With about two minutes left in the game against Oak Hill academy on Friday night, Newton County Academy coach Rob Roberts was already thinking about overtime as the Generals lined up to punt.
That was a premature thought.
The Raiders blocked a Kemp Alderman punt out of the back of the end zone to take a hard-fought 9-7 win over the Generals.
With the loss, the Generals fall to 0-2 on the season and have Roberts scratching his head.
“Penalties killed us against Oak Hill,” Roberts said. “And it was on both sides of the football. We would get a big play and get a penalty. We would get them in third and long and get a penalty. But that’s just our luck right now. We still aren’t blocking very good. Everybody is blitzing on us and we are letting them come through.”
Oak Hill scored on its first possession of the game as the Raiders drove 39 yards in five plays, scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter for an early 7-0 lead.
After another NCA punt, the Raiders were driving in for another score when Lincoln Jordan scooped up an Oak Hill fumble and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. Ethan McDill booted the PAT and tied the game at 7-7.
In the first half, the Generals had four possessions without getting a first down.
In the second half, the Generals got five possessions and had three three-and-outs and turned the ball over on downs with just two first downs in the game. On the night, the Generals had just 60 yards of total offense with 53 on the ground.
“We didn’t block very well up front and we have to get that ironed out,” Roberts said. “The defense didn’t play bad, they just gave up the one drive. The defense has been playing all right. We just have to quit the penalties and making dumb mistakes.”
The game turned late in the fourth quarter when Oak Hill boomed a 52-yard punt and pinned the Generals at their own 9. After being unable to get out of the shadow of their own goalposts, the Generals were forced to punt and Oak Hill blocked the punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
After punting the ball to Oak Hill, the Raiders fumbled and gave the Generals the ball back at their own 27. But four straight plays failed to get a first down as Oak Hill held on for the win.
Eli Finnegan led NCA o offense with 48 yards on 11 carries. Jordan had two fumble recoveries on defense while Zander Bounds led the defense with eight tackles. Colby Hollingsworth had six tackles while Alderman, Lee Hollingsworth and Harber Reese each had five tackles apiece.
