Oak Ridge Claims Victory Over Stratford in a 35-32 Battle

OAK RIDGE, TX -- The Thursday night game between the Oak Ridge War Eagles and Stratford Spartans saw both teams trade blows throughout the game, ending in a 35-32 victory for the War Eagles. The War Eagles get their first win of the season on the back of their quarterback Drayton Urbay lighting up the Stratford defense.

1st Quarter: Stratford Starts Strong
Oak Ridge opened the scoring when RB Ethan Pruitt found the end zone after a facemask penalty set up the drive. Stratford responded quickly, converting a fourth down and scoring to tie the game 7-7. The Spartans took advantage of Oak Ridge’s offensive line struggles, forcing sacks on QB Drayton Urbay and forced a turnover on downs after a failed 4th down conversion. Capitalizing the Spartans scored with a 42-yard touchdown pass to jump ahead 13-7. The touchdown was nearly answered with a big kick return on the ensuing kickoff, but the returner stepped out of bounds just short of breaking free.

2nd Quarter: Oak Ridge Fires Back
Urbay began to take control, hitting WR James Scott on key passes and later scrambling for a touchdown to put Oak Ridge up 14-13. The War Eagles’ defense forced the first punt of the game, and Urbay struck again, hitting his other WR Logan Unterfenger for big yardage plays, before scoring another touchdown by running it in from Stratford’s 12-yard line. The War Eagles attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Stratford. Before halftime, Oak Ridge intercepted Stratford’s QB Gavin Guzman on a 4th and 10, and a late push highlighted by a big completion to TE James Skaer came up just short of the goal line as time expired.

3rd Quarter: Both Teams Trade Blows
The defenses tightened after the break, with Oak Ridge recording sacks to force a 3 and out to get the ball back. However, on the drive, costly penalties, like a chop block and false starts stalled the War Eagles drive forcing them to punt. On the next drive Stratford has a big screen play called back due to a holding penalty which saves the War Eagles from a big gain. On the following 3rd and long play, however, Oak Ridge was called for a pass interference penalty on a long ball keeping Stratford alive. Stratford then found themselves in another 4th down situation later and Stratford’s QB Gavin Guzman almost converted a 4th and 15 but was stopped and then still awarded the 1st down due to a helmet-to-helmet collision. Guzman then proceeded to connect for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-19, but their two-point try failed. On the ensuing kickoff, Oak Ridge fumbled, giving Stratford another chance as the 3rd quarter ended.

4th Quarter: The Battle Concludes
Stratford leaned on Guzman and RB Davis Kendall in the run game, capitalizing on the back-to-back offensive possessions with a score to take a 25-21 lead. Oak Ridge answered when Skaer’s 36-yard catch set up a Pruitt touchdown for a 28-25 advantage. Guzman responded again with a long run to put Stratford back ahead, 32-28. With just over three minutes left, Urbay led a decisive drive, hitting Scott on multiple passes and running effectively himself. Urbay was stopped on the 4-yard line and lost his helmet, which caused the War Eagles to use a timeout to keep him in the game as otherwise he would’ve had to come off the field. Urbay proceeded to sneak the ensuing play into the endzone with 43 seconds remaining, putting the War Eagles up 35-32. Stratford’s last push was a valiant effort by Guzman where they reached midfield, but the clock expired on their final completion, sealing Oak Ridge’s 35-32 win.

Final Thoughts
With this win, Oak Ridge jumps to a 1-1 record, getting their first win of the year. The offense looked strong with multiple weapons for QB Drayton Urbay, such as Scott, Unterfenger, Skaer, and Pruitt, who all had great games. Overall, Urbay earns player of the game from his scoring ability and timely throws that got the War Eagles into positions to capitalize. Urbay will lead his team on the road again into district play against Cleveland and will look to build on this victory.