Osbourn continues on to regional finals

For much of the season, Osbourn’s offense—led by quarterback Thomas Keith and tailback Vidal Greene—has been the talk of the town, averaging nearly 37 points per game. But it was Osbourn’s defense, which had yielded an average of just more than 19 points, that gave Eagles coach Steve Schultze reason to believe the team would make a strong postseason run.

Friday night, No. 2 seed Osbourn's defense, holding third-seeded host North Stafford to just 135 yards, including just 12 yards in the second half, en route to a 20-3 victory in the Northwest Region semifinals. Osbourn (9-3) will face the winner of the Brook Point-Massaponax game next weekend in the regional finals.

North Stafford (7-4) managed just one first down in the second half and Osbourn quarterback Thomas Keith almost singlehandedly led the Eagles to a touchdown on their next-to-last drive to seal the victory.

Osbourn (9-3) alternated between a single-wing attack and the spread offense, choosing a ball-control strategy over the quick-strike, big-play attack that helped the Eagles win several games this season. Keith finished with 17 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Vidal Greene carried 17 times for 91 yards, including scoring runs of 1 and 5 yards.

Schultze said scoring first was important from a mental standpoint. The Eagles, who have won six of their past seven games, since beginning the season 3-2, wanted to put North Stafford on its heels from the start.

“We have been playing such good football the past few games, we wanted to come out and score and begin to dominate,” Schultze said. “But after the opening drive, things went kind of helter-skelter. Fortunately, we were able to overcome early turnovers and some penalties by not giving up the big play. Our defense came up with several three-and-outs in the second half and I can’t say enough about what they were able to do. We took what they gave us offensively and I was really pleased with how we responded in spite of the turnovers and penalties.”

Osbourn got going quickly, taking the opening kickoff and moving 55 yards in seven plays. Vidal Greene began the drive with a 21-yard run and later completed a 16-yard pass to Cedrick Delaney. He eventually capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring run to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

After the Eagles stopped North Stafford on downs, they were moving the ball well until Keith had a pass over the middle intercepted at the North Stafford 29. From there, the Wolverines used all runs to move the ball to the Osbourn 10. The biggest play in the drive was a 30-yard run by tight end Blake Washburn. But North Stafford kicker Austin Grebe missed a 32-yard field goal to keep the score 7-0.

The Eagles moved the ball well again on their next drive, but Delaney fumbled after a 14-yard gain. From there, North Stafford moved the ball from its 17 to the Osbourn 12 on a 15-play drive, highlighted by a conversion on 4th and 2 from the North Stafford 37. Grebe booted a 30-yard field goal at the first-half buzzer to make it 7-3 just before halftime.

Osbourn had an 11-play, 57-yard drive that consumed most of the third quarter. Keith connected with Greene for passes of 15 and 19 yards during the drive that Greene finished off with a 1-yard scoring run that gave Osbourn a 13-3 lead. The extra point was blocked.

The Eagles’ defense came up big on North Stafford’s final drive of the third quarter. The drive continued early into the fourth quarter and ended when C. J. Jackson batted down a pass from Marcus Morrast on fourth down. Earlier in the drive, Osbourn notched its third sack of the game to prevent North Stafford from gaining a first down.

Keith’s athleticism was on display on the ensuing drive as he opened with a 12-yard pass to his brother, Timmy, and followed with a 14-yard run. Four plays later, he broke two tackles en route to a 24-yard run that set up a 5-yard run with 6:09 to play. Chris Boteler kicked the point after touchdown to make it 20-3.

Schultze said he knew the Eagles had the makings of a team that could make a run in the postseason, despite losing to Brooke Point and Osbourn Park early in the season.

“Taking nothing away from those teams, we kind of thought that we beat ourselves in all three games earlier in the season,” Schultze said. “Tonight the defense continued to play the kind of game they have played all season. They really stepped it up for us in the second half.”