Oak Hall Levels Eagle’s View in Offensive Showcase

By Noah White, Robert Diaz and Alexander Vafeas

The Oak Hall High School football team set a school record for points scored in beating Eagle’s View High School 74-32 on Friday night at home.

High Scoring Start

Oak Hall (5-0) opted for the ball first and got off to a quick start, taking three plays to score. Quarterback Dakota Brower’s pass to running back Briggs Copeland for a 24-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion gave Oak Hall an early 8-0 lead.

Eagle’s View (2-3) quickly responded with a kickoff return to the Oak Hall 42-yard line. Two plays later, Eagle’s View quarterback Cameron Brunelle completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Marcus Carter. Eagle’s View was unsuccessful in its attempt for the two-point conversion, making the score 8-6.

The next two drives saw Brower score from 80 yards out on a kickoff return, and Brunelle completed a second touchdown pass to Carter for 22 yards this time. Oak Hall successfully went for two, while Eagle’s View did not, producing a 16-12 score.

From there, Oak Hall began to score at will. Each of Oak Hall’s next three drives ended in touchdowns. Brower threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Akins and rushed for a 19-yard touchdown. Copeland added a touchdown run from a yard out.

Oak Hall led 36-12 after the first quarter.

Oak Hall Offensive Dominance

Eagle’s View’s Brunelle threw a 73-yard touchdown to Carter, their third scoring connection of the night, that brought the score to 36-18 early in the second quarter.

Oak Hall responded by scoring on its next four drives, while its defense consistently forced Eagle’s View to sputter. Copeland rushed for two more touchdowns of 14 and 20 yards. Brower added another touchdown on the ground from 40 yards out.

Finally, Akins took a jet sweep in for a score from the 5-yard line. Oak Hall did not successfully complete an extra point, making the score 60-18 entering halftime.

The first play of the second half saw Akins, who plays receiver, quarterback and cornerback, intercept Eagle’s View and return the pass for a 36-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion made the score 68-18.

The teams exchanged late garbage time scores, making the game appear closer than it was at 74-32 as the clock ran out.

Thoughts on the Historic Evening

Oak Hall coach RJ Fuhr spoke on what his offense looked like in the record-setting scoring performance and the need for some defensive improvement.

Fuhr also discussed his key offensive players and the Oak Hall environment, but noted that such a performance is a team effort:

Although the win was impressive, Brower emphasized that there are still some areas to improve in for Oak Hall.

“Our secondary needs some work,” Brower said.

He did note, though, that they “got their rhythm back” after a couple of busted defensive plays early.

Looking Forward

Oak Hall will host Jacksonville Harvest Community (2-3) on Thursday at 7 p.m.