OHS vs. Kings Academy SENIOR NIGHT

Holding a 15-0 lead at the halftime break, it looks as if Oneida may hit cruise control in the second half of Senior Night against The King’s Academy on Friday. The Lions has other thoughts and would tie the game up in the third. Oneida then had to fi nd another gear, in which they added a pair of scores to come away with a 29-15 win over the Lions to improve to 7-2 overall on the year with big implications upcoming in the season finale. Oneida would receive the opening kick and put together an impressive opening drive of the game, covering 62 yards in ten plays. QB1 Caden Rector would call his own number on a third down and punch it in from nine yards out for the game’s fi rst score. The PAT from Justin Lynch was no good as Oneida led 6-0. After a three-and-out from TKA, the Indians went back to work. Getting great fi eld position at the TKA 40-yard line after a Lions’ penalty, it would take just three plays and two great runs, one a 13-yard carry from Jesse Zachary and a 27-yard TD run from Rector, his second TD carry of the night, and Oneida would extend their lead. The two-point try was no good and the Indians led 12-0 after one. The Indians would score on their third possession of the game as well as they drove the ball down to the TKA 12-yard line. Lynch would be called upon for a 29-yard fi eld goal try that was successful to push the Oneida lead out to 15-0. The remainder of the quarter would go scoreless, and the Indians held a two-score advantage at the halftime break. TKA would begin the second half with the ball and would eventually get their offense rolling. Marching down the fi eld 68 yards on ten plays, the Lions’ Avery Jordan would fi nd Peyton Brooks for the 11-yard TD pass. The PAT from Eli Riffey was good, cutting the lead to 15-7. After the Indians were forced to punt on their next possession, the Lions would take over on their own 43-yard line. It took just six plays this time to cover 57 yards as Jordan would fi nd Brooks once again, this time from 17 yards out for another score. Jordan would then fi nd Brady Swaggerty on the two-point try and quickly the game was tied at 15-15 with four minutes to play in the third. Oneida would be held to a three-and-out, but Rector’s punt was bobbled by Swaggerty and recovered by OHS’s Waylon Hill, giving Oneida another opportunity to retake the lead. On a third-and-two, Rector would go to the air and find fellow senior Landon Limburg on the 13-yard TD strike to give the Indians the lead back. Lynch’s point after was good and the Indians led 22-15 after three. On the opening drive of the fourth, Oneida would add some insurance to the scoreboard as Limburg would make another great catch covering 39 yards to give OHS a fi rst-and-goal situation. Two plays later, Jesse Zachary would punch it in from one yard out for another Indians’ touchdown. Lynch’s PAT was good, making it 29-15. The Indian defense would stand tall the rest of the way out as they would hold on for the 14-point win. Oneida compiled 284 yards of offense in the game, nearly perfectly split between the ground and air attack. Rector had a phenomenal night, going 10-19 through the air for 131 yards and a score. Landon Limburg was his top target, hauling in two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Levi James also added two receptions for 13 yards. Six others also caught a pass in the game including Aiden Frazier for 29 yards, Zachary for 22 yards, and Caleb Reagan for 11 yards. Rector also led the way with 129 yards on the ground on 13 carries with a pair of scores. Zachary added 21 yards on four carries and a touchdown. Caleb Reagan chipped in with 18 yards on eight carries.Defensively, the Indians were led by sophomore Ben Gilbert with 12 total tackles (three solo) with a pass breakup. Levi James added 10 total tackles (four solo) with an interception as time expired in the first half and another pass breakup. Caleb Reagan also chipped in with six total tackles (two solo). The Indians as a unit has one sack, three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and interception, and four pass breakups on the night. The regular season fi nale will see Oneida travel south to Pikeville, Tennessee to take on the Warriors of Bledsoe County with big implications riding in the game. A win and Oneida will clinch the #2 seed in the region, meaning they will host the opening round of the TSSAA 2A Playoffs. A loss and they will fi nish as the #3 seed, heading on the road for the fi rst round of postseason play. Kickoff is set for 8 pm eastern time (7 pm central) on Friday night.