After 100 seasons of 11-man football, Onaga High School made the switch to 8-man for the 2016 season due to low numbers, but always had intentions of returning to 11-man when a higher number of players allowed it. After six seasons, that happened as the Buffaloes returned to their roots this year and played their first 11-man game last Friday night at McLouth. Onaga had never played the Bulldogs on the gridiron before and went into the game against the unfamiliar opponent looking to get their season, and their return to regular football, off to a good start.
The Buffaloes came into the season with a veteran offensive line and a quarterback that had started every game as the Onaga signal caller since week one of his freshman season. But questions at other positions remained, as well as questions about how players would fit into a new scheme. And while the game was certainly not without its flaws, the Buffaloes made a statement in many ways.
The game started off with a couple of short runs and two penalties, the latter of which would be a problem throughout the night for Onaga, before senior quarterback Zac Fisher took off on a 63-yard run for the first score of the season. The returning All-Leaguer then knocked in the extra point to give the Buffaloes a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Onaga defense was immediately stingy, eventually forcing the McLouth into a punt from the Buffalo 45 yard line. The Buffaloes then got to work again on offense. On the first play of the drive from their own 7 yard line, Fisher dropped back for his first pass of the season. After avoiding pressure, he began to scramble and turned a broken play into a 93-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, a block in the back 38 yards down field pulled the ball back to the Onaga 35 yard line. In all, the Buffaloes committed 5 penalties in the opening quarter for a total of 38 yards.
The drive continued in the second quarter and after three runs by Fisher, and one each by fullback Hunter Lamond, and wingbacks Landon Koelling and Josh Daniels, Fisher broke one again, this time from 64 yards out. It put the Buffaloes up two scores in the game, but Onaga failed on the two-point conversion attempt with Fisher unable to be on the field. That gave Onaga a 13-0 lead with 8:18 to go in the first half.
The Onaga defense would force the Bulldogs into another punt on their next drive, but the Buffaloes would end up having to punt themselves for the first time in the game on their third possession. Fortunately, the punt was muffed by McLouth’s return man, and junior Konnor Nider was all over it, recovering the fumble at the Bulldog 14 yard line. Fisher would take the next carry down to the 7, but on his second carry of the drive he fumbled the ball and McLouth recovered. The Bulldogs got no gain on the next play, and the half ended with Onaga still up 13-0.
The third quarter was a stalemate which saw McLouth punt twice and Onaga once, before the Buffaloes took over with a short field at the end of the period. Five runs by Fisher and one by Lamond gained 14 yards down to the Bulldog 15 yard line when time ran out.
When the final frame began, it didn’t take long to light up the scoreboard again for the Buffaloes. Fisher started the quarter with a 14 yard run, then took it into the endzone from 4 yards out to make it 19-0. The senior then found sophomore receiver Jackson Kolterman for the PAT, and Onaga led 21-0 with 11:35 remaining.
McLouth put together a drive on their next possession, but it would eventually stall. On fourth down from the Onaga 44 yard line, junior Rayce Fisher, the Buffalo sack leader a season ago, ran down the Bulldogs’ quarterback and registered his first sack of the season for an 11 yard loss, turning the ball over on downs with 6:23 left in the game.
Onaga’s final drive was a well sustained drive that would run out the clock. The Buffaloes appeared to have scored once again when Lamond, the team’s junior fullback, ran for a 16 yard score. But the play was called back on an illegal shift, and after he then ran for a 3 yard game, time expired and Onaga had won 21-0.
There were certainly some things that will need to be cleaned up and in a hurry. For starters, 9 penalties for 63 yards in the game will lead to some losses down the road if those aren’t limited. The passing game also was not a factor for the Buffaloes, as Onaga completed just one of its three passes in the game, with the incompletions being drops by receivers. And the Buffaloes will need to find a compliment to Fisher in the backfield as the other three rushers combined for 26 yards on 14 carries with the bulk of those coming from Lamond out of the fullback spot.
But the positives far outweighed the negatives in the season opener. On offense, Fisher finished the night with 238 yards rushing on 21 carries and scored 3 times. Those 238 yards were one shy of cracking the top 20 list in the school’s record book overall but were the most in a single game by a quarterback in 101 years of Onaga 11-man football. And while the team scored three touchdowns, remember that two more were called back on penalties. Onaga also did a tremendous job protecting the ball, with the first half fumble being the only time the ball touched the ground the entire night on offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, Onaga was exceptional. Orange helmets were flying around all night, as 15 players tallied a tackle in the game. The stalwart effort from the Buffaloes led to just 43 yards rushing on the night for McLouth on 28 carries, which is tied for the 16th fewest rushing yards allowed since 1978 when those stats started being kept at Onaga. The Buffaloes also didn’t allow a completed pass from the Bulldogs, and with Rayce Fisher’s sack, McLouth managed just 32 yards of total offense in the game. That’s the 4th fewest yards allowed in a game since 1978.
The front eight for the Buffaloes were a wall all night, led by senior Jeramia Dorsey and junior Tatum Lara, who each led the team with eight tackles in the game. Senior Colby Fordham added seven tackles of his own, while sophomore Dylan Magnett had five. Onaga was in the Bulldog backfield all night, accumulating nine tackles for loss, led by Lara and freshman Gavin Kolterman who each had two.
The Buffaloes now turn their attention to league play as Valley Heights comes to town this Friday. The Mustangs are coming off a 34-14 loss to Centralia in week one, and Onaga will be looking to turn their momentum into a 2-0 start when the two team kick off at 7:00pm at the Rosenfield Sports Complex.