Oasis wins first ‘Backyard Brawl’ with Ida Baker
Five different Sharks (6-1) found the end zone on the night, with Oasis totaling 258 rushing yards in the contest, led by seniors Frederick Harley Jr. and Parker Smith.
“It’s fun to be part of a first thing,” said Oasis head coach Brice Bearman of the new Backyard Brawl. “I was actually a part of a first in this area (the Black and Blue Bowl). This is something that is special. To be able to take that trophy home, that’s good. I’m proud of them.”
The Oasis offense moved the ball with purpose for the majority of the game, though the Bulldogs (0-7) defense made a big play on the first drive of the night, as freshman Dominic Salerno came up with an interception on the doorstep to prevent a touchdown.
After forcing a three-and-out, Oasis found pay dirt, as running back Dallas Scott took a direct snap on the 3-yard line and burrowed his way into the end zone.
Scoring remained stagnant until the final minute of the second quarter when the Sharks started a drive just shy of midfield.
This time it was Smith (136 passing yards, 63 rushing yards) bursting up the middle for a 3-yard score of his own.
Ida Baker did not go quietly into the half, though, as the Bulldogs quickly worked down into Shark territory. Senior kicker/wideout Reed Verblaauw knocked home a 23-yard field goal with zeros on the clock, making the score 15-3.
“Obviously you want to score every opportunity you get,” said Bulldog head coach Steve Howard. “You want to put up more than three. But, points are points regardless. We put ourselves in a position to get points, rather than digging the hole, so to say. The positive thing is we got the points on the board, that’s the bottom line. Scoring is always a plus.”
The third quarter started out rough for the Bulldogs, with a big running play being called back due to penalty. Then, a backwards pass was recovered by the Sharks, setting up the offense at the Ida Baker 15-yard line.
On the first play following the recovery, Harley Jr. (113 rushing yards) broke off a run up the left sideline and found his way into the end zone, extending the Sharks lead to 22-3.
Ida Baker answered the score with its best drive of the game, capped off by an Elias Vargas 1-yard run.
Oasis answered the call, though, as a long catch-and-run by Scott put the Sharks at the 5-yard line, with Smith taking another keeper into the end zone.
“He’s our dude,” Bearman said of Smith. “He’s a leader. He takes care of everything and makes sure everything goes. He makes the right decisions most of the time, and when he doesn’t, he comes back and fixes it.”
The Bulldogs again fumbled back to Oasis on its ensuing possession, and this time it was senior Colin Anderson with an 11-yard rushing score to make it a 36-10 Shark advantage.
Verblaauw continued to show his kick prowess in the fourth quarter, as he drilled a 52-yard field goal on a rather windy night. There was never a doubt the field goal would be good, as it was plenty accurate and had room to spare.
“The kid is, I mean first-year playing football…it’s special,” Howard said. “Every week we mention his name. He’s a phenomenal kid. That’s a high-character kid. The type of kids you want playing.”
The final score of the game came via a Kevin Cisneros 1-yard run, making him the fifth different Shark to find the end zone.
On the focus on the rushing attack on the night, Bearman said, “I think that it’s just what they gave us. We were going pretty good at the point of attack, so why fix it if it ain’t broke.”
The Sharks played the majority of the game better up front on the offensive and defensive line, where games are decided.
“You win games in the trenches, that’s the bottom line,” Howard said. “Tonight, I think (Oasis) did a great job of winning in the trenches, and we didn’t.”
Howard shared the same sentiments as Bearman on being part of a first for these two high school football programs.
“It adds that extra element to a game,” he said. “To be part of a first, and doing those things, it does make extra for the night.”
This was the last regular season game for Oasis, which will find out sometime this weekend where it stands in the Sunshine State Athletic Association.
“We’ll get ready next week, get fixed up, try to fix some of the stuff we got to take care of, and we’ll figure out where we’re at after that,” Bearman said.
This week, Ida Baker travels to take on Charlotte (5-2).
1 2 3 4 F
OASIS 7 8 21 6 — 42
IDA BAKER 0 3 7 3 — 13
1st Quarter
O: Dallas Scott, 3-yard run (Mason Sargis kick); 2:13
2nd Quarter
O: Parker Smith, 3-yard run (Tommy Murphy 2-point); 0:58
IB: Reed Verblaauw, 23-yard field goal; 0:00
3rd Quarter
O: Frederick Harley Jr., 15-yard run (Sargis kick); 11:11
IB: Elias Vargas, 1-yard run (Verblaauw kick); 8:12
O: Smith, 5-yard run (Sargis kick); 5:04
O: Colin Anderson, 11-yard run (Sargis kick); 3:54
4th Quarter
IB: Verblaauw, 52-yard field goal; 11:39
O: Kevin Cisneros, 1-yard run (kick fail); 9:59