The first week of high school football started off with energy as fans lined up to watch the first showing of the “Falcon Walk” where players were cheered on by friends and family as they walked through cheering fans in the parking lot to take the field.
The Friday night lights began to glow and illuminate the field as the game day tension grew higher. The weather was perfect for football right around kickoff as the Falcons ran through the smoke and tunnel to greet the packed stands of the home crowd and the visiting Oak Park High School fans. The anticipation of this game was high as both teams hoped to start their year off 1-0 and earn a rivalry victory.
The Falcons won the initial coin toss and elected to defer and kick the ball off. The stadium roared at the first kickoff of the year. An unexpected big hit from the Falcons knocked the ball loose from the Northmen as Staley safely recovered the ball with great field position, followed by a 22-yard pass from quarterback senior T.J. Shanks that met wide receiver senior Andrew Genova in the endzone for the Falcons’ first touchdown, followed by a successful PAT to make the score 0-7.
The Northmen got the ball back where a long run by running back sophomore Antonio Johnson Jr. put them on the six-yard line where Johnson Jr. ran the ball again and scored, putting the Northmen on the scoreboard 6-7. The Oak Park PAT was good, and the game was tied 7-7. Both teams ended the first quarter without scoring again after multiple failed drives.
On the Falcons’ second drive of the half, the Falcons were able to move the ball downfield quickly, as the drive was capitalized by an eight-yard rush by running back junior Draivyn Colvin to put Staley in the lead again, followed by another successful PAT to make the score 7-14. The Oak Park offense found themselves in the red zone after multiple long rushes by running back Travon Pankey. Oak Park wasn’t able to score in the next snaps and turned the ball over on downs. The Northmen defense showed resistance with a tackle for loss, pinning the Falcons’ back, until another long rush by Colvin put Staley on the three-yard line where another touchdown rush by Colvin and another PAT put the Falcons up 7-21 as the time was ticking quicker into halftime.
The Oak Park offense came out in a hurry, moving the ball quickly from a long pass from junior Kanye Simon to senior Drew Clemens put the Northmen on Staley’s 13-yard line. Oak Park tried to take a shot on the endzone and the pass was intercepted by safety junior Miller Sipes as the clock hit 0.00 on the half.
The Falcons came out at halftime, hoping to secure their two-possession lead as they were ready to receive the kickoff. The Falcons failed to produce a first down on the first drive of the half and punted the ball to Oak Park. The Northmen had a productive offensive drive, ultimately finishing with a 29-yard rushing touchdown by senior Travon Pankey and a successful PAT to make the score 14-21.
The Staley offense showed some signs of life with a long pass from Shanks to wide receiver junior Kaden Buhman to put the Falcons on their own 37-yard line. The Falcons were not able to convert on fourth down and turned the ball over. The Northmen had a lethal rushing attack, moving the ball quickly down the field, leading to another rushing touchdown from Johnson Jr. followed by a good PAT attempt to tie the game 21-21 to end the quarter.
Both teams started the fourth quarter with multiple failed drives until the Falcons earned the ball back, leading to a huge run by Colvin to put the Falcons on the two-yard line. The Falcons weren’t able to convert or score, turning the ball over back to Oak Park. Both teams had trouble converting throughout the middle of the fourth-quarter until a big play sack from cornerback senior R.J. Collins Jr. forced Oak Park to punt the ball back to Staley. The drive was cut short by a fumble from Staley, where the Northmen safely recovered it and earned excellent field position.
A long rush by Johnson Jr. put the Northmen in the red zone, until a 14-yard rushing touchdown from Pankey silenced the energized Staley crowd. The PAT was good, putting Oak Park up 28-21, with 13 seconds left in the game. The Staley offense went out after the fair catch on the return, looking for a quick drive. Shanks wasn’t able to find enough time in the pocket and was brought down in the backfield by Oak Park defenders as the clock ran down to 0.00.
The Falcons came up short in the second half and weren’t able to secure the win, but it’s games like this that the team and coaches have to learn how to build off the mistakes and work to improve for next week. The winning culture at Staley doesn’t always have to mean a bigger number on the scoreboard, but a successful team that does their job and works together to benefit the team. The Falcons’ impressive showing of defense and offense proves great potential for the team in the next coming weeks. The team will now have to collect themselves and prepare for the next away game at Lee’s Summit North.
Players of the Game:
QB #15, T.J. Shanks: 55.6% Cmp Pct, 58 Pass Yds, 1 TD
RB #33, Draivyn Colvin: 8.9 Yds/Carry, 161 Rush Yds, 2 TD
CB #1 R.J. Collins Jr.: 10.0 Tackles, 2 Tk/Loss, 1.0 Sack
S #4 Miller Sipes: 8.0 Tackles, 1 Int
LB #3 Joe Samble: 6.0 Tackles, 1 Tk/Loss
WR #2: Andrew Genova: 22 Rec Yds, 1 TD
