Aggies Lose Lead in Home Opener

Goodwell, Okla.-On September 13, 2014, the OPSU Aggie football team battled
the Fort Lewis Skyhawks for their first home game of the season at Carl
Wooten Field. Despite a thundering first quarter and a sizable lead by the
Aggies, the Skyhawks flew into the second half with determination and stole
the lead with a 45-38 fourth quarter comeback victory.

The Aggies fired on all cylinders to start the first quarter with a 50-yard
pass on the first play of scrimmage that would ultimately lead to a 20-yard
touchdown pass from Caleb Holbrook to Zacari Lavender. After a quick
three-and-out caused by the Aggie defense, Holbrook and Lavender made
another explosive connection for a 54-yard touchdown.

To get his team on the board, FLC quarterback Jordan Doyle used his legs for
a 17-yard score. The Aggies continued to dominate for the rest of the first
quarter with another touchdown pass from Holbrook to Anderson for 31 yards,
and a three-yard touchdown run by Lavender. Going into halftime, the Aggies
led the Skyhawks 28-10 after a 27-yard field goal by kicker Kipp Castanha
late in the second quarter.

The shootout continued in the third quarter with a 29-yard field goal from
Gabriel Ortega and a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown by Fort
Lewis defender, Waalani Arroyo.

Starting the fourth quarter, the Aggies led the Skyhawks 31-17, but the game
was far from over. The Skyhawks struck first with a 62-yard touchdown pass
from Doyle to Andrew Johnson. Following a 65-yard touchdown pass from
Holbrook to Devin Williams, the Aggies regained a comfortable 14-point lead;
however, Fort Lewis managed to score on three consecutive drives to take a
late fourth quarter lead. The Aggies had one last shot to tie the game, but
came up inches short of a fourth down conversion.

Although the Aggies lost a tough heart-breaker, they held their heads high
after playing a great game. Coach Russell Gaskamp supported his team by
expressing his thoughts after the game. "Really tough loss last night;
thought the team played great for three quarters; we just didn’t make the
plays needed to finish the game. I’m not worried about our team; we have
very tough-minded kids that I know will bounce back. We need every fan
possible in the stands when our team starts a big winning streak next week
against OBU."

The Aggies racked up a total of 574 yards with the help of Holbrook’s 370
yards passing and a combined effort of 204 rushing yards by the OPSU
backfield. Tanner Hallford led the Aggie defense with 14 tackles and 2
sacks.

The Aggies will play their next home game against Oklahoma Baptist
University Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2pm. The Aggies expect a big crowd and
encourage everyone to wear red, get rowdy and REV IT UP!

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Justine Gaskamp