Gallery by Heather Belcher
Summersville – Big plays and miscues are always key factors in any gridiron clash.
Friday night at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium, Oak Hill took full advantage of both to knock off Nicholas County 28-15 in the opener for both teams.
“We will take a victory. We have to get in much better shape, but like I tell the kids we will always take a victory,” Oak Hill head coach Davon Marion said. “We will look at the tape and clean up some mistakes.”
With both offenses sputtering to find traction, especially early in the game, the Red Devils took a 14-0 lead to the break thanks to a pair special teams plays.
Late in the first quarter, a muffed punt by the Grizzlies handed Oak Hill the ball just 37 yards from paydirt. Seven plays later Antione Hicks rolled in from 12 yards out for a 7-0 lead.
Special teams lightning struck again less than two minutes into the second quarter for the Red Devils when Mikey Spack roared through and blocked a punt deep in the Nicholas County end.
“We all got hyped up and my team executed. I had to be a leader and show what I could do,” Spack said. “I perfectly timed the ball, shot the A-gap and saw it rolling. I had to score. It really set the team on fire.”
The two plays on special teams were not the back-breaker for Nicholas County, but they did put the Grizzlies in a tough hole.
“In the first half we couldn’t get out of our own way,” Nicholas County head coach Gene Morris said, “We botched a couple of special team plays and messed up in the kicking game twice. That is something that you worry about and before you know it is 14-0.”
After holding its own in the first half, the Nicholas County defense sparked some momentum when it forced a turnover on downs on the first series of the second half.
Taking the ball at the Oak Hill 40 yard line, the Grizzlies marched in for their first score, capped by a Coleton Hellems three-yard run. Lucas Milam and Hellems connected on the two-point try to cut the Oak Hill lead to 14-8.
Neither team scored on its next possession, but when a 58-yard punt from Colton Burkhammer pinned Oak Hill at its own 15 yard line, Nicholas County was one stop away from setting its offense up in some prime real estate.
However, Oak Hill quarterback Devin Richardson changed the game in a blink when he hit Hicks for a 65 yard strike. J.D. Mauritz then took advantage of the stunned Grizzly defense, going 20 yards nearly untouched for a 21-8 lead.
“I was just in my own head early with it being the first game,” Richardson said. “To get that pass off down the field relieved a lot of stress off my shoulders.”
Richardson gave Oak Hill even more breathing room early in the final period when he delivered a knockout blow on fourth-and-2 from the Oak Hill 33 yard line.
“It was read option. I pulled it after pump faking the screen and took off running down the sideline,” Richardson said. “I didn’t see a corner out there, so I just had to put on the burners.”
Racing 67 yards down the sideline, the Oak Hill quarterback pushed the lead to 28-8.
“We felt like we had some opportunities in the first half and didn’t execute. We know the types of athletes that we have and we just have to find a way to get them all the ball,” Marion said. “We hit the big pass that gave us some life and gave us some energy in the second half. We were stagnate and I felt like we left several touchdowns out there on the field.”
Richardson had another 60-plus yard scamper called back in the first half.
“I was a little mad when I looked back and saw those flags on the field, but it is always nice to get a win,” Richardson said, smiling. “All that matters is getting the team win.”
The two plays overshadowed what was a solid night for the Nicholas County defense which kept Oak Hill within reach most of the night.
“I thought defensively we played very, very well to control those guys. They had a couple of big plays in the second half that led to touchdowns, but other than that I thought we stepped up and played really well,” Morris emphasized. “Offensively we sputtered along a little bit. At times we looked sharp and at times we didn’t execute like we needed to execute. I think we will only get better. I also thought the kids played hard and played to the very end.”
The final score for Nicholas County came on an 11-yard run from Hellems in the waning seconds.
For a group that had some question marks coming into the season, the Red Devil defense excelled, recording two interceptions in the win.
“I thought we played hard and flew around a little bit,” Marion said. “We had some turnovers, so defensively I thought we played hard. Offensively I thought we were good in spots, but we can always improve.”
Oak Hill travels to Riverside next week, while Nicholas County visits Chapmanville.
OH: 7 7 7 7 – 28
NC: 0 0 8 7 – 15
First quarter
OH: Antione Hicks 6 run (Elisha Jones kick)
Second quarter
OH: Mikey Spack recovers a blocked punt in the end zone
Third quarter
NC: Coleton Hellems 3 run (Lucas Milam pass from Hellems)
OH: J.D. Mauritz 20 run (Jones kick)
Fourth quarter
OH: Devin Richardson 67 run (Jones kick)
NC: Hellems 11 run (Burkhammer kick)
Stats
Rushing: (OH) Mauritz 10-100-1, Tyler Ashmore 7-5, Richardson 7-85-1, Hicks 1-12, James Green 4-20, No. 11 1-3. (NC): Devin Nash 17-95, Hellems 19-23-1, Braylon Curry 1-1, Mialm 2- (- 1), Jeremiah Bailes 2-4
Passing: (OH) Richardson 10-25-145; (NC) 5-19-2-46
Receiving: (OH) Mauritz 1-7, Zychaeus Lewis 4-29, Hicks 3-96, No. 3 2-13; (NC) Trey Hatfield 1-7, Milam 1-8, Nash 1-10, Burkhammer 2-21.
