OTTAWA – The Ottawa Pirates scored on their final three drives of the first half Friday, taking a three-point advantage into halftime.
The Pirates then drove into Woodstock territory on each of their four second-half possessions, and four times the Blue Streaks defense turned them away. The final, game-winning stop came with 1:33 to play as juniors Aiden Johnson and Jack Raymond teamed up to stop scrambling Ottawa quarterback Braiden Miller 1 yard short of the first-down marker at the Woodstock 17-yard line, giving the ball and the 24-20 Kishwaukee River/Interstate Eight White victory to the visiting Blue Streaks.
“Passing situation, I back off and know I’ve got to get depth because it’s not going to be a run with (9) yards to go,” Raymond said. “I see [Miller] rolls out the other way. I’m staying in my zone, then he flips around and is coming back. There’s no receivers in my zone, and I see him scrambling and know I’ve got to close the distance before he gets 10 (yards), and I just hit him low.
“Best feeling ever.”
Kishwaukee River/Interstate Eight White football: HUGE STOP 1 YARD SHORT WITH 1:33 LEFT, Woodstock takes over up 24-20 on Ottawa after this tackle by Jack Raymond & Aiden Johnson on Braiden Miller’s 4th-down scramble …@bluestreakswhs @OttawaPirateWay @FNDrive pic.twitter.com/yAwqmRgkJZ
— J.T. Pedelty (@jtpedelty) October 2, 2021
“I dropped back into coverage because I read passes,” Johnson said, “and then I see the quarterback rolling out, and I’m like, ‘I’ve gotta get this dude or else it’s the game.’ I put everything on the line for that moment. ... and we just went out there [on] our last play and gave it our all.”
The lone score of the second half, Adriane Perry’s 15-yard scoring scamper midway through the third followed by QB/K Liam Mickle’s third successful PAT kick of the night, turned out to be the game-winner, flipping Ottawa’s 20-17 halftime advantage to the 24-20 final.
Woodstock (3-3 overall, 1-2 KR/I8 White) was led by Mickle (18-of-26 passing, 184 yards, 1 TD; 69 yards rushing, TD), receivers Caden Monti (6 catches, 91 yards), Sean Ryan (6 catches, 25 yards) and Jonah Habel (3 catches, 49 yards, 1 TD), Perry (125 yards rushing, 1 TD), and defensively by linemen Gavin Loiselle (2 sacks) and Jakob Remot (1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss).
“Our defense has given up some yards, but at opportune times in our wins we’ve been able to come up with the big stop that we needed,” said Blue Streaks coach Mike Brasile. “The defense is coming into its own a little bit, and I’m really proud of the way our kids are playing and worked through some things tonight.”
The Pirates offense – with 330 yards from scrimmage on the night – again was productive between the 20s, but had a hard time cashing in those drives for points. Ottawa’s four second-half drives were stopped at the Woodstock 48 (on downs), 45 (punt), 49 (punt) and 17 (on downs).
“That was the message we gave the kids after the game: We’ve got to learn to win,” Ottawa coach Chad Gross said. “This is the first one that was back and forth, against Streator we had a big comeback, but this one was back and forth, and we talked about controlling our emotions, the highs and lows of the game.
“And you’ve got to just learn to win. I think that’s a real thing.”
The Pirates (2-4, 1-3) were led by another strong game from RB Javarius Whitfield (19 carries, 174 yards, 1 TD; 24 yards receiving), WR Levi Sheehan (4 catches, 72 yards, 2 TDs; 15 yards rushing out of the Wildcat) and Miller (15-of-21 passing, 156 yards, 2 TDs). Conner Price and Ryan Demoss added three receptions apiece. Defensively, Ryder Miller recorded 11 tackles including a sack and a TFL, while Dillan Quatrano had two passes defensed.
The opening half saw the Pirates and Blue Streaks trade leads. Woodstock struck first when a five-play, 50-yard drive hit paydirt on a 32-yard Mickle-to-Habel touchdown strike. Ottawa tied it 7-7 just over two minutes later with its own 74-yard drive culminating in a Miller-to-Sheehan 15-yard strike in the back of the end zone.
After both teams scored once in the first quarter, the teams scored twice each in the second – the Blue Streaks on a 28-yard Mickle field goal and 3-yard Mickle sneak, the Pirates on Miller’s second TD pass of the night to Sheehan – a 15-yarder that saw Sheehan catch it in the flat and break multiple tackles on his way to the end zone – and on an out-of-nowhere 83-yard sprint up the south sideline by Whitfield with just 14.2 seconds remaining before halftime.
Ottawa is scheduled to return to action next Friday with a trip to Morris.
The Blue Streaks will have a visit from La Salle-Peru in Week 7.