A trophy dash by Oak Forest Bengals overcome Bremen in Rivals showdown

Trophy News from Ohio

Big plays and big drives led Oak Forest to a trophy-grabbing victory over archrival Bremen on Friday night. The Bengals’ 34-7 triumph, which brings them not only a 6-0 record but possession of the SouthtownStar Rivals Trophy, was accomplished much as last year’s Oak Forest win came about. The Bengals completely dominated the second half before about 2,500 fans at Bengals Stadium.

“It was almost identical to last year,” Oak Forest coach Brian McDonough said. “The kids woke up.”

The game was tied 7-7 at halftime, but it all went Oak Forest’s way in the second half, partly because the Braves committed three of their four turnovers after the intermission.

Andrew Johnson’s 84-yard kickoff return to the Braves 15 set up the go-ahead touchdown. After Johnson’s scamper down the right sideline, quarterback Jon Wolf needed only one play to find the end zone, dashing around right end to do so.

The 13-7 advantage was expanded one drive later, when Wolf directed a nine-play excursion, capped by Sean Martinez’s 15-yard rush to the right.

Before and after that, the Bengals’ defense clamped down, forcing a punt, then a 54-yard field goal attempt – Josh Techiera came up short – and an interception of Ronnell Strickland by Mohammed Lofti before the third quarter ended.

Bobby Walsh, who scored three touchdowns while running for 138 yards, went untouched for Oak Forest’s first half score, scooting 25 yards around left end 41 seconds into the second quarter. Bremen responded with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that featured punter Josh Techiera’s fourth-down jaunt for a first down, and climaxed with backup quarterback Roosevelt Harmon’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Zach Lavizzo.

Harmon entered the game after starter Ronnell Strickland suffered a right leg injury on a scramble for a first down. Strickland was helped off the field, but returned, limping, in the second half. Three plays later, Harmon found Lavizzo for the score.

The Braves gained the majority of their 111 first-half yards on that drive. The Bengals, led by Walsh’s 70 yards on 13 carries, gained 162 yards in the half, 126 on the ground.

The game was delayed twice because of power failures in the first quarter. No sooner was power restored to the light standard at the northwest corner of the field, the lights at the southeast corner went out. The delays totaled 29 minutes.

Eventually, even before the postgame fireworks, the on-field fireworks began.

Originally written by Tim Cronin