Week 10 : O'Hara 41 St. Pius X 23

On Halloween night O'Hara had an early scare, falling behind St. Pius X 10-0 in the first quarter, before rallying to treat their fans to a 41-23 victory, and the possession of the Crystal Cup. The Crystal Cup has been awarded to the winning team of the O'Hara-St. Pius X game by the Ancient Order of the Hiberians since 2001. This is the first year O'Hara has won it. O'Hara finished the regular season with an 8-2 record overall, 3-0 in district, and 4-1 in conference. The playoffs begin Wednesday night. O'Hara will host a first round game against the Smithville Warriors, who had a 7-3 regular season record.
O'Hara went into Friday's game with first place in the district already assured, and St. Pius X with no chance to make the playoffs. The Celtics started sluggish, with turnovers and penalties hurting us in the first quarter as St. Pius X jumped to an early 10-0 lead.
The defense got the tide turned by forcing their own turnovers. A fumble recovery by Larry Liggett, and an interception by Joey Tucker gave O'Hara great field position. Even after O'Hara wasted those opportunities, Louis Golden got the ball back again with a quarterback sack and forced fumble, which was recovered at the Warrior 1 yard line. A quarterback sneak by T. J. White got the Celtics on the board, and cut the lead to 10-7.
O'Hara scored on the next possession on a 14 yard run by Donnie Criswell, taking a 13-10 halftime lead. A late scoring threat by St. Pius X was ended by an Alex Rogers' interception, his first of three on the night.
Criswell opened the second half by returning the kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, putting O'Hara up 20-10. James Tillman then heated up, breaking three long runs that helped O'Hara open up their lead. Tillman scored on two of those runs, from 42 and 49 yard out. The third long run was followed by White's second touchdown run of the game, an 11 yard option keep around the left end. St. Pius scored on two touchdowen passes in the second half to tight end Blake Brown to keep the game close, but interceptions by Rogers and Joe Melchior near the goal line kept them from getting any closer.
Tillman led the offense in rushing with 136 yards. Danny Hernandez had 3 pass receptions. Tillman, Criswell, and White each scored 2 touchdowns. The defense was led in tackles by Golden and Chuck Preston.

Week 9 : O'Hara 34 Pembroke Hill 6

O'Hara's 34-6 victory over Pembroke Hill, along with Lincoln Prep's 6-0 win over St. Pius X, gives the Celtics the district title, and our first playoff appearance since 2001. O'Hara still has the final regular season game next Friday at St. Pius X, then will host the first round of the playoffs Wednesday, November 5th. This will be the first night playoff game played at O'Hara. Our opponent will be the loser of the Smithville-Chillicothe game. The winner of that game will host the winner of the Lincoln Prep-Pembroke Hill game. This is the first year that two teams from each district make the playoffs. The #1 teams from one district play the #2 teams from the next district, then the winning teams play in the sectional round.
O'Hara's victory over Pembroke Hill was our 5th straight win. Both teams entered the game with 6-2 records, and the Red Raiders were fresh off a 27-7 district opening victory over St. Pius X. The O'Hara defense started the game strong, forcing a three and out. A good O'Hara drive was cut short by a fumble at the Pembroke 5 yard line, but the defense again forced a three and out, and Pembroke had to punt from their endzone. This gave O'Hara great field position, starting at the Pembroke 32 yard line. The offense wasted no time making up for the earlier missed opportunity, and scored on the first play, a 32 yard pass from T. J. White to Aaron Stubblefield. A long Pembroke Hill drive ended at the O'Hara 19 yard line, and the first quarter score was 6-0.
The Celtics then did most of our damage in the second quarter, scoring on all three possessions. This has become a pattern for O'Hara, as we have scored at least three 2nd quarter touchdowns the each of the last four games. James Tillman ended two of the drives with short touchdown runs around the left end, with a 27 yard touchdown reception by Joe Pepple sandwiched in between. After the first extra point was blocked, a two point conversion reception by Danny Hernadez got the point back. Bryce Scovill made the other two PATs, and O'Hara led 28-0 at the half.
O'Hara received the 2nd half kickoff, and put together a long, time consuming drive. After eating up nearly half of the 3rd quarter, Tillman capped the drive with a 4 yard run, his 3rd touchdown of the game. The extra point was wide right, and prevented the running clock that comes with a 35 point 2nd half lead. Days of rain had left the field sloppy and wet, and there were not many highlights the rest of the way. Pembroke scored a 4th quarter touchdown following an O'Hara fumble, then recovered the ensuing onside kick, but an interception by Hernandez ended their late threat.
T. J. White completed 8 of 10 passes for 159 yards and 2 TDs. He broke another school passing record, most career completions with 132, breaking Joe Holder's mark of 126, set from 1976-78. The only two passing records he does not have are now in reach - completions for a season (77), and touchdowns for a season (15), both set by Rayn McNamara in 1998. He needs 5 more completions, and 2 more touchdowns. Tillman led the rushing attack with 96 yards, moving him into 8th place in career rushing with 1,532 yards. Pepple had 3 receptions for 88 yards. He is already O'Hara's all time leading receiver with 63 catches. Hernandez is now 4th in career receptions with 37, tying him with head coach Jim DeMarea, who played at O'Hara from 1969-1972. Pepple and Hernandez are tied with 24 receptions for the season.
Defensively, the Celtics were led in tackles by Alex Rogers, Jake Robinson, and Joey Tucker. Chuck Preston recovered a fumble, and Hernandez had an interception.
Before the game the 7 Seniors were recognized with their parents on Senior night, their last regular season game at O'Hara. Those Seniors are kicker Bryce Scovill, halfback Donnie Criswell, cornerback Alex Rogers, tight end and defensive end Joe Pepple, safety Joey Tucker, split end and cornerback Danny Hernandez, and defensive lineman and punter Larry Liggett.

