LIVERMORE FALLS — Oak Hill’s stubbornness and determination allowed the Raiders to pull off a stunning 27-26 upset against Livermore Falls in a football game at Griffen Field on Saturday night.
Cameron Morin threw a touchdown pass to Craig Morrill and Josh Allen caught the conversion as the Raiders rallied back to slip away with a one-point victory.
The teams might be on the outside of the playoff race, but the action was hard hitting action. The Raiders erased a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Morin, who had come in at quarterback, threaded the needle to connect with Morrill on a 50-yard slant catch and run pass with 2:34 to play. Following a short delay, Morin rolled right and passed to Allen for the two-point conversion.
“(Game) didn’t start well for us,”Allen said. “Our blocking was iffy in the second. We got going and the lead blocker was getting out and opening it up. Then that drive with Morin hitting Craig Morrill for the TD and making the conversion really turned it around.”
Oak Hill (3-4) geared its running game around Allen and the senior certainly didn’t disappoint by gaining 118 yards on 14 rushes. Allen had run of 40 yards to set up a first-and-goal. Joel Wells scored with five minutes left to get the Riders within seven points.
“What an unbelieveable game,” Oak Hill coach Dave Wing said. “Our defense really picked it up in the second. The linebackers moved forward and prevented the Livermore runners from getting outside. This was just a great comeback for us.”
Livermore Falls (3-4-) still had time and drove to the Oak Hill 26-yard line, but quarterback Nate Hamlin’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete. The Andies’ wing-T offense had been unstoppable in the first half and led to a 26-6 lead. Alex Rose (164 yards, 19 carries) scored on a 75-yard dash and Brent Buote (91 yards, 19 carries) scored on runs of 7 and 52. Hamlin add a 1-yard keeper and the Andies special teams provided excellent field position.
“We couldn’t run in the first half,” Wing said. “Livermore Falls had everybody up in the box because we weren’t throwing the ball. In the second half, our passing loosened them up.”
Allen scored on runs of 30 and 41 yards and Cody DePay gained 55 yards.
Livermore Falls had gone driven to the Oak Hill 3-yard line, and Hamlin threw a 41 yard pass to Brandon Hodges, but the Raiders’ defense held. A field-goal attempt sailed wide left in the fourth quarter.
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