Pottsville vs. OZARK

[Apache4Life]

Did anyone on here go to the game ?

[OLDSCHOOL82]

I sure wasn't.  Sounds like it was two completely different games!  What did the hillbilly goats change up at half time and or did Pottsville eat a bunch of pie or something at half time?

[x14113]

From what I saw at the game, there were two factors in that surprising first half. One was expected, the other...

--Anyone paying close attention to how the conference race is playing out could easily predict that the Apaches were going to give the Hillbillies their best shot in that game. With the bottom two ahead, a win over Ozark would have all but assured Pottsville a home game in Week 11. To that end, their best shot they gave, scoring on three of their first four possessions and picking off Dawson Dietz twice.

--That leads to the other factor: The Hillbilly offense came out flat. Dietz's first pick, which happened in the game's second play, was courtesy of a bounce off the receiver's hands. While first downs weren't unusual, it was definitely inconsistent. Perhaps they were symptoms of a hangover after curbstomping West Fork? Or was it the mental block that Ozark had yet to win at the Wikiup? Maybe a bit of both, perhaps?

In any case, one could feel Ozark was gradually taking the momentum back even before the Apaches' final score, which covered...10 yards in 4 plays. The offense gradually got more productive with each drive, and the defense was forcing punts, and with that kept points off the board.

The key was to put it all together to start the 2nd half.

Pottsville got the ball to start said half. was forced to punt.

Ozark stormed down the field and got on the scoreboard.

Then Pottsville commits their first turnover.

Ozark marches down and scores again.

Then another forced punt.

That's when Ethan Foster is hit deep to help tie the game.

At this point, the Apache offense redoubles its efforts to take back the lead, but their next two drives end in turnovers.

A few plays later, Eddie Graham sprints around the left for the go-ahead score.



The Apaches had one final chance to force OT (at least), but they sqander half the time remaining just to get a first down. They turn it over on downs four plays later.

Another thing to note was that Pottsville made it a point to limit Woolsey and Burns that night. That opened the door for the other players to make an impact.

The circumstances leading to it are unusual (seeing how nearly everyone, even a few Apache fans, were favoring the visitors, for one), but this will go down as one of the greatest wins in Hillbilly history. It is also one of, if not the largest deficit overcome in an Ozark win, against a program that is built to protect such a lead, no less.

It could also be a point to build on for the rest of the season, starting this week against Dardy. Let's see where things go from here.

[OLDSCHOOL82]

^ Now that's how u give a rundown of a game!