Week 8 : O'Hara 48 Lincoln Prep 12

O'Hara opened district play with a 48-12 victory over Lincoln Prep. The game featured several big plays in the passing game as T. J. White threw for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns. Two more school passing records fell - most yards in a season (1,441 yards)and most passing touchdowns in a game. O'Hara also had its best game of the season defending the pass. Joe Melchior and Aaron Mitchell each had two interceptions, and Mitchell returned one for a touchdown.
O'Hara opened the scoring in the first quarter with an 85 yard, 3 play drive. James Tillman took a swing pass and raced 78 yards up the sideline, getting caught just inside the 10 yard line. Chuck Preston finished the drive with an 8 yard touchdown run. Penalties caused the offense to stall the next couple drives, and a good punt return by Lincoln Prep led to a Johnny Hall 22 yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 7-6. O'Hara blocked Lincoln's extra point atempt.
The Celtics have shown the ability to respond right away when their opponents score this season, and they did it again against Lincoln. On the first offensive play after Lincon scored, Danny Hernandez caught a short hitch pass, and took it 65 yards for a score, outrunning three Lincoln defenders. Hernandez's catch and run ignited the offense, and it quickly scored on 5 consecutive possessions, blowing the game wide open.
Raphael Spencer bolted up the middle 28 yards for a touchdown on the 2nd play of the next drive. Joe Pepple caught a play action pass and sprinted to the end zone for a 65 yard touchdown on the 3rd play of the next drive. Aaron Mitchell had a pick-six interecption on the first play of Lincoln's next drive, giving the Celtics a 35-6 halftime lead.
In the second half the Celtics wasted no time getting to the running clock, as Hernandez took another hitch and turned it into a touchdown, again outrunning the Lincoln secondary for a 48 yard score. Joe Pepple scored his 2nd touchdown of the night on a tipped ball, hauling in a 14 yard pass in the endzone. O'Hara's backups then entered the game, and played the rest of night.
O'Hara's victory improves our record to 6-2 overall, and 1-0 in district play. The Celtics' next opponent is Pembroke Hill, who is also 6-2 and 1-0 in district after defeating St. Pius X 27-7. The game will be played at O'Hara, and will be Senior Night for our 7 Seniors.

