OCHS Falls to Eastern in Overtime
Photo Credit: Kerri Janto / Kerri J Photography
The Red Raiders lost a hard-fought game in overtime to the Eastern Vikings on Thursday night in Eastern.
Eastern got on the board early with a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown. Eastern jumped out to a two-score lead on its next offensive possession with a halfback pass that caught the Raiders out of position. Despite the two-score lead, the Raiders remain calm. According to Coach Matthews, the team “identified the issues that caused the big plays to occur & moved on to the next play.”
Down 13-0 at halftime, the coaching staff’s message to the players was clear and simple: “Stick to the plan, believe & trust in your teammates & coaches. One play at a time,” said Matthews. This message resonated as the team leaned on one another and fought hard in the second half. The defense held Eastern to zero points in the second half, and the offense scored twice to tie the game 13-13 at the end of regulation.
Photo credit: Kerri Janto / Kerri J Photography
Eastern got the ball to start overtime and scored a touchdown on their first possession to take 19-13 lead. The Raiders took over on offense at the 15-yard line after an Eastern penalty, but an untimely turnover ended the game.
The offense is still trying to find its rhythm after the first two games. Coach Matthew is confident the unit can get on track. “We need to limit our self-inflicted wounds and focus on the fundamentals, such as correcting missed blocks and turnovers,” he said.
After the game, Matthews preached perspective and resilience. He emphasized that “Failure is an event. Not who we are. Who we are is how we respond this week in practice.” Looking ahead to the big game against Lenape next week, the focus remains on internal improvement. As “We have to focus on us. Practice is everything,” he said. “We will have another great week of preparation and be ready for another tight game.”
The Red Raiders take on Lenape on Friday, September 12th at 6:00 pm in Lenape.