OVIEDO, Fla. – Heading into the game, very few people had the Oviedo Lions beating the Timber Creek Wolves to open the season.
And very few people had wide receiver Michael Lopez on their radar.
And who expected a sophomore starter throwing 2 touchdowns in his first varsity start?
One thing is for sure, Lopez believed in his team and proved it on the field by catching the go-ahead game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game, leading the Lions to a 20-19 victory over the Wolves in what was an epic showdown.
THE INFO: The Wolves struck first charging down the field behind three big rushes from senior back Jackson Saffold giving Timber Creek (0-1) an early 7-0 lead.
Oviedo (1-0) quickly took over on offense and produced a successful drive of their own which ended in a rushing touchdown by sophomore Jake Harris to knot the game up at 7-7.
Timber Creek jumped back on offense and Saffold continued to run.
What appeared to be a 15 yard rush inside the five-yard line turned into the worst possible situation for the Wolves near the end of the first quarter. The play was called back for holding and Saffold was still on the ground grimacing in pain. Unfortunately, the senior running back would be unable to return to the game.
After the penalty, Oviedo forced a stop and went back to work on offense.
The Lions quarterback Morgan Mitchell let the ball fly with 4:53 left in the first half and the ball found its way into the hands of Tolbert Alexander, allowing Oviedo took control of the game, going up 14-7 after the 52-yard touchdown pass to Alexander.
Timber Creek stepped back on the field and said, “anything you can do, we can do better” as Maryland commit MJ Jarrell scored on the first play with an 80-yard touchdown reception with 3:31 left in the half. The two-point conversion failed to give Oviedo a 14-13 lead at the half.
In the second half, the Lions had an early opportunity to score but the score was called back after a false start by the offense. Forced to punt, Oviedo still led by one with less than four minutes in the third quarter.
Starting off the fourth quarter, Timber Creek was faced with a tough decision to either kick the field goal or go for it on fourth down.
The Wolves felt confident and it worked.
Peter Hayes-Patrick ran up the gut of the Lions’ defense and scored giving Timber Creek a 19-14 lead at with 10 minutes left in the game.
Minutes later, the Lions were in crunch time looking to score.
Morgan Mitchell hooked up with tight end Connor Denny to get the ball moved quickly to get the ball out to the on their 31-yard line with less than four minutes in the game down five.
The very next play, Mitchell was picked off by Caleb Blake, which appeared to seal a win for Timber Creek.
However, it wouldn’t be the case.
The Lions’ defense held their own forcing a Timber Creek three and out giving the sophomore one more chance to win the game with 2:35 left in the game, leading into the key play of the game.
KEY PLAY OF THE GAME: Driving the ball in hurry-up offense, Mitchell threw the ball 30-yards to senior wide receiver Tolbert Alexander, setting up the Lions on the 33-yard line of Timber Creek.
On the next play, Mitchell pulled the trigger from the backfield and sent one flying to wide receiver Michael Lopez. Lopez went up for the ball surrounded by Timber Creek defenders. The crowd erupted as it appeared that Lopez had caught it as he was fighting for control of the ball with the defenders.
However, the referees had to make a game changing call: Was it a catch?
The referees joined together and after moments of confusion of what just happened the head referee put his two hands up signaling the touchdown to give Oviedo a 20-19 lead and the win over Timber Creek.
STAR OF THE GAME: Oviedo cornerback and receiver Nick Sala was the true star of the game as he had two critical interceptions in the game, including the one that iced the victory.
After the shocking play that put the Lions up one with less than a minute to play, Timber Creek didn’t give up as the Wolves did as much as they could to score one last time.
Facing fourth down with 1:15 left in the game, the Wolves threw a pass into the red zone to get within field goal range. However, Sala went up with the Timber Creek receiver to snatched the ball for his second interception of the game to seal up the victory for good.
Sala finished with two interceptions and over 100 yards receiving.
DID YOU KNOW: Three out of the last four seasons, each time these two teams have met, the winner has narrowly escaped by one point. Last season, the Wolves in double overtime, 38-37 over the Lions. Although this one didn’t go to overtime let alone double overtime, both Timber Creek and Oviedo showed us once again why this game will always be a nail biter until the final whistle.
QUOTABLE: “Everyone thought we were going to lose. There was no way we were going to beat Timber Creek they said. I saw the ball in the air and pulled it down. I’m not gonna lie. He took it from me, but I came down with it and I was praying for it. I can’t even explain it”, said Michael Lopez on the game-winning touchdown catch.
WHAT’S NEXT: Oviedo will travel next week to face a Kissimmee Osceola, a team that crushed Bartow by two touchdowns, 21-7 in their season opener. As the for the Timber Creek Wolves, the team hosts Oak Ridge, who lost 52-6 against Jones in Week 1.
