Titans lose football opener to Touche 46- 28

Last Friday, September 6, the Odessa-Harrington Titan football team played their first game of the season against Touchet in an away game, losing 46-28.

O-H 6 0 8 14 28

Touchet 24 16 0 6 46

In the first quarter, Touchet scored first on a five-yard pass, and then ran the ball for the extra two points. O-H responded with a 70-yard run by Sam Schafer. The extra-point attempt on the ground was unsuccessful. Touchet then completed a 10-yard pass play for a TD and a running two-point conversion, followed by a 40-yard running play for another TD and a completed pass for two more points.

In the second quarter, Touchet added two more TDs on a 10-yard run and a 10-yard pass. Both extra-point attempts were good for two points each time.

The third quarter saw the Titans come out stronger, scoring first on a 2-yard run by Dillon Dennison, with Sam Schafer running the ball into the endzone for two more points. The defense held Touchet to 0.

In the fourth quarter, O-H struck again on 10-yard run by Sam Schafer, but the extra-point attempt was no good. Touchet then scored on a 20-yard run, but was also unable to convert on the extra-point attempt. The final score of the game came on a 70-yard pass from O-H quarterback Sam Schafer to Carsen Weber, followed by a successful two-point conversion on the ground.

Offensively, Sam Schafer led the team with 147 yards rushing and completed 6 out of 10 pass attempts. Dillon Dennison had 20 yards rushing. Steven Braun added 81 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving. Carsen Weber had 118 yards receiving.

Defensively, Jacob DeWulf had 11 tackles, 3 assists and 1 caused fumble. Sam Schafer had 4 tackles and 2 assists. Dakota Largent had 2 tackles and 1 interception. Carsen Weber had 12 tackles and 2 assists, Steven Braun 6 tackles and 5 assists and Dillon Dennison 5 tackles and 8 assists.

Head coach Bruce Todd was happy with the number of players who turned out, 28. He said the team has decent speed in its backs and receivers, as well as good size in the offensive and defensive lines.

Where the team is weak is in its youth and inexperience. Only 4 or 5 of the 29 players have experience at the varsity level. “With the absence of a junior-varsity program over the last few seasons, it has been extremely difficult to get enough playing time for those younger athletes,” he said.

Trevor King injured his knee in the game but has not yet seen a doctor to determine how long he might be unable to play.

“We lost mainly because we played a team with many experienced seniors. Touchet is a solid team. They have had a solid football program for years and have maintained a strong B-8 football tradition,” said Todd.