Oak Ridge War Eagle football surges from 18-point deficit to beat Morton Ranch

SHENANDOAH, Texas - Kwame Etwi rushed for 127 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead the Oak Ridge War Eagles to an 18-point comeback win, 25-21, over the Morton Ranch Mavericks at Woodforest Bank Stadium Saturday night.

“The number one thing is the kids didn’t quit,” said head coach Dereck Rush. “We talked about effort the whole week, as far as showing effort for four quarters. They didn’t quit.”

Leading the way for the War Eagles was Etwi’s line of 18-117-2. For the defense, Victor Alvarez came away with a fumble and an interception on the night. Both teams had pretty even numbers, as Morton Ranch had 201 total yards for the game, while Oak Ridge finished with 199 total yards. The big difference in the stats for the game came in the form of turnovers.Morton Ranch fumbled ten times, losing five of them, and had an interception in the defeat. The plus four turnover margin (six to two) played a big part in the Oak Ridge comeback.

To start the game, Morton Ranch’s triple option was giving fits to Oak Ridge’s defense early and that led to an opening scoring drive of 8 plays and 59 yards. The drive was capped off by senior running back, Terry Mitchell, scoring from 1-yard out on a handoff to make the score 7-0 Morton Ranch, with 9:32 left in the first.

Oak Ridge responded immediately with a kickoff return of 58-yards to Morton Ranch’s 38-yard line by speedster Tristen Gomez. However, Braden Letney took a hit on a sack during the drive and went to the locker room, and would not return. The War Eagles were forced to punt on the possession. Letney was replaced by senior Riley McKnight, who would finish the night going 8-13 for 50 yards and an interception.

Later in the first with the Mavericks threatening on it’s second drive, running back, Dartavious Dixon, took the handoff and carried the ball from the Oak Ridge 11-yard line, then fumbled at the 3-yard line. With the ball up for grabs, a little bad luck struck Oak Ridge as wide-receiver, Sean Williams, picked it up and ran it in the final three yards for the touchdown. So after a ten-play, 82-yard drive, the Morton Ranch Mavericks opened up a 14-0 lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

After a few turnovers by both the Mavericks and War Eagles in the second quarter, including a 4th down stop by the defense and a fumble recovery by Imari Burks, Oak Ridge ended up with the ball deep in Morton Ranch territory. A run on 4th-and-1 from the Morton Ranch 2-yard line by running back, Justin Edwards, came up a few feet shy, and a scoreless second quarter saw the halftime score read 14-0 Morton Ranch.

The third quarter started with a bang for the War Eagles, as junior Lamar Handy took the kickoff and returned it 65 yards to the Morton Ranch 28-yard line, however, a 41-yard field goal by kicker, Omar Barrientos, sailed wide right; the possession came away without points.

A big sack and recovered fumble by linebacker, Andrew Burke, set Oak RIdge up in prime position again, this time at the Maverick’s 12-yard line. After being close many times tonight, Oak Ridge finally cashed in with a 23-yard field goal by Omar Barrientos to get on the scoreboard 14-3, with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

The ensuing kickoff led to a play that you don’t typically see in football. Morton Ranch fumbled the ball twice on the return, but the ball bounced the Mavericks way again, as Maverick’s linebacker/special teams player Navone Gurley scooped the ball up and ran away from everyone. Gurley’s 77- yard scamper to the endzone made the score 21-3, with 2:56 left in the third quarter.

Oak Ridge didn’t let the play sully their mood and started to mount a comeback, as their next defensive possession saw linebacker, Nick Durst, pick up a fumble and scoot 21-yards into the endzone to make the score 21-10 with 11 seconds left to play in the third quarter. The momentum started to swing to Oak Ridge’s side.

After a fumble was recovered by Victor Alvarez (who also had an interception in the game), Oak Ridge had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Kwame Etwi took the handoff on the first snap of the series and the middle of the field opened. He hit the hole and outran speedster linebacker Gurley to the endzone for a 95-yard burst. The two-point conversion was successful by Justin Edwards, and the game tightened to 21-18, with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter.

As the game got close and the momentum hanging in the balance, the raucous crowd got to it’s feet and the War Eagle defense stood strong and forced a punt late to get one more crack at the win. With 2:38 left in the game, the ball on their own 39-yard line, and trailing 21-18, it was time for Oak Ridge to see what they could muster. Oak Ridge looked decisive in taking the ball down the field. After a McKnight pass to Lamar Handy got the ball to the 1-yard line, Etwi scored to put Oak Ridge ahead for good, 25-21, with 21 seconds left in the contest.

“We talked about being a physical team” said Rush. “The defense created the turnovers for us, and we came out victorious.”

Oak Ridge will travel to Aldine to play the Mustangs next Friday, September 5, at 7pm. Aldine lost it’s first contest to Strake Jesuit last week 42-12.