Week 7 : O'Hara 32 Center 0

O'Hara shut out Center 32-0 in the last game before districts start. O'Hara's offense used a balanced attack to roll up 475 yards of total offense, while the defense allowed just 105 yards. Quarterback T. J. White threw for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns, making him O'Hara's all-time leader in touchdown passes. Aaron Stubblefield ( 3 receptions for 99 yards) caught both of the touchdowns. Danny Hernandez (5 receptions for 72 yards), and Joe Pepple (4 receptions for 47 yards) continued to pile up catches. Pepple is already O'Hara's all-time leader in pass receptions, and Hernandez moved up to the 6th spot.
Donnie Criswell (74 yards rushing, 15 yards receiving, 1 TD) and James Tillman (70 yards rushing. 27 yards receiving, 1 TD) gave O'Hara good production from their halfback positions, and helped O'Hara add 215 yards rushing. White scrambled for 52 yards, picking up some key first downs.
The defense was able to keep the Center offense in check all night. Jake Robinson led the Celtics in tackles with 10, and defensive points with 12. Joe Melchior was 2nd with 10 points, including an interception.
After a scoreless 1st quarter, the Celtic offense came to life and scored 20 points in the 2nd quarter. Key pass receptions by Hernandez and Pepple set up O'Hara's first touchdown, a 12 yard run by Criswell. A 42 yard reception by Stubblefield set up the second, a 15 yard run by Tillman. Stubblefield scored the third on a perfectly executed fade pass from White.
Despite piling up lots of yardage, penalties and a fumble kept O'Hara out of the endzone in the third quarter. After one drive ended at the Center 10 yard line, the defense pushed Center further back so that they were punting out of their own end zone. The deep snapper sailed the ball well over the punter's head, giving O'Hara a safety and a 22-0 lead.
In the 4th quarter Bryce Scovill kicked a 35 yardf field goal into a strong wind. Scovill is a perfect 3 for 3 on field goal attempts this year. O'Hara capped the scoring with a beautiful 34 yard pass from White to Stubblefield.
The win moves O'Hara's record to 5-2 on the year, 3-1 in conference. The Celtics open district play next Friday on the road against Lincoln Prep. Lincoln is 4-3, and the Interscholastic League champions.

Week 6 : O'Hara 51 Christ Prep 23

In a rare Saturday afternoon game, O'Hara defeated Christ Prep 51-23. The game featured lots of big plays and quick scoring drives for the Celtics. O'Hara scored early and often, led by James Tillman's three touchdowns, T. J. White's 288 yards passing, and Danny Hernandez's 165 yards receiving.
O'Hara opened the game with a 47 yard pass from White to Aaron Stubblefield, then got on the board first on a 29 yard Bryce Scovill field goal. On O'Hara's next drive Hernandez had an 82 yard reception on the first play. He almost scored, but was forced out of bounds at the two. Tillman carried the ball the last two yards for the first of his three touchdowns.
Hernandez again got the Celtics started on their next drive, taking a curl pass and running for a 33 yard gain. Donnie Criswell finshed the drive with a 9 yard touchdown run, making the score 17-0 early in the 2nd quarter. Christ Prep got the ensuing kickoff at midfield when O'Hara failed to recover an onside kick, and scored 10 plays later, cutting the Celtic lead to 17-7.
O'Hara regained the momentum quickly, scoring on the 2nd play of their next drive when Raphael Spencer popped through the line of scrimmage on a trap, then sprinted up the left sideline for a 51 yard touchdown. O'Hara got the ball back with just one minute remaning in the half, but Tillman took a swing pass and raced untouched up the right sideline for a 53 yard touchdown reception, giving the Celtics a 31-7 halftime lead.
In the second half the quick scoring continued. White connected with Hernadez for a 50 yard touchdown on O'Hara's third offensive play. On the next series Tillman ran a counter 84 yards for a touchdown on the first play, putting O'Hara up 45-7 midway through the third quarter.
As O'Hara began subbing on defense, Christ Prep put together a very long touchdown drive, going 72 yards in 15 plays and 6:43 minutes. After trading fumbles at midfield, O'Hara gained great field position on a booming 55 yard punt by Larry Liggett that went out of bounds deep in Christ Prep territory. After the defense held Christ Prep, O'Hara was able to add one more touchdown on a 20 yard pass from Josh Stazen to Liggett. Christ Prep scored once more late in the game to make the final score 51-23.
White's 288 yards passing is an O'Hara single game record, breaking his own record set against Sedalia last year, and making him O'Hara's career passing leader with 2,017 yards, breaking a 30 year old mark set by Joe Holder. His two touchdowns moved him into a tie for most career touchdowns with 16, tying him with Ryan McNamara. The only passing record he does not have is yards in a season. He would need 483 more yards this year to catch McNamara's record of 1,377 set in 1998.
Chuck Preston once again led the defense in points with 16. Other leading tacklers included Spencer, Joey Tucker, and Joe Melchior.
Christ Prep did a great job hosting O'Hara. The game was played on field turf at SM North's beautifully renovated stadium. ThePatriots played hard and showed good sportsmanship. The public address announcer was very positive and complementary to O'Hara. And to top it off, there was pizza and Gatorade waiting for O'Hara in the locker room after the game.
The win improves O'Hara's record to 4-2. Next Friday the Celtics travel to Center. While this is Center's first year in the West Central Conference, they have been a frequent opponent of the Celtics over the years. The two schools have played 14 times, and O'Hara has an 8-6 record against the Yellowjachkets.

