis Coleman and Kaden Reyna taking quarterback and running back snaps respectively.

Even with less experienced players taking over key positions, the War Eagles were still in control of the game through its conclusion.

An additional field goal from Oak Ridge sealed the deal for the War Eagles’ second win of the season. The 41-19 victory keeps the War Eagles above .500 in district play, and the morale high in the locker room.

“I told the kids that all the games we’ve won had us ahead on turnovers, winning the field position battle on special teams, and having more explosive plays than our opponents,” said Schmid. “If we can do those three things moving forward, I think we have a chance to win every game we play.”

Oak Ridge’s next chance to capture a win will come against the Conroe Tigers next Friday, while New Caney searches for its first win of the year against Grand Oaks.

Photos