Olympia falls 32-16 to Oak Ridge, missing playoffs

WEST ORANGE  It was a scenario posed to new head coach Kyle Hayes all season: If you beat Oak Ridge, you will make the playoffs.

To start each half Oct. 30 against Oak Ridge, the Olympia Titans football team seemed to be on a positive track.

Olympia blocked the PAT after an Oak Ridge interception return for a touchdown and then got a run of about 54 yards from Taymel Christian to set up a touchdown and PAT, producing a 7-6 lead with 3:25 left in quarter one.

Later, with almost five minutes left in the third quarter, a field goal halved Olympia's halftime deficit, making the score 19-16.

But numerous penalties and missed tackles ultimately cost the Titans (5-4, 2-2) a playoff berth, which the Pioneers (8-2, 3-1) won by clinching second place with their triumph at Olympia.

"We can't blame anybody but ourselves," Hayes told his players after the loss. "We'd get somewhere then shoot ourselves in the foot. It's all because of effort. That's it. They are not as good as they seem."

Hayes cited in particular a play with a bit more than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, on which standout Oak Ridge running back Tyrek Tisdale summoned the effort to extend the ball forward while tackled to barely convert on fourth down. The next play was an eight-yard rushing touchdown to put the game out of reach at 32-16.

Moreover, on the previous scoring drive for the Pioneers, Olympia had gotten consecutive third-down stops, but personal fouls gave Oak Ridge fresh sets of downs and 30 yards combined. When that was not happening, Tisdale and company were breaking multiple tackles with frequency for extra yardage to get first downs.

"Guys, we were killing them, but guess what we did," Hayes said. "We started killing ourselves, and you can't win when you shoot yourselves in the foot."

Although he said Oak Ridge was not a superior team, Hayes credited Tisdale in particular with leading the athletic Pioneer offense to victory, using both power and finesse to reel off significant gains. He likened senior Jeff James, who shook loose for lengthy gains and a kickoff return for a touchdown -- negated by a block in the back -- to Tisdale among a group of skilled Titans who fell just short at the end.

"I'm not disappointed in you guys," Hayes told his team. "For my seniors, I'm sorry (about the result). But you will always be the guys that started the return of Olympia football, and I will make sure that you guys are recognized."

With one game left Nov. 6 vs. Winter Park, Hayes wants to continue seeing his players work hard and earn a winning record after this third consecutive loss. Their belief in his system produced five straight wins after just one win in 2014, he said.

"I want our kids to understand that the fight is not over," he said. "The season may be after that game, but the fight is never over."

Although senior athletes such as Christian and James have only that game remaining, talents such as junior receiver Bradley Dos Santos and sophomore quarterback Joe Milton -- who connected on a touchdown pass -- will be back next season, looking to push the return of Olympia football to the playoffs.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].