Oak Hall Football Off to Strong Start
The weather last Friday wasn’t the only thing that was hot during Oak Hall’s 36-6 win against visiting Jacksonville Bishop Snyder.
Tensions arose midway through the fourth quarter when players needed to be separated following a scuffle. Things had been chippy throughout the game with Oak Hall coming out of the gate with a physical running game.
Coming off the season-opening 43-14 win at Bronson, Oak Hall (2-0) had no intention of taking the foot off the pedal for the second game.
From the first drive of the game, the Eagles made their physicality known. Oak Hall dominated in the trenches, which allowed it to run a smash-mouth style of football. The Eagles also chose to set the tempo with bold play-calling, attempting a fourth-down conversion on the first drive.
The Oak Hall defense proved to be stout, sending the Cardinals (0-3) off the field on their first drive. Oak Hall continued to stifle the Cardinal offense, shutting them out through three quarters, forcing three interceptions and returning a fumble for a touchdown.
“Most of the teams that we’re playing are bigger than us.” Eagles coach RJ Fuhr said. “So we gotta use our speed and quickness.”
Quarterback BJ Johnson shined in the Eagles’ win by starting the game’s scoring by finding running back Darius Medley with a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The fireworks wouldn’t stop there. Johnson found the end zone once more through the air, as well as once with his feet. Johnson has scored seven touchdowns in just two games.
“We’re just staying humble doing our job,” Johnson said. “We got the ability to take what’s ours every week.”
Medley also proved to be a key piece against Bishop Snyder. Medley made his presence known on both sides of the ball, adding another touchdown and an interception to his season’s tally.
With his third interception through two games, Medley has already surpassed his total from last season, when he recorded two.
Medley credits a position change his coach made this past offseason when he was switched to safety.
“He got me better reading my eyes, so I got a lot better on defense,” Medley said.
When things got chippy between the teams in the fourth quarter, Fuhr emphasized the importance of remaining focused on the task at hand, especially with a young team.
“It’s an emotional game. I love the fire in them,” Fuhr said. “We just gotta be smart, we can’t let our emotions get the best of us.”
The Cardinals finally got on the board in the final seconds of the game following a touchdown pass.
This is the kind of start Fuhr and the Eagles expect to see coming off their first Sunshine State Athletic Association 11-man 3A championship.
Oak Hill looks to continue its dominance when it hosts Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian (1-2) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Category: Football, High School Sports, Oak Hall High School
