Oak Forest rallies to beat TF South

Updated: September 10, 2011 12:00AM

Oak Forest completed one pass during Friday night’s game against T.F. South.

But it was a big one.

Trailing 21-20 and faced with a fourth-and-15 with 4:44 remaining in the game, Oak Forest quarterback Tom Zale lofted a deep pass intended for Arthur Johnson.

T.F. South’s Jerome Halsey, however, was in prime position to pick off the pass at the Bengal 5-yard line. Instead, he tipped the ball in the air and into the arms of an alert Johnson, who crossed the goal line for the score and an eventual 33-21 victory for the Bengals in Oak Forest.

“It’s a game of inches, an inch here or an inch there,” Oak Forest coach Brian McDonough said. “It was a pivotal play.”

Matt Barry rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and Tevin Coleman added 93 yards on 10 totes for the Bengals (3-0 overall, 1-0 South Suburban Blue). The Bengals’ offensive line, led by Nick Perez, Kevin Ward, Adam Barr and Tommy Barry, provided ample room for the runners to roam.

“We’re a running team,” McDonough said. “That’s what we do.”

Zale (1-of-4, 31 yards) scored on runs of 1 and 11 yards to break a 7-all halftime tie and give the Bengals a 20-7 advantage at 5:24 of the third quarter.

T.F. South, however, rallied to take a 21-20 lead. Quarterback Marlon Harris (6-of-14, 111 yards) hooked up with Giovanni Canty on a 36-yard touchdown pass to get the Rebels (1-2, 0-1) to within 20-14, and Harris busted in from 1 yard out for a 21-20 lead after Brandon Ostrowski added the point-after kick with 9:30 left in the fourth.

Canty was a workhorse for the Rebels, rushing 23 times for 114 yards. He broke at least one tackle on his way to an electrifying 32-yard score that helped tie the game at 7 with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Barry had given the Bengals a 7-0 lead with a 2-yard run just 2:17 into the game.

Barry’s 5-yard run with 1:48 to go put the game on ice for Oak Forest. Blake Waller converted three of four PATs for Oak Forest.

Rebels coach Tom Padjen lamented his team’s mistakes and missed opportunities.

“We had a lot of breakdowns and turnovers,” Padjen said. “You can’t do that against a team like Oak Forest. We had opportunities to make plays and we didn’t make them.”

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