Oscar Smith notebook: Thoughts of deceased former teammate carried Tigers

VIENNA

Tears flowed as Oscar Smith players celebrated following their 10-7 victory over Oakton in the Group AAA Division 6 state semifinal Saturday.

The victory sends the Tigers (14-0) to the state finals next week at Virginia Tech where they face Osbourn, which beat Varina 47-28.

Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan could hardly contain himself as he thought about the long road the Tigers took to get to the school’s first state final.

He thought back to last season’s disappointing 24-21 semifinal loss to Westfield. He also thought about former player Lonnie Andrews who was shot and killed in July. The Tigers retired his No. 26 jersey but it was passed around before and during the game.

“Lonnie would have loved to have been here and I think in a way he was,” Morgan said. “He may have been that guy who pulled that fumble out.”

Morgan was referring to the late fumble that set up Oscar Smith’s game-winning drive.

Oakton was marching into Oscar Smith’s territory with less than five minutes remaining when Tigers lineman Jamara Gray stripped Oakton running back Trey Watts. Oscar Smith lineman Corey Steward recovered it and the Tigers ended up going back down field to score.

“I was just playing my position and I saw him cut back and I was there and I caused the fumble,” Gray said. “Tears started to flow because I knew the game was ours after that.”

Top players were injured in game

Oakton and Oscar Smith both played without the teams’ top players for much of the game.

Oakton quarterback Chris Coyer suffered a neck stinger with 3:52 left in the first quarter when he made helmet to helmet contact with Tigers linebacker Raysean Richardson. Coyer laid motionless on the turf for almost 25 minutes as paramedics attended to him.

“He was saying he was worried that he was going to let his team down and I was just trying to pick him up,” Morgan said. “I just wanted him to know that he was a great player and he was the reason why his team was here.”

Coyer, who gave a thumbs up to his teammates before being placed in the ambulance, was taken to a local hospital where it was later reported he would be all right. Heading into this game, Coyer had thrown for 1,306 yards and rushed for 1,155 yards.

Oscar Smith played much of the second half without running back Perry Jones. He reinjured his left ankle with 8:39 left in the third quarter and didn’t return until 1:50 was left in the game.

“It still hurts from last week and I sat out practice all week resting up for this game but then somebody grabbed it,” said Jones, who finished with 34 yards on 13 carries. “But I had to keep faith in my team because I knew they could do it.”

Morgan said it was great to see his players rally in Jones’ absence.

“We lost the best player in the state and we still won the game,” said Morgan about Jones, who had rushed for 765 yards in the Tigers’ last three playoff games. “That says a lot about the character of this team.”

Tigers answer the challenge

Richard Morgan joked that Oscar Smith’s locker room wasn’t the best place to be at halftime.

Morgan was furious at his team because he knew they weren’t playing to their potential.

“I told them that this could possibly be the last 24 minutes of their football career,” he said. “And was this how they wanted to be remembered? And they all said no. I told them to come out and get it done.”

Some Tigers fans added to the heated mood by insulting the team on their way to the locker room.

“They were yelling at us saying they wasted gas coming to see us play but they ended up getting kicked out,” Morgan said. “And now we’re going to state and I hope I don’t see them there.”

Morgan knows the Tigers didn’t play their best football but at least they are advancing.

“I don’t care about how pretty it was,” he said. “I didn’t care if it was 2-0 or 52-50. I didn’t care. We just wanted to win. We’ve had enough close calls and bad breaks go against us. It was about time that something went our way.”

See a Photo Gallery from the game