LATE HEROICS GIVE TIGERS SEASON OPENING WIN
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(8/31/07 Oroville, CA) The Oroville varsity football team took a gamble late in their game against Wheatland by successfully making a two-point conversion to take a 22-21 win in the season opener for both teams Friday at Harrison Stadium.
 
Midway through the first quarter, a 27-yard gain by Andrew McCleary gave the Pirates a first down at the Tigers' 48-yard line. The Wheatland offense later faced a third down and 7, but an illegal procedure penalty pushed them back five yards. From there, quarterback T.J. Helton was sacked by Harley Kreisman for a 12-yard loss. Garland Berry then returned the Pirates' punt to the Tigers' 43-yard line.
 
Early in the Oroville drive, Kreisman gained enough yardage on a second down play for a first down at the Wheatland 47-yard line. The Tigers kept the drive moving as Kreisman later gained eight yards to reach the 33-yard line. The drive continued into the second quarter with the ball at the Pirates' 17-yard line. Trey Barnes gained seven yard to set up a second down and 3 situation. However, the drive ended on fourth and 9 when Craig Jeffery threw an incomplete pass.
 
McCleary then went 85 yards for a touchdown with 9:49 remaining in the second quarter. Ian Latham kicked the extra point to give Wheatland a 7-0 lead. When Oroville took possession, Jeff McCann gained 13 yards to give them a first down at the Pirates' 49-yard line. Kreisman added 15 yards on the next play. The drive ended with 6:06 left in the second when Kreisman ran 23 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good, so The Tigers were down 7-6.
 
After being sent back 15 yards on penalties, Malcolm Webb gained 24 yards for Wheatland to set up second down and 1. On the next play, McCleary gained two yards for a first down. But then Thomas Conley recovered a fumble on the following play to give the ball back to Oroville.
 
The Pirates reclaimed possession of the football at the Tigers' 30-yard line after Kyle Saiz was unable to get his punt off. Webb gained 17 yards on second and 9 to reach the 12-yard line. On the next play, McCleary went the distance for a touchdown with 1:35 remaining in the first half. Latham kicked the extra point to put Wheatland up 14-6. McCann caught a 10-yard pass with 32 seconds left in the half to give Oroville a first down at the Pirates' 45-yard line. The Tigers ran three more plays, then the half ended on Max Zurch's failed field goal attempt.
 
Nearly two minutes into the third quarter, Kreisman gained nine yards to set up a second and 1 for Oroville at the Wheatland 45-yard line. On the next play, Greg Smith gained four yards for a first down. The drive ended with 7:38 remaining in the period when Jeffery threw a 25-yard pass to Kreisman. McCann caught the two-point conversion attempt to tie the contest at 14-14.
 
A 17-yard gain by McCleary gave the Pirates a first down at their 49-yard line. They later faced a third and 6 situation, but a penalty moved them back five yards. On the next play, Berry intercepted Helton's pass to give the ball back to the Tigers. McCann then reached the Wheatland 30-yard line on a 33-yard gain, but the drive ended at the five-yard line when Corey Amsbaugh recovered a fumble as the Pirates regained possession.
 
Webb gave Wheatland the lead back with 56 seconds to go in the third on a 65-yard touchdown run. The extra point was added to give the Pirates a 21-14 advantage. Barnes responded by returning the kickoff to the Wheatland 38-yard line. A penalty against the Pirates moved the ball ahead 10 yards. The drive continued into the fourth quarter, but it ended at the 14-yard line when Jeffery threw an incomplete pass intended for Kreisman in the end zone on fourth and 5.
 
Wheatland took over possession with about seven minutes left in the game on a fumble recovery at the Tigers' 40-yard line. Webb gained four yards on third down and 14, leading to a punt by Latham that landed out of bounds at Orovlle's 25-yard line. Smith's 23-yard gain brought Oroville a first down at their 48-yard line. They would reach the Pirates' 10-yard line and needed two plays for Barnes to run into the end zone with 1:36 left in the contest. Kreisman then ran in what would become the game-winning two point conversion.
 
The Tigers will travel to Shasta Lake City on Friday, Sept. 7 for a meeting with Central Valley, while the Pirates will head to Garden Valley (between Auburn and Placerville) for a game against Golden Sierra that same evening.