Week 5 : O'Hara 14 St. James 13

O'Hara won its Homecoming game 14-13 over St. James Academy. The difference in the game was a blocked extra point following St. James second touchdown. Besides the Homecoming activities, the game was also notable because O'Hara retired #21 in honor of the four Brown brothers who wore it from 1978 -1992 , and the death this week of long time O'Hara football fixture Al DeMarea.
The football game was tight from start to finish. O'Hara received the opening kickoff, but turned the ball over on a fumble due to an errant snap from center. St. James converted the turnover into points, taking a quick 7-0 lead. The Celtics answered immediately, marching 80 yards in 5 plays to tie the game less than 2 minutes later. The key plays on the drive were a 31 yard sweep by Donnie Criswell, and a 33 yard pass reception from T. J. White to Joe Pepple. Criswell scored the touchdown on a 12 yard counter.
Things got sloppy in the 2nd quarter as O'Hara continued to move the ball well, but was stopped from scoring by self-inflicted mistakes. Illegal motion penalties wiped out a scoring pass to Pepple, and an acrobatic, diving catch by Aaron Stubblefield that would have given O'Hara the ball at the St. James 7 yard line. The halftime score was 7-7.
Things looked good starting the 2nd half when St. James fumbled on their 3rd play, but the momentum was short lived as St. James cornerback Ben Reynoldson stepped in front of a 3rd down pass and returned it to the O'Hara 17 yard line. Reynoldson scored two plays later on a 9 yard run. O'Hara blocked the PAT, which would prove crucial. O'Hara once again responded immediatley, as White raced 59 yards on the 2nd play of the ensuing drive for a score, on a perfectly executed veer option play. Half the St. James defense tackled fullback Chuck Preston, who carried out a beautiful fake, and White ran untouched down the right sideline. Bryce Scovill's PAT provided O'Hara with its one point margin of victory, 14-13.
The O'Hara defense had a good night, keeping St. James scoreless the rest of the night. Leading tacklers included Joe Melchior, Preston, Aaron Mitchell, and Pepple. Jake Robinson and Alex Rogers recovered fumbles, and Danny Hernandez had a nice interception and 27 yard return.
In a halftime ceremony O'Hara retired jersey #21, which was worn by brothers Mike (class of '81), J. R. ('83), Mark ('87), and Jeff ('93) Brown. All four played halfback, and featured the same slashing, cut back style of running. The Brown brothers are prominently featured in the all-time O'Hara rushing records, owning 4 of the top 10 best rushing seasons, and 3 of the top 5 career rushers in school history. More important than their individual accomplishments, though, was the impact their toughness and competitiveness had on their teams. O'Hara made the playoffs nearly every year a Brown was starting at runningback, including a State Championship in 1980, and a 2nd place finish in 1982. The Browns are the sons of Bob and Rose Brown, whose house borders the O'Hara practice field.
Al DeMarea's passing Wednesday was also noted at the game with a pre-game moment of silence. His initials were painted on the field, and the players wore stickers with his initials on their helmets. Al was the father of head coach Jim DeMarea and assistant coach Mike DeMarea. He has been affiliated with O'Hara football since his three sons played here from '67-'72. He filmed O'Hara football games from 1983 - 2007. He will be greatly missed by the O'Hara football program.