Local Sports Journal
WHITEHALL – Heading into Friday night’s game against Oakridge, Whitehall first-year head coach Tony Sigmon told his team that, because the visiting Eagles took a narrow loss to Shelby the week before, his Vikings would get everything Oakridge could give.
Boy, was he right.
Oakridge (6-1, 5-1) rebounded from its heart-pointing 22-19 loss to Shelby with a 62-20 thumping of the host Vikings (1-6, 1-5), putting up 49-straight points before Whitehall could get on the board.
“I think it was a statement game for Oakridge,” said Sigmon. “I think (Oakridge) knew that the whole state was watching to see how they’d react to the loss.”
Curious onlookers aside, the Eagles showed anyone who was watching that they meant business, scoring four times from the ground and the air in the first quarter to get things rolling.
Oakridge senior back Dan Shoop put up two scores in the first five minutes, from 24 yards and three-yards away, respectively, while Eagle QB Austin Wright got into the act with two TD tosses, both to senior Dom Greenawalt, one a 44-yard score, the other from 39 yards away.
Wright had two TD passes, one to Jame Abriatis from 35 yards out, the other a 20-yard TD strike to Alex Torrenga, to bookend a 74-yard punt return by Shoop.
Whitehall finally scored at the dawn of the second half, on a 80-yard kickoff return by Davonte Burks, who also picked up TD runs from six and 99 yards out to complete Whitehall’s scoring.
Shoop scored from one yard out and also returned a pick-six, both in the third quarter.
Wright finished with 10-for-13 passing for 184 yards and four scores, while also leading all rushers with 134 yards on six carries. Shoop had 71 yards on 10 carries and three rushing scores.
Burks led Whitehall with 101 yards on four carries and two rushing scores, and also pulled in three catches for 49 yards in the loss.
Scott Sittser led Oakrige with six stops, while Keenen Aylor led the Vikings with a game-high seven tackles.
