Oswego East tops Rich South

Oswego East took the first step toward its goal of reaching the postseason by defeating Rich South 27-12 in Oswego on Friday.

Rich South, picked by some to finish second in the tough Southland Conference, looked the part in the early going.

The Stars consumed the entire first quarter with a 98-yard drive. It culminated with a 9-yard scoring strike from Parish Voss to Andre White on the first play of the second quarter as Rich South took a 6-0 lead.

Voss effectively mixed short passes with the ground game of Neil Morenos, who carried 10 times on the drive. Gigantic offensive tackle Dakari Akorede was also key for the Stars.

Oswego East didn’t waste any time once its offense began the second quarter.

The Wolves exploded with two quick four-minute drives (80 and 62 yards), and running back Chris Cooper (21 carries, 142 yards) banged in for both scores from seven and three yards out.

Cooper had a 34-yard gallop during the first drive, and Sean Kennedy wrestled a tough 40-yard reception away from a defender on a pass by

quarterback Dakoda Skenadore during the second quarter.

“I felt great. I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning to stay in shape,” Cooper said. “They gave me the ball and I took advantage of the opportunity to start. I couldn’t do it without everybody on this team.”

Brian Mays returned the ensuing Wolves’ kickoff up the right side for 97 exciting yards, and Rich South was on the board again, cutting the margin to 13-12.

It was East’s Chase Skenadore’s kickoff return to the Stars’ 45 which set up a two-minute Wolves’ offense right before the half.

Sophomore Branden Lowe scored on a 15-yard run with 19 seconds left to give Oswego East a 20-12 margin at the intermission.

Cooper again finished a long 81-yard drive at the end of the third quarter with an 11-yard scoring dash to stretch the lead to 27-12.

Rich South continued its offensive futility in the second half as the Wolves’ defense seemed to get only stronger. Joe Marchert and Johnny Perry each had an interception in the fourth quarter after the Stars managed only one possession for two yards in the third.

“After the first quarter, our defense responded and shut them out the rest of the way,” Oswego East coach Mark Green said. “Our defensive line was outstanding. Our two big boys inside, Javy Chavez and Luis Corona, they couldn’t run inside against those two big young guys.”

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