Yellow Jackets open playoffs with win

Dominique Terrell recovered from a mental mistake on a punt return to rush for 224 yards and two touchdowns to lead Osbourn Park football to a 28-13 win over Riverbend in the Northwest Region first round Monday night.
Early in the second quarter Terrell attempted to pick up a bouncing Riverbend punt, but the ball bounded off the junior’s hands and right to the Bears.
Riverbend took advantage of the mistake by scoring a touchdown four plays later, tying the game at seven apiece.
But that was all the Bears would muster until the final play of the game when Riverbend picked up a touchdown as time expired.
Most of the clock was drained on the legs of Terrell who appeared nearly unstoppable by the Riverbend defense.
Terrell atoned for his miscue on the Yellow Jackets’ ensuing possession, running 65 yards for the deciding score.
“Last year I used to pick [bouncing punts] up, but this year I haven’t done that a lot,” Terrell said. “I tried it and obviously it failed. On the next play, they opened a hole up for me and I had to run down the field. If I get out there, no one is going to get me.”
“That play drove me crazy,” OP coach Brian Beaty said of the muffed punt. “That’s a kid trying to make a play. He’s always thinking he can break the big one.”
Osbourn Park overcame key penalties and turnover problems to earn their first playoff win since 2003.
“This is a pretty loose bunch, so I didn’t say anything to them [before the game],” Beaty said of the playoff inexperience of his club. “We didn’t want to build it up more than it was.
“We’ve played tough games all year long,” Beaty said. “We’re kind of used to big games.”
In addition to Terrell, most of Osbourn Park’s athletes were faster than anyone on the Riverbend roster.
Chris Mason scored two touchdowns on 68 rushing yards, adding a second threat to the OP attack.
The Bears’ only offense came from the passing game of Zac Naccarato, particularly to Nicky Lacik and Ron Chang.
Naccarato was 17 of 30 for 188 yards and a 14-yard scoring strike to Lacik in the second quarter.
Chang recorded a game-high 77 receiving yards on six catches while Lacik ended the night with 32 yards on three. Kirk Nelms added 34 yards on another three catches.
The Yellow Jackets and Bears had to wait three days to play the game due to rain and poor field conditions in Manassas Friday and Saturday.
Osbourn Park will travel to region No. 2 Woodbridge Friday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.