OXFORD – A big defensive play at the end of the first half gave Oxford momentum, and the Blackhawks wore UV-Edmeston out with their running game in a 28-19 win Monday night.
It was the first win this season for Oxford and first-year head coach Ray Dayton. Each team threw for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but it was almost strictly a ground attack – headed up by junior running back Paul Wonka – that sealed the win for the host team.
“We just pounded the ball off tackle, and our line did a great job up front,” Dayton said. “Nick Wakefield, Corey Olsen, Spyros Spyratos, Brett Hufnagle, Justin Harding, and our tight ends, Paul Martin and Joe Jackson, they did the job tonight, and they’re what makes us go.”
Before the ground game heated up, it was the combination of Shawn McKee and Jarrid Shephard on defense that completed a 21-point second period for Oxford. With seconds ticking down in the first half, UV-E quarterback Brandon Miles had his pass deflected by an oncoming McKee. Shephard was on the spot to retrieve the loose ball, and he raced 42 seconds for the score with just 5.2 seconds left on the clock.
For the second straight week, UV-E struck first. Miles hit Kody Homann on a 16-yard TD pass in the opening quarter, and the Storm’s lead grew to 13-0 when Miles connected with Travis Conklin on a 10-yard scoring hookup.
At that point, Oxford used its passing game to get back into the game. A big 56-yard pass play in which Jody Smith found junior Andrew Golden put Oxford in position to score in the second. Smith followed with an 8-yard TD pass to Adam Pierson. Later in the second quarter, Smith’s 15-yard TD toss to Pierson gave Oxford the lead for good.
“We just missed some tackles, and we had our hands on their players a bunch of times,” Dayton said of UV-E’s early offensive production. “They have some athletic, tough kids over there, and coach Banks (Brian, of UV-E) has them going in the right direction.”
The Storm hurt themselves with two penalties erasing first-half touchdown passes by Miles.
Wonka, who rushing for 174 of his 223 yards after halftime, continually found seams in the UV-E defense. Still, the game was within one touchdown until the final minutes. On a fourth-and-seven, Wonka raced around the right side for a 20-yard touchdown with just under five minutes to play that just about put the game out of reach.
We say “just about” because UV-E had one more electric moment to dazzle its fans. On the ensuing kickoff, Justin Hofer retrieved the long boot at the four-yard line, then pitched the ball back to Homann. Homann took the ball up the right side, cut back to the middle on his way to a lengthy touchdown. It was the second time in as many weeks the Storm returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The missed two-point conversion left UV-E nine points – and two possessions – short.
Oxford was stopped on downs on the next possession, but the Storm were halted quickly when Steve Simpson picked off a Miles pass.
“I’m excited for the win, and we’re trying to get Oxford’s football program back where it belongs,” Dayton said.
Score by quarters
UV-E 7 6 0 6–19
Oxfd. 0 21 0 7–28
Scoring Summary
UVE: Brandon Miles 16 pass to Kody Homann (Haycook kick)
UVE: Miles 10 pass to Travis Conklin (kick failed)
O: Jody Smith 8 pass to Adam Pierson (Andrew Golden kick)
O: Smith 15 pass to Pierson (Golden kick)
O: Jarrid Shephard 42 interception return (Golden kick)
O: Paul Wonka 20 run (Golden kick)
UVE: Kody Homann 96 kickoff return (pass failed)
Individual statistics
Rushing: (O) Paul Wonka, 33-223; Paul Martin, 4-33; Damien Fink, 4-18; Shawn McKee, 4-11; Joe Jackson, 2-(-7); Jody Smith, 4-(-2). (UVE) Brandon Miles, 6-42; Kody Homann, 9-37; Dylan Aikens, 7-14; Justin Hofer, 4-12.
Passing: O) Jody Smith, 5-11-2, 95 yds, 2 TDs. (UVE) Brandon Miles, 4-12-3, 42 yds, 2 TDs.
Receiving: (O) Andrew Golden, 2-60; Adam Pierson, 2-23; Paul Martin, 1-12. (UVE) Kody Homann, 2-26; Travis Conklin, 1-10; Justin Hofer, 1-6.