Nevada drops conference game at O'Hara

Nevada Daily Mail

After hanging with the defending West Central Conference football champions for nearly three quarters the Nevada Tigers were unable to keep pace as they fell 54-26 to the O'Hara Celtics, Friday night in Kansas City.

The loss drops Nevada to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in West Central Conference play.

O'Hara wasted little time getting into the scoring column, as tailback Peyton Jones was sprung by an edge block, breaking loose for a 46-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed as O'Hara led 6-0 early in the first quarter.

Nevada's first offensive possession began well enough, as sophomore quarterback Braeden Hinton connected with receiver Hunter Mason for an 11-yard gain, moving Nevada to the 50-yard. Facing a third-and-5 from the O'Hara 45-yard line, Jaylon Mosley picked off a deflected Hinton pass.

Three plays later, Jones again found pay dirt with a 35-yard touchdown scamper. After another failed two-pointer, the Celtics led 12-0. Midway through the first quarter, Jones had already racked up 97 yards to go with two touchdowns.

Nevada was able to pickup multiple first downs on the ensuing possession, again moving into O'Hara territory.

The Tigers saw a golden opportunity slip away, when Hinton dropped back and aired out a pass to a wide open Cameron Diaz, who was unable to corral the ball near the 15-yard line.

Later, facing a fourth-and-1 from the 39 yard line, Nevada elected to play the field position battle. The decision turned out to be a good one, as sophomore punter Zach Gardner pinned O'Hara at the 1 yard line.

Early in the second quarter, O'Hara tacked on a 27 yard field goal to extend its lead to 15-0.

Midway through the second quarter, Nevada began to pick up big chucks of yardage on the ground, via tailback Chaden Brandt and quarterback Jacob Hammontree.

On second-and-goal from the 1 yard line, Hammontree plowed into the end zone. A pitch to Brandt resulted in a successful two-point conversion, as Nevada sliced the deficit to 15-8 with 3:22 to remaining before halftime.

Earlier during the scoring drive, Hammontree picked up a fourth-and-2 on a quarterback keeper, netting 10 yards on the carry.

"Jake had some big first down runs for us," Nevada head coach Erik Yoakam said. "The offensive line did a good job of getting off the ball."

Yoakam said after the game that he is unsure of how he will split up playing time between Hinton and Hammontree going forward.

"We're taking the approach that both quarterbacks have their strengths and weaknesses," Yoakam said. "We'll just kind of feel it out as it goes."

Nevada was unable to keep it a one possession game heading in to the locker room. O'Hara promptly marched down field and inside the 10-yard line. With 16 seconds left on the clock, O'Hara quarterback Matthew Johnson found Jordan Supplee in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown strike. The extra point handed O'Hara a 22-8 lead at the half.

Early in the third quarter, the Tigers hit for the big play they needed, as Brandt took a handoff and went 49-yards up the middle to trim the O'Hara lead to 22-14. The extra point was unsuccessful.

"We did some good things offensively," Yoakam said. "We had some steady drives and then we popped one. That's what our offense is designed to do, and we're starting to come around."

From that point, Celtics wide receiver Austin Evans began to take the game over. Two long Evans receptions put the ball on the Nevada three yard line, where Gabe Kimbrough capped the drive with a short touchdown run. Nevada blocked the extra point. O'Hara led 28-14 with 7:49 to play in the third quarter.

Later in the third quarter, a big kick return by Brandt took the ball all the way to the O'Hara 29-yard line.

A few plays later, it was Brandt again, who added to his touchdown total with a 3-yard run. The Tigers left points on the field, as the extra point failed. Nevada trailed 28-20 with 2:20 to play in third quarter.

The Tigers were later hurt by an Evans 75 yard kick return for a touchdown. However, O"Hara was penalized for an illegal block, putting the ball at the Nevada 22-yard line. A 15-yard run up the middle by Brock Hughes on second down put O'Hara up 34-20

"We kind of took a step back defensively tonight," Yoakam said. "We didn't tackle very well, especially in space. With that being said, they had some terrific athletes, and when you have terrific athletes they're hard to tackle."

Early in the third quarter, after a Nevada turnover on downs, Evans hauled in another long reception deep in Nevada territory. Evans then capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, as the O'Hara lead ballooned to 40-20 with 9:58 remaining in the game. O' Hara's extra point attempt was again unsuccessful.

Later in the fourth, Hinton hit sophomore wide receiver Shelby Trotter for a big gain. The drive was capped with an 8-yard rushing touchdown courtesy of Brandt. After a failed two point play, Nevada trailed 40-26 with 8:58 to play.

O'Hara's final two scores of the night came on a 50-yard Evans run and 7-yard Johnson quarterback keeper.

Brandt finished the night with 152 yards on 27 carries and three scores.

Next up

The Tigers host undefeated conference foe Sedalia Smith-Cotton, Friday at 7 p.m.