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Send to friendOAKDALE — The starters got in a quarter of work here Friday night before the Oneida coaching staff turned to younger players for valuable game experience, as the Indians defeated Oakdale 42-0 at Hollis Eble Field.
Featuring a roster of only 16 players, Oakdale turned in a hard-nosed effort against the Indians, but the outcome wasn’t in jeopardy for long.
After Andrew Buttram picked up a fumbe on the first play from scrimmage and returned it to the Eagles’ 14-yard-line, the Indians needed just two plays to score all the points they would need, as quarterback Houston Hood scored on a two-yard sneak to give Oneida a 7-0 lead.
The Indians would tack on three more touchdowns in the first quarter to build a 28-0 lead before resting its starters the final three quarters, ahead of tomorrow’s (Friday’s) highly anticipated showdown with Oliver Springs at Dr. M.E. Thompson Field.
Oneida’s defense held Oakdale without a first down until the final drive of the game.
Oneida’s second touchdown came on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Hood to Will Woodard, pushing the lead to 14-0 with 8:50 remaining in the opening quarter.
Hood scored again, from five yards out, with 2:06 remaining to push the lead to 21-0.
Sam Woodard returned a punt 50 yards for a score with nine seconds remaining in the opening quarter to widen the margin.
It didn’t take long for one of Oneida’s freshmen to make an impact on the game in the second quarter. Linebacker Brandon Smith intercepted a pass and returned it to the 14-yard-line, and later capped the effort with a five-yard touchdown run for a 35-0 lead one minute into the second quarter.
The remainder of the first half was something of a stalemate. Oakdale had a scoring opportunity midway through when a high snap on a punt attempt resulted in a turnover on downs at the 25-yard-line. But Dakota Smith grabbed Oneida’s second interception of the game.
Later, Shooter Hayes intercepted a pass at the 42-yard-line for the Oneida defense’s fourth turnover of the half.
With the clock running continuously in the second half, things progressed quickly. Noah Duncan broke free for a 29-yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter, setting the final score at 42-0.
