Oak Hall crushes Seven Rivers Christian in home opener to remain undefeated

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – If there was any doubt about who the No. 1 team in the Sunshine State Athletic Association is after three weeks into the season, the Oak Hall Eagles showed why no one should doubt them as contenders to win the state championship division this season on Friday night after gashing the visiting Warriors of Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 70-14.

Although it appeared early on that the Warriors would give the Eagles a game, the Eagles’ preparation on both sides of the ball led them to win the game soundly.

Here are five things we learned from the game on Friday night:

Small school athletes are worth recruiting

We do not say this lightly, but sometimes, small school athletes go unrecognized for their efforts and talent. Both Oak Hall QB/ATH Dakota Brower and Seven Rivers Christian QB Nathan Tidwell showed they are pretty capable leaders and have skills that could make them useful to a plethora of colleges at the next level.

Brower, who was just recently named the scoutSMART Florida Player of the Week for Week 1, used his abilities of knowing to pass but also knowing when to run who marked over 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns while completing 75% of his pass attempts along with a 41 yards touchdown pass in the victory.

As for Tidwell, he showed flashes of speed with the ability of his legs, potentially making him a worthy candidate for being recruited as a fullback at the next level. His ability to move the ball was limited in his carries due to the swarming Eagles’ defense, which came in with just under 40 yards rushing. However, Tidwell did accumulate over 100 yards passing, partly from two long touchdown passes in the first half, including a 63-yard pass on a fake punt and a 71-yard pass late in the second quarter to WR Noah Magill.

Oak Hall head coach RJ Fuhr said that the two touchdowns by Seven Rivers Christian resulted from blown coverages by the Eagles’ defense and said that was on him and his defensive coordinator and something they will have to work on fixing.

Eagle offense runs on a three-headed monster attack

If there is one thing that Coach Fuhr is quick to point out, it is the three-headed monster offense that considers Brower and running backs Briggs Copeland and Abram Jerkins. While Brower is a dual-threat quarterback, Copeland and Abram Jerkins are described as Thunder and Lightning. Briggs Copeland is the running back that can break and make big plays coming off counterplay and pitchouts as the homerun hitter. For Abram Jerkins, Fuhr describes him as the ground-and-pound, prominent athlete with great feet.

Copeland had a night for the Eagles with a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and two more scores in the second quarter with a 61-yard touchdown pass from Brower and then another 66-yard gash on a counter play. At the night’s end, Copeland was responsible for almost 200 yards of total offense that the Eagles put out.

Abram Jerkins had a game that saw him score on a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and was also responsible for helping convert a pair of two-point conversions in the game and helping the Eagles to victory.

PHOTO GALLERY: Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) vs. Oak Hall (Gainesville)

The defensive attack proved to be the difference in who scored

At the night’s end, the defense helped Oak Hall win the game, giving the offense every opportunity to put points on the board. Out of nine drives that the Eagles had during the entire game, the Eagles scored eight total touchdowns because of the defense, most helping to keep Seven Rivers out of the endzone for most of the game.

One name that came up big several times with tackles, including an interception early in the second quarter, was sophomore Aaron Akins. Akins’ interception at the Eagles’ 41-yard line would result in the 61-yard touchdown pass by Brower to Copeland.

Another name being heard throughout the night was Aidan Jerkins, who came up with a few tackles and was crucial in helping the team defensively.

Younger athletes and backups shine in the second half

While Oak Hall’s goal was not to run the score up, as they led 54-14 at halftime, the younger players wanted to take advantage of the time on the field to gain valuable experience for the second half.

A couple of names that stood out and made their names known included senior Sirderick Farley, who chipped in a 4-yard rushing touchdown of his own in the third quarter to put the lead up 62-14 near the end of the third quarter.

Cooper Coleman, a freshman cornerback, made the final statement of the night when he intercepted a Tidwell pass late in the fourth quarter that was returned for a touchdown, along with the ensuing two-point conversion that made it 70-14.

Single-game points record broken

According to Oak Hall and Fuhr, the 70 points scored by the Eagles was the most in any single football game played by Oak Hall in their history of football, which dates back to at least the 1970s as the school has competed in the sport on and off over the last few decades, but more consistently in recent years. Of course, the new record comes as it was the home opener for the Eagles.

Coach said it

“I am very proud of the kids. We got a lot of kids, most of the kids in. Cooper Coleman, first-year playing high school football, gets a pick-six in at the end. I love Monty Vann, the head coach at Seven Rivers, and I have a ton of respect for him. We certainly let him know that we were clearing the bench, and he said he understood. I never wanted to run up the score, but I am proud of our guys, proud of our young guys that played significant minutes.” Fuhr said.