OAKLEAF - After a season of high-flying games with scores of 57, 40, and 44 points, the Oakleaf High football team got stymied by a pesky Mandarin High secondary and pass rush to drop an 18-7 district final match-up with the Mustangs. Both teams came in with 6-2 records and a 2-0 slate in district play and will both advance into the Region 1-6A playoffs in a week.
"We got to score when we are supposed to," said Oakleaf High coach Chris Foy. "A good defense like that we have to score when we get the opportunity."
Foy, who can figure out a possible second shot at Mandarin in the region playoffs as both are in the eight-team lineup, hoped that the offense would be more productive.
"I think so about them in the region semifinals," said Foy. "We got a touch Tocoi Creek in our last game and we have to show some offense there."
From the start, the contest looked to be a slugfest at the line of scrimmage with both lines; offensive and defensive, looking to exact their will on the opposing forces, as the Knights got a quick set of first downs off runs, but stalled on a fourth down at the Mandarin 41 while, after the exchange of possession, Mandarin blasted with running backs Deion Winstead and Shaunqueze Foster both punching in for four first downs to the Knight 42 before Oakleaf linebacker Jermaine Robinson came up with a fumble off a scrum at the line of scrimmage.
"They are a really good team to have to play in the playoffs, but we came out on top tonight," said Mandarin coach Toby Bullock, a state runner-up last year to Miami Columbus after two 5-5 finishes. "Our defense has been pretty phenomenal this year and defensive coach Clayton Cason and his staff make me the luckiest head coach in football because they are with me. We were missing a few keys guys tonight."
Oakleaf running back Fareed Coleman was coach Chris Foy's main weapon early in the game and the shifty quick Coleman was a tough takedown for the Mandarin behemoths up front with consecutive runs to the midfield. Two incomplete passes from quarterback Jack McKissock put kicker Andrew McDaid in for a punt that a great kick and an alert cover by Jayven Moreno put Mandarin at their own two-yard line.
A 34-yard run by Foster put Mandarin on the Oakleaf 32 where Foster finished the deal two plays later after an incomplete pass to put Mandarin up 6-0 at 8:41 in the first quarter.
From here, both defenses stiffened with Oakleaf defensive tackler Amare Thomas and linebacker Bryan Copeland stuffing Mandarin's run attack while, for Mandarin, linebackers Caleb White and noseguard Trevis Gordon kept chase of McKissock.
Oakleaf, in the second quarter, had its first breakaway play with Coleman rumbling from midfield to the Mandarin 10, but getting the ball stripped out by Mandarin defender Drake Stubbs, a former Oakleaf High player with Mandarin recovering the end zone.
In the third, with Mandarin getting the kickoff, the Mustangs, and coach Toby Bullock looked to wear down the Knights' front end with a 15-play drive with just two third-down plays that lasted nearly eight minutes ending up with an 11-yard slant pass score to wide out Brysen White. Mandarin missed on a two-point pass attempt to go up 12-0 with 5:26 left in the third and the Oakleaf offense still on the sideline.
Moreno would strike again with an interception on Mandarin's next series near midfield where Oakleaf moved from the Knight 20-yard line to the Mustang 33 with a 15-yard flag on Mandarin keeping the chains moving with Coleman and Chris Foy II bashing the Mandarin front before McKissock faced a fourth and 11 at the Mandarin 33.
A lofted pass to wide-out Denero Jacobs in the back of the end zone got disrupted by the helmet of Mandarin defender Shareef Jackson causing a lengthy discussion on faceguarding that did not change the outcome.
Oakleaf's defense against stalled the Mustang front causing a shanked punt that put the Knights' offense in at midfield with Connor snagging a pass and run play for 11 yards and Coleman slashing for another nine to the Mandarin eight-yard line with 6:34 left in the third but McKissock missed Conner in the end zone.
Mandarin struck quickly on their next series with quarterback Knox Annis hitting Wright for an 84-yard scoring bomb to blow the game open 18-0 with 4:38 left in the game.
Oakleaf also responded quickly with Foy II bashing Mandarin's interior after Mandarin's kickoff got returned by Oakleaf's Carlos Witherup from the five to the Mustang 26; 71 yards, to start the Knights offense where Foy led Nehemiah Brown in from seven yards out to score the game 18-7 with 2:59 to go.
An onsides kick failed, but Thomas smothered Foster twice on carries to get a quick punt for Mandarin at 1:32 to go.
McKissock missed on four passes with a 15-yard flag by Mandarin keeping Oakleaf alive as the game ended with Conner catching two passes to the Mandarin 42.