Woodbridge, VA — The Osbourn Park Yellow Jackets went on the road this past Friday to take on the Gar-Field Indians and put together an impressive team effort, coming away 14-12 victors. Gar-Field received the ball, but OP’s defense set the tone and impose their will on the Indians. Freshman Andrew Arthur Hump and senior Isaac Owusu led the charge with two consecutive tackles for loss, and the Indians were forced to punt on fourth down. OP failed to build off of it on their first offensive possession, but the defense stayed strong. Aided by a bad snap over Gar-Field sophomore quarterback Bishop Fitzgerald, sophomore defensive back Khyree Alexander recorded a tackle for an 18-yard loss. Senior linebacker Chris Martin added on a tackle that pushed back the Indians seven more yards, eventually forcing another fourth-down punt. The first quarter flew by, with no scores, no penalties and only lasting 19 minutes. The Yellow Jackets continued their offensive woes, this time via a fumble recovered by the Indians at OP’s 40-yard line. Fitzgerald wasted no time taking advantage, finding senior receiver Max Scott for a score on the very next play. They failed to convert the extra point and took a 6-0 lead with 10:55 left in the first half. Osbourn Park continued mixing it up behind center with senior offensive dynamo Anthony Smoot and freshman quarterback Eddie Ostrander. On third down, Smoot connected through the air with sophomore Amin Davis for 30 yards. Later in the drive Smoot tore off a 20-yard scamper and OP was on on Gar-Field’s doorstep at the one-yard line. A few negative yardage plays resulted in a turnover on downs at the 12-yard line. The two teams comtinued to play hot potato with the ball, each unable to mount offensive charges. The last play of the first half saw senior lineman Reilly Pettit drop Fitzgerald in the backfield for a 15-yard loss as the Indians held a 6-0 lead. The two teams went back and forth until OP was able to mount their best offensive drive of the night. Smoot ripped off a 17-yard run and Ostrander found sophomore tight end Tyler Hazen for 30-yard touchdown a few plays later. Hazen went straight down the field, turned around to find the ball, then swung back towards the endzone dragging an Indian defender with him. OP took a 7-6 lead with just over six minutes left in the third quarter. The defense had their biggest play of the night on Gar-Field’s next drive. Fitzgerald attempted a pitch to running back Drew Ellis, but the ball was fumbled and recovered by Isaac Owusu for a defensive score. The Yellow Jackets took a 14-6 lead with 5:29 to go in the third quarter. Another bad snap by the Indians would lead to a 22-yard loss as sophomore Ian Penrod got in on the action with the fumble recovery. OP did not add to their lead, and the Indians used their next drive to take advantage. Ellis made up for his earlier fumble by snagging a 39-yard reception to set up his team at OP’s 21-yard line. They’d cap off the drive with a 5-yard rush by senior Nazier Stevens. Their two-point conversion failed as OP swarmed Fitzgerald. Gar-Field was flagged as well, and Osbourn Park declined it keeping a 14-12 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets next drive was not significant about any yards they gained offensively, but an integral dual player they would lose to injury. Connor Westhoff caught an Ostrander pass with nowhere to go, and the Indians took him down in the backfield. As he was going to the ground he felt a pop, breaking his collarbone. He was attended to as not only the Osbourn Park sideline was concerned- but Gar-Field and their fans as well. After a long time down on the ground, he was stretchered off the field in an upright position as the whole stadium gave him a round of applause. A serious injury like that might cause a team to crumble and lose focus- but not OP. They became even more intent on closing out this game on the road, and it stuck with Westhoff. “It felt amazing knowing my teammates wanted to win the game just for me. I loved it when I saw a picture later on of them on the sidelines praying for me. It meant a lot,” he told me. The Indians threatened inside the redzone with less than three minutes to go in the game, but penalties and a timely sack by Owusu pushed them back. On fourth down, a pass breakup by Jordan McAlister gave OP the ball back on the 21-yard line. Osbourn Park’s final nail in the coffin came by Smoot’s most impressive run of the night. He took the snap, bounced off two defenders with a spin, then a third with another spin and reeled off 38 yards. Ostrander came in and took a knee as OP moved to 2-4 on the season. Gar-Field fell to 1-5. The Yellow Jackets return home to host the 4-2 Battlefield Bobcats Friday, October 12th at 7 pm. They are looking for the first home win of the season. Game Notes: - Anthony Smoot finished with 29 carries for 152 yards - Khyree Alexander led all defenders with 9 tackles (1 TFL, 1 sack). - Isaac Owusu was an absolute force, totaling 4 tackles (1 TFL, 1 sack), a fumble recovery and a touchdown. - Gar-Field bested OP in first downs, 10-9. - OP was 3-10 on third down to Gar-Field’s 2-9. - Fourth down saw the Indians go 1-1 and OP 1-4. - Ian Penrod tallied 4 tackles (2 sacks) and a fumble recovery. - OP reigned it in with only 4 penalties all game (30 yards) as opposed to last week’s 11. Gar-Field had 8 flags for 65 yards. - The entire Yellow Jacket defense had 6 sacks and 5 tackles for loss. - Luke Nitowski had punts of 30, 42 and 47 yards. - The best return of the night was a 19-yard punt return by Khyree Alexander which saw him hurdle a defender. - Both teams had 2 turnovers (OP- 2 turnover-on-downs/ Gar-Field- 2 fumbles) - OP is now 2-1 on the road. For more on the Yellow Jackets, follow them on Twitter @OPHSFootball and @OPJackets. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know via @SeanNeutron or e-mail me at [email protected]