Game Time Blog

By DAVE UTNIK

Welcome to the News & Messenger’s Under the Lights district championship showdown edition of the Game Time Blog.

Game: Battlefield (5-1) at Osbourn (7-0)

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: WINDY with a chance of meatballs. Really, it’s that windy.

PREVIEW

AS GOOD AS IT GETS: The Cedar Run District championship will essentially be decided tonight, given that these two teams have combined to win the past four titles. It helps that the rest of the district teams are average at best, so it has been anticipated all season that the winner of tonight’s game should claim the banner. Battlefield has won the last three Cedar Run titles, but tonight the Bobcats are underdogs against an undefeated Osbourn squad that last won the title in 2006—the Eagles’ state championship season.

STOPPING DOMINIQUE: First of all, good luck with that. Osbourn quarterback Dominique Terrell has run for 1,055 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Nobody is stopping him. The Eagles are averaging 42 points per game. The Bobcats, however, have had the best luck in at least slowing him down. When Terrell was at Osbourn Park, the Bobcats traditionally crowded the line of scrimmage to take away running lanes and dared him to throw the ball. Back then, he couldn’t and the strategy worked perfectly last season as the Bobcats won the Northwest Region in Division 6 and advanced to the state quarterfinals. Subsequently, Terrell transferred to a team with a better offensive line, better receivers and a field that doesn’t turn brown in cold weather.

ONE STREAK IS STILL IN TACT: While Battlefield had it’s 33-game regular season winning streak snapped at Hylton several weeks ago, the Bobcats have gone more than three seasons without a loss in the Cedar Run District. Battlefield’s last district loss came in overtime against Fauquier on Nov. 3, 2006.

PREGAME PREDICTION: Osbourn 35, Battlefield 14. The Eagles are not going to lose on Senior Night.

AND HERE WE GO: Osbourn is kicking off to start the game. The kick sails out of the end zone so Battlefield will begin its first possession at the 20 yard line.

ACTION JACKSON: The first three plays have all been handoffs to Nagee Jackson, who broke into the secondary on second down and carried the ball to the 46 yard line. That’s more yardage that most teams get in an entire quarter against Osbourn.

INACTION JACKSON: The Eagles have caught onto the game plan. They stopped Jackson on a third and short play, forcing a punt. Osbourn take possession at its own 22 yard line.

OOPS: Dominique Terrell fumbled on the very first play and Battlefield recovered at the 10 yard line. It’s first and goal for the Bobcats. Stacking the line of scrimmage seems to be a solid game plan.

UPSET ALERT:Battlefield running back Nagee Jackson scoots 10 yards on second down for the game’s first touchdown. It’s Battlefield 7, Osbourn 0. The scoring run is Jackson’s ninth of the season.

TAKE TWO: The Eagles are having much better luck with their second possession as Lucky Whitehead just ran 44 yards to the Battlefield 29 yard line. The Bobcats’ lead might be very short-lived.

FIRST & GOAL Terrell has Osbourn inside the red zone with a 20-yard run. It’s first and goal Eagles at the 8. 6:31 left in the first quarter.

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE: A holding penalty has stalled the Osbourn drive and the line of scrimmage has gone from the 8 to the 22, courtesy of a sack by Battlefield’s Zavier Stringfellow. The Eagles came away with nothing after a 38-yard field goal missed.

TRY, TRY AGAIN: The Eagles are determined to tie this game before the end of the first quarter. After forcing another Battlefield punt, Osbourn is on the move at the 29 yard line. On this possession, Terrell has completed an 8-yard pass to Lucky Whitehead and picked up a first down on a run play. Make that a pair of first downs. It’s 1st down at the 17.

NO STOPPING NIQUE: Okay so they didn’t get the lead, but the Eagles are on the scoreboard. Terrell’s 17 yard run capped Osbourn’s first scoring drive with 16 seconds remaining in the first quarter. A high snap resulted in no extra point so it’s Battlefield 7, Osbourn 6.

NO STOPPING JACKSON, EITHER: As good as Terrell is, Nagee Jackson has proven to be just as elusive. While Terrell simply runs by defenders, however, Jackson mows them over. He’s dragging Eagles up and down the field. His last run went for 8 yards and a first down at the 45 yard line.

LUCKY AND GOOD: The Bobcats’ threat ended with a sack and Osbourn is in good position to score again thanks to a long punt return by Lucky Whitehead, who scampered 51 yards to the Battlefield 34. It’s Terrell’s turn.

THERE HE GOES AGAIN: Terrell got the Eagles down to the 5 yard line and Osbourn finally has the lead with a 28-yard field goal by Chris Boteler. 4:37 remaining in the half. OSBOURN 9, BATTLEFIELD 7.

RUSHING COMPARISON: Terrell has 88 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a TD run. Jackson is at 62 yards on 10 carries and one TD.

DOUBLE THREAT: Don’t even think that Dominique Terrell is a one-dimensional player. That might have been true in year’s past, but this year the senior quarterback can throw with the best of them. He just hit Timmy Keith in stride for a 27-yard gain.

BUT THE EAGLES ARE STILL BETTER WHEN THEY RUN: The danger of being pass happy is that passes get tipped at the line of scrimmage and then intercepted. That’s what happened the kill Osbourn’s drive. Battlefield’s Isiah Wright picked it off at the 1 yard line, momentarily keeping the Bobcats in this game.

