Oak Hall defeats Bronson in the battle of the Eagles

The Oak Hall Eagles looked to continue their undefeated season against their Levy county counterpart, the Bronson Eagles. Bronson’s hopes to defend their home field on senior night were quickly erased, as Oak Hall ran away with a decisive 43-14 victory.

First Quarter

Oak Hall wasted no time taking advantage of Bronson’s lack of effort, as No. 24 Briggs Copeland returned the opening kickoff to take a 7-0 lead. Then, a quick three and out for Oak Hall’s defense began what would be a long night for Bronson’s offense. Oak Hall would continue to retain momentum and ran out to a 14-0 lead. Oak Hall’s defense expelled whatever effort Bronson seemed to have left with another stop to set up the offense with excellent field position inside Bronson territory.

Second Quarter

Briggs opened the second quarter with his second of three scores, when a physical 27-yard touchdown run reached the endzone, setting the score to 21-0. The offensive woes would continue for Bronson as a tackle for loss by No.11 Mike Peterson Jr. halted their progress.  The scoring would cease for Oak Hall as the Bronson defense seemed to gain a little life, quickly forcing a punt. However, upon receiving the ball Bronson could not manage to get on the board. Oak Hall’s shutout remained intact as their 40 total tackles suffocated the Bronson offense.

Third Quarter

Following the senior night festivities the Bronson sideline seemed to be reinvigorated, this unfortunately would not translate to the field. A three and out forced a short punt, back to the red hot Oak Hall offense. Consequently, Peterson Jr. would make Bronson pay with an immaculate 16-yard touchdown reception, pushing the score to 28-0. Upon receiving the ball, Bronson managed to put together a scoring drive, capping it off with a short touchdown run. Unfortunately, Bronson failed to convert the extra point, setting the score to 28-6. Oak Hall responded with a demoralizing 70-yard touchdown pass to Briggs, marking their fifth straight 35-plus point performance of the season. Following a successful 2-point conversion, the score was 36-6.

A great pass and catch puts Oak Hall up 28-0 in the third quarter @OakHallFootball pic.twitter.com/awdl4EoRJv

— Zachary Curtin (@zachary_curtin) October 5, 2022

Fourth Quarter

With the clock running, Bronson looked demoralized. The lack of effort that they displayed throughout the event provided Oak Hall with more opportunities in the fourth quarter. Oak Hall’s defense continued to make plays, which was headlined by No. 14 James Parker, who amassed 5.5 tackles and 0.5 sacks. Next, Oak Hall would push the score to 43-6, with yet again on the ground. Subsequently, the Oak Hall sideline and its players prematurely lost focus on the game, which allowed Bronson to score a touchdown in the closing minutes. The ensuing extra point brought the bout to its final score of 43-16.

With the victory, the Oak Hall Eagles move to 6-0 on the season. They now look to continue to demonstrate their offensive firepower with a non-district matchup against Harvest Community on Friday.