If the first game of 2009 sets the tone for the football season for Oskaloosa and Valley Falls, it’s going to be an exciting ride for the two teams as Oskaloosa took advantage of penalties and turnovers for a 24-21 win Friday in Valley Falls.
The game was equal parts a won game for the Bears and a lost game for the Dragons as the Bears and standout senior running back Brandon Barnes made plays when they needed them, while Valley Falls had a couple key penalties, including one that nullified a 52-yard touchdown run, and couldn’t take advantage of some fourth-quarter momentum.
The game got off to an exciting start, as Valley Falls senior Chance Gier fielded the opening kickoff and rambled 80 yards for a score with junior Nick Domann adding the extra point for a 7-0 Dragons lead.
Oskaloosa looked to match the score as the Bears drove to the Valley Falls 23 but the drive stalled there and Barnes was stopped on fourth-and-2 to turn the ball over to the Dragons on downs.
The Bears drove to the Dragons 40 on their next possession when a 7-yard run by junior Mark Newell turned into a 31-yard gain thanks to two penalties on Valley Falls senior Blane Brosa, who was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Dragons held to force a fourth-and-goal at the 11 but junior quarterback Adam Bowser and Barnes turned a short pass into an 11-yard touchdown to cut it to 7-6 as the 2-point conversion run fell short.
The Dragons were driving at midfield early in the second quarter when senior Logan Wynkoop lost a fumble and Oskaloosa recovered at the 50. Bowser fumbled the snap on the next play and Valley Falls got the ball back in Bears territory but, three plays later, a pass by Valley Falls junior quarterback Alex Lederer was picked off by Bears junior Levi Wade at the Oskaloosa 22.
Fourteen plays later, Barnes punched the ball across the goal line from a yard out to make it 12-7 Bears as the drive spanned 78 yards and included runs of 16 and 29 yards by Barnes. Barnes and Newell converted fourth downs into first downs on the drive.
With time winding down in the first half, the Dragons appeared to get a big momentum swing as senior running back Mitchell Streeter broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run, only to see Domann flagged for an illegal block in the back at the 20, well behind the play. The Dragons instead found themselves with first-and-10 at the Oskaloosa 30 and the drive stalled at the 29, where Oskaloosa took over on downs and ran out the clock to take a 12-7 lead into halftime.
The Bears chugged out another scoring drive on the first drive of the second half as Barnes returned the opening kick to the Bears 40 and, 11 plays later, took the ball in from 10 yards out to make it 18-7 as the 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete. The key play on the drive was an offsides penalty on the Dragons on fourth-and-2 at their own 15 and Barnes’ score came on the next offensive snap.
The Bears continued their policy of short kickoffs following Gier’s opening score and the Dragons put together perhaps their best drive of the night as they scored on a nine-play, 61-yard drive. They overcame an 11-yard loss on a bad pitch as Gier got the yardage back and more on a 20-yard run, then scored on an 11-yard run with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. Senior Tyler Wynkoop ran for the 2-point converstion to cut the Oskaloosa lead to 18-15.
Oskaloosa’s next drive saw the Bears convert fourth-and-short at the 50 and Barnes run for a 9-yard gain on third-and-8 at the Valley Falls 33. A holding call helped stall the Bears drive as they went for it on fourth-and-long only to see a Bowser pass intended for Barnes intercepted by Logan Wynkoop at the Oskaloosa 8. Wynkoop returned it to the Dragons 30 and the Dragons had a chance to regain the lead with 5:11 left in the game.
The momentum boost didn’t last long as, on second-and-6, Lederer fumbled the snap and Oskaloosa recovered at the Valley Falls 34. This time it wasn’t Barnes but Newell who made the score on a 10-yard run to give the Bears a 24-15 lead with 2:32 left in the game.
With the Dragons on the ropes and time dwindling, the Valley Falls offense came through again as Tyler Wynkoop returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dragons 48. The Dragons faced a fourth-and-5 at the Bears 35 with 1:42 to play when Lederer found Logan Wynkoop on a short pass across the middle and Wynkoop took the ball in for the score to cut the lead to 24-21 with 1:33 to play.
The score meant the Dragons would need to attempt an onside kick and Domann’s kickoff ricocheted off Newell’s knee with a Dragon recovering the ball at the Valley Falls 47. Wade was flagged for a pass interference penalty, only Oskaloosa’s third of the game, on the next play and the Dragons had a first down at the Bears 38. A 13-yard pass from Lederer to Streeter gave the Dragons first down at the Bears 25 with 1:18 to play and the game came down to a fourth-and-7 at the Bears 22. Lederer tried to make the pass on the left-middle side of the field and Barnes jumped in to knock the pass away to allow Oskaloosa to run out the clock and escape with a 24-21 win.
Barnes toted the ball 22 times for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns along with three receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown for the Bears. Newell had 23 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. The Bears outgained the Dragons, 317 yards to 222, on offense not including return yards.
Valley Falls was led by 9 carries for 68 yards for Gier, who also had the kickoff return TD, and 8 carries for 54 yards by Streeter. Lederer was 5-for-11 passing for 70 yards and a TD. Logan Wynkoop had two catches for 41 yards and a score. The Dragons incurred 10 penalties for 60 yards compared to only 3 for 30 for Oskaloosa. The Dragons also committed one more turnover than the Bears, 3-2.
Oskaloosa coach Scott Whaley said both schools should be proud of the way the teams performed.
“It doesn’t get much better than that,” a relieved Whaley said after the game. “You’ve got two teams that absolutely played their hearts out, and two communities that can be really proud of their kids. I take my hat off to them for how they came back.”
Whaley said he was happy with how his offensive line, which was somewhat of a question mark for the Bears entering the season, stepped up to allow for all but 21 yards of the team’s offensive output on the ground.
“They took over a little bit at times in the second half,” he said. “We have some big kids, but they’re pretty inexperienced. I was pleased with how they did tonight.
“When they recovered that onside kick, it was like they kicked me in the gut. Then, there at the end, Brandon made the play. He’s got a nose for the ball. He’s a heck of a player.”