UPSET ALERT, PART 2: BATTLEFIELD 14, OSBOURN 9. Nagee Jackson is unstoppable. The Eagles have no answer. The senior running back capped a 99-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown run. Osbourn does not look even remotely like a state championship team.

OKAY MAYBE THEY WILL LOSE ON SENIOR NIGHT: At the half it’s BATTLEFIELD 14, OSBOURN 9.
 
HALFTIME LEADERS: Dominique Terrell 116 on 15 carries. 1 TD
                                Nagee Jackson 93 yards on 13 carries. 1 TD

ZAVIER SACKFELLOW: Zavier Stingfellow has been Battlefield’s most valuable defensive player tonight. In addition to his touchdown-saving interception, he just sacked Terrell at the line of scrimmage.

OF COURSE HE CAN’T DO IT BY HIMSELF: Terrell found a place on the field where Stringfellow wasn’t standing and raced 52 yards to give Osbourn a 1st and goal at the 8. It appears that the senior has decided to take the game over himself. Perhaps a wise decision since he’s the best athlete on the field.

OUT IN FRONT AGAIN: Robert Carter’s run from the 1 yard line has given Osbourn the lead again. It took the Eagles 121 seconds to regain the lead. And with Lucky Whitehead’s two-run conversion run it is now OSBOURN 17, BATTLEFIELD 14.

WHAT WILL NAGEE DO NEXT? Osbourn can’t seem to figure out what to do about Nagee Jackson, who just picked up another first down. The Bobcats are nearing midfield and it’s taking about five Eagle defenders to bring him down.

IN THIS CASE FIVE WAS ENOUGH: Osbourn finally stopped Jackson on a third-down conversion attempt, forcing a punt that gives the Eagles possession once again at their own 43 yard line. 5:58 left in the third.

TERRELL TO WHITEHEAD: 17 yards on 1st down. Terrell is vastly improved as a passing quarterback. It’s looking a lot like another scoring drive. The rout may finally be on with Osbourn now at the Bobcats’ 29 yard line.

LUCKY AND GREAT: Add a 34-yard TD pass that Whitehead reached above his head to grab at the goal line. Now, the Eagles are beginning to look like a state championship contender. OSBOURN 24, BATTLEFIELD 14. 3 minutes, 48 seconds to go in the third quarter.

IT’S ALL EAGLES NOW: Even Nagee Jackson couldn’t rally the Bobcats on their last possession. He was stopped twice for losses and Battlefield was forced to punt. Osbourn has the ball again, though its third and 43 at the 10 following three consecutive penalties. The clock is under a minute in the third quarter.

THAT DIDN"T GO WELL. WRONG WAY ALERT: The Eagles couldn’t go any farther backwards so they punted. Battlefield begins the fourth quarter at the Osbourn 30 yard line with a big opportunity to get back in this game.

HERE COME THE BOBCATS: Quarterback Devon Greene picked up a huge first down on a third-down carry, giving Battlefield a 1st down at the 28.

AND NOW IT’S JACKSON’S TURN: Nagee Jackson picked up 8 more yards to the 15. And then powered Greene his way for another first down. It’s now 1st and goal at the 9 yard line.

SECOND CHANCE ALERT: The Bobcats’ drive stalled at the 3 so they kicked a field goal, pulling them to within 24-17, but a personal foul by Osbourn gave Battlefield an automatic first down. So Battlefield took the points off the board and Jackson scored on a 2-yard run. The momentum has shifted again. OSBOURN 24, BATTLEFIELD 21. 7:36 to go. 

TIME TO RUN OUT THE CLOCK: Osbourn had better come up with a time consuming drive. The Eagles will take over on the 20 after a kickoff into the end zone. There’s no way they want Nagee Jackson carrying the ball again with a chance to win the game for Battlefield.

HELLO, NEWMAN: Chris Windle and Nick Newman teamed up to sack Terrell on third down. The Eagles’ drive lasted exactly three plays. Not the stuff of champions. Battlefield will have a chance to win the game with 1st down at the Osbourn 42.

JACKSON WILL GET HIS CHANCE: Nagee Jackson and company are back on the field for one final scoring attempt. They have 6 minutes.

WHAT WAS THAT? Three plays and out with some of the worst play calling imaginable. Jackson touched the ball exactly once and the Bobcats, who rarely ever throw the ball, tried to go deep on third down. Naturally, it was incomplete. Punt. Game over.

TIME TO RUN OUT THE CLOCK, PART 2: Osbourn needs to run 4 minutes off the clock to win the game and, presumably, the Cedar Run District championship. The Bobcats essentially imploded under pressure and now Dominique Terrell is methodically taking precious seconds off the clock. The Eagles will survive their first major test of the season, though not nearly as convincingly as predicted.

DAGGER: On one of the most daring play calls ever, Terrell just completed a 27 yard pass to Lucky Whitehead, setting up 1st down at the Battlefield 37 yard line. Not sure why they gambled on throwing the ball with 2 minutes left, but kudos on the bravado. That took guts and two talented players to pull off.

FINAL SCORE: OSBOURN 24, BATTLEFIELD 21. In keeping with the tradition of this series, it was another close game. Osbourn is 8-0. Battlefield 5-2.
STAT LEADERS: Dominique Terrell rushing 28 carries, 207 yards
                                            passing 9-12-1, 133 yards 1 TD  
                          Lucky Whitehead 4 catches, 87 yards 1 TD

                          Nagee Jackson 27 carries, 138 yards, 1TD

That’s all folks. Have a great weekend.