By: Drake Facione
The Findlay Oilers hosted the Walsh Cavaliers at Donnell Stadium last Saturday. This game under the lights saw the Oilers overcome turnover issues to take care of the Cavaliers.
The game opened with Walsh getting the early lead. Just two minutes into the game, Walsh’s Adu-Poku scored on the ground from 16 yards out. This gave the Cavaliers their only lead of the game.
Three minutes later, the Oilers put together a strong drive to respond. Running back Brian Benson had an amazing night, getting the first of his three touchdowns early on to tie the game up at 7. Findlay’s defense forced a punt and got the ball back to punch it in the end zone one more time in the first quarter. Again, it was Brian Benson on a 29-yard-run to give the Oilers the 14-7 lead at the end of the first.
Walsh opened the second quarter driving down the field. They first kicked a field goal from the 4-yard line when a personal foul was called on the Oilers. This gave the Cavs the ball at the 2-yard line, where they ran it in for the touchdown. The extra point was blocked by Ja’Quan Buffaloe, and the Oilers held their lead by 1 point. Later that quarter, Grant Loveridge knocked an easy 23-yard field goal to give the Oilers the 17-13 lead heading into halftime.
The second half was rather quiet on the offensive end for both teams, as turnovers and solid defense prevented either teams from scoring more than one more time. Walsh scored early in the third, with a 42-yard field goal to bring it back to a one-point game, 17-16. Just under 10 minutes later, the Oilers sealed the deal with Brian Benson once again scoring on the ground. The third and final touchdown from the sophomore running back brought the final score to 24-16.
Brian Benson had a career high night on Saturday. He had 30 carriers for 233 yards and three touchdowns. His performance on the ground was nearly unstoppable, and the entire offense was able to run the ball to victory. Senior back Chauncey Bridges had seven carriers for 56 yards as well. Quarterback Adam Bertke completed 17 of 27 attempts for 193 yards through the air. Even though the Oilers lost five fumbles, they were able to make it up with a strong defensive outing and still being able to move the ball down the field.
Defensively, all of the Oilers played a part in securing the victory. Chiebuka Chukwu led the Findlay defense with 10 solo tackles. Jack Trombetti added eight tackles and three for loss of yards, linebacker Isaac Miles had five tackles as well. Freshman defensive linemen Christian Weems and Maliq Carr had three sacks combined.
Saturday’s win brings the Oilers to 6-3 on the year. They take on Malone University this Saturday at Donnell. It is senior night for the Oilers and the game kicks off at 1 p.m.