U-32 explodes past Otter Valley
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By Tom Haley Staff Writer - Published: October 15, 2006
BRANDON — Saying the U-32 Raiders have big-play people is like saying the Indianapolis Colts have an outstanding quarterback, or the New York Yankees have a powerful lineup. There's no debating the issue.
Those big-play guys turned a game that was 14-14 going into the fourth quarter into a 47-14 rout over Otter Valley in the long-awaited Division IV showdown between unbeaten teams.
U-32's Todd Murphy had 208 yards on five carries in the second half alone. And he will quickly tell you that while those game-breakers like himself, Tucker LaClair, Ethan Sylvain, MJ Rus and Marcus Hass hear the cheers and get to run wild in the open field, there is an unsung group that is much appreciated by the players and coaches.
"Our line blocks better every game," Murphy said. "It's easy to run through the holes they open up."
"That's a solid offensive line we have," U-32 coach Mike Law said of the unit comprised of Jacob McArdle, Brennan Jewett, Silas Dowen, Robert Fitch Phil Hall and tight end Robert Keene.
The game was played in front of a state championship-sized crowd and through most of the day, the game was enveloped in a state title atmosphere with the contest living up to its billling.
The Otters and Raiders slugged it out through the first quarter and most of the second, playing the field position game.
U-32 scored 1:33 before halftime and took that 7-0 lead into the locker room. It was a 93-yard, 10-play drive that culminated with Murphy's 18-yard touchdown jaunt. It was the same type of play calling that the Raiders used all day: run and run, and run some more.
Quarterback Sylvain was still nursing an injured throwing shoulder and so it was a steady diet of running. The explosive component of Sylvain throwing to Hass was put on the shelf for this afternoon.
LeClair and Murphy alternated as the ball carriers on this drive, ripping off large chunks of yardage. LeClair kicked the point.
The Otters came within inches of taking a tie to halftime. They marched deep into U-32 territory. Quarterback Corey Robinson rifled a pass to Grant Jakubowski in the front of the end zone. OV fans were celebrating, but the pass was ruled incomplete and no time remained.
Sylvain made a spectacular diving pass breakup on the previous play to help turn the Otters away.
The Otters answered in the third period with a 43-yard TD pass from Robinson to Thomas Cole. Pierce Thurston kicked the point to tie it.
But with 5:53 left in the third period, the Raiders went back in front with one of those electrifying plays that has become their trademark. It was an 80-yard touchdown run by Murphy, with LeClair adding the point. Cole flashed some real speed, nearly catching the mercurial Murphy from behind.
But this game still had the look of heavyweight fighters slugging it out as the Otters answered to tie it again. It was an 80-yard march on the ensuing possession. The drive nearly ended when U-32's Gordon Matheson had an interception in his hands and a lot of green grass in front of him, but could not secure the ball.
Given new life, Robinson scored on a keeper from 8 yards out.
Then the Otters faked the kick. Grant Jakubowski threw to Erik Becker in the end zone for an apparent two points and OV's first lead of the game. But the Otters' conversion was voided by a call of an ineligible receiver downfield. Thurston kicked the point and it was 14-14 with 49 seconds left in the third.
LeClair took the kick return 44 yards to the Otter Valley 36-yard line. The Raiders used the short field to score in six plays. The last five yards were covered by Rus. LeClair kicked the point and the Raiders were in front 21-14, 1:55 into the fourth quarter. Nobody could have imagined what was about to transpire as the Raiders turned this competitive battle into a 33-point victory.
One thing happened after another for the Otters as things unraveled. Sylvain scored from a yard out, Murphy had a 3-yard run, Matheson ran another in from 13 yards out and Murphy sailed 97 yards to cross the goal line with 59 seconds remaining. When LeClair added the point, it was 47-14.
The Raiders forced turnovers to help fuel their 33-point fourth quarter. Keene recovered a fumble and Sylvain made an athletic interception.
"A lot of colleges think Sylvain would make an excellent outside linebacker," Law said of his 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback/defensive back.
"This team is one of the most together teams I have ever coached," Law added.
The Otters were together, too, but for a reason that tugged at their emotions in a difficult situation. Offensive coordinator Brian Grady received a call during the game and had to leave for a family emergency.
"U-32 is a good team. They must be, they just beat a good team," OV coach Dennis Perry said. "I think when they started rolling, we lost a bit of the battle edge."
Murphy finished with 262 yards on 11 carries.
"He's fun to watch," Law said. "Otter Valley came in with a good plan and they did some good things on defense. I think we'll see them down the road. I have a lot of respect for them."
The Otters were playing without one of their main weapons in their aerial attack as senior wide receiver Ryan Faber was on crutches. The U-32 athletic secondary did a superb job of covering the rest of the receivers and the line put pressure on Robinson. Robinson was able to scramble, using his athleticism to pick up positive yardage when it appeared the Otters would take a loss. But the combination of that pressure and the play in the secondary enabled U-32 to keep the damage to a mimimum.
"In the end, I think they wore us down," Perry said. "Those backs are tough. They don't go down."
"But I don't think it's anything we can't fix."
U-32 goes to 5-0 in Division IV and 7-0 overall. Otter Valley, suffering its first defeat since 2004, falls to 4-1 and 5-1.
Contact Tom Haley at tom.haley@rutlandherald.com
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