"They scored first and we came back and tied it up. It was a pretty close game throughout," recalled Oak Harbor coach Mike May Sunday night.
"We got up by seven and they came back and it was 21-20 late in the game with four to five minutes left. They went to the extra point to tie it up and had a problem with the snap and didn't work, so they didn't convert. That's kind of how it ended up."
It was the first real opportunity the Redskins had to beat an Oak Harbor team in 23 seasons, as both teams entered the game with identical 1-5 records. However, once again, it was PC’s inability to stop the Rockets’ running that cost them. Oak Harbor rolled up 306 yards rushing against the Redskins
Oak Harbor running back Brock Harder rushed for 177 yards on 36 carries, Matt Klippstein added 52 yards rushing, quarterback Steve Young 50 yards, and Jim Vassello 48 yards. Young completed 5-of-7 passes for 42 yards and touchdown. Vassello caught four of Young's passes, and Brad Perry caught a 12-yard touchdown pass.
Coach May was pleased just to see his Rockets survive the Redskin scare. Obviously, he didn't want to see that first Redskin win over the Rockets since 1986 happen on his watch.
"That was a much needed win. We were pretty close to overtime," May said. "The kids were pretty focused before the game and throughout the game. They just played hard and were enthusiastic and we blocked and tackled a lot better than we had been the last couple weeks.
Oak Harbor scored all 21 of its points in the second quarter. Rocket touchdowns came on one-yard run by Harder with 11:28 remaining until halftime, then Klippstein scored from nine yards out with 6:12 remaining, and then Young and Perry hooked up on a touchdown pass with just 39 seconds showing on the clock.
Coach May was impressed by PC’s Allen Tigner, who was a potential game-buster had he scored.
"One kid that really stood out was Tigner," May said. "He's an excellent receiver for them. Their quarterback did a great job getting him the ball. We had some trouble stopping some of their big plays.
"They played a great game. Their kids were hitting hard. It was just a good high school football game."
Oak Harbor faces off with Edison this week, a team that defeated PC 27-21 two weeks earlier. Like many SBC offenses, Coach May sees a lot of similarity in Edison and Oak Harbor's styles.
"They like to run the ball is the thing they do and they play solid defense," Coach May said.
But the first-year Rocket coach says Oak Harbor's second conference victory in four games should give his team a boost as they prepare to face off with the Chargers.
"I think we were able to get some confidence from winning a close game like that, so winning that game was big for us," May said. "We just try and keep getting better. That's what we always talk about."
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