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.

Week 4 : Smith Cotton 38 O'Hara 29

O'Hara traveled to Sedalia for our first road game of the year, and was defeated by Smith Cotton 38-29. Sedalia running back Solomon Watkins and quarterback Bryce Johnson were each starting their 4th varsity game against O'Hara, and their experience showed as they accounted for all 5 of Smith Cotton's touchdowns. Watkins had his 3 touchdowns in the first half, and Johnson added his 2 in the second half.
After a good opening drive for O'Hara stalled, Watkins raced 82 yards for a score on Sedalia's first offensive play. That lead did not last long as D. J. Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff for an O'Hara touchdown to tie the game. He found an opening up the middle and sprinted 95 yards for the score.
After two more Watkins' touchdowns put Smith Cotton ahead 21-7, the O'Hara offense finally got moving and drove 81 yards for a touchdown just before half. The drive featured several nice sweep runs by James Tillman and Donnie Criswell. Key pass receptions were made by Joe Pepple and Danny Hernandez to keep the drive going. Criswell capped the drive with a two yard touchdown run. A mishandled snap on the extra point led to a bonus point for O'Hara as Pepple found Raphael Spencer for a two point conversion reception, making the score 21-15. O'Hara's momentum was short lived, as a good Smith Cotton return, a pass interference call, and a split end screen pass led to a field goal to end the half, putting Sedalia up 24-15.
Sedalia played ball control in the third quarter, as O'Hara only had 3 offensive plays. The first Sedalia drive ended in a Johnson touchdown run, and the second ended up at the O'Hara 19, but took a lot of time off the clock. Smith Cotton looked like they were going to convert their 4th down pass to their tight end, but a well timed Alex Rogers' hit caused him to drop the ball. O'Hara got moving again, and put together their 2nd 81 yard scoring drive of the game. The drive featured a key pass from T. J. White to Pepple and an acrobatic, one handed catch by Aaron Stubblefield for 38 yards when the Sedalia cornerback was called for interference. Chuck Preston scored on a 7 yard run on the next play. A two point conversion pass to Pepple got O'Hara within one score, 31-23, with about 6 minutes remaining.
Hopes for an O'Hara comeback and possible overtime were ended by Johnson's 2nd touchdown of the game, which put Smith Cotton up 38-23 with 2:28 left in the game. O'Hara was able to score once more on a 76 yard drive that featured White's scrambling, and passes to Tillman and Joe Melchior. Melchior's 32 yard pass reception gave O'Hara the ball at the Sedalia 4 yard line, and Criswell swept around right end, diving in for his 2nd touchdown of the game.
O'Hara had a balanced night offensively, rushing for 169 yards and passing for 167 yards. Five different runners and six different receivers contibuted to the totals.
Defensively, Joey Tucker led the Celtics with 12 tackles, including 7 unassisted. Other leading tacklers were Preston, Jake Robinson, and Louis Golden.
Larry Liggett boomed 3 high punts, averaging 38 yards a punt. Logan Naudet continued to deep snap well on specialty teams.
The win moves Smith Cotton into the driver's seat for the West Central Conference title. They are now 4-0 overall, and 3-0 in conference. O'Hara falls to 2-2 overall, and 2-1 in conference.
Next week is the Homecoming game for O'Hara against St. James Academy. The two schools have never played. St. James is a new Catholic school in Kansas, in their 4th year of existence. This is their 2nd year competing on the varsity level. Their record is 2-1.