PIRATE JV MAKES TIGERS WALK THE PLANK
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(8/31/07 Oroville, CA) The Oroville junior varsity football team took a 24-0 setback at the hands of Wheatland in the 2007 opener for both teams Friday at Harrison Stadium.
 
The first time the Pirates had the ball, Clint Johnson gained four yards for a first down at the Tigers' 38-yard line. Later in the drive, Dustin Miller caught a pass for a first down at the Oroville 12. On the next play, Vince Vetrone went the distance for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked, but the Pirates were off to a good start with a 6-0 lead.
 
For the Tigers, Tony Davis caught a 12-yard pass for a first down. The ball was moved up 15 yards to the Wheatland 30 after the Pirates were charged with a penalty. Oroville faced a third and 11 situation, but Zac Kearney threw an incomplete pass intended for Davis. The drive ended on the next play when Kearney only two yards as Wheatland took over on downs with the first quarter winding down.
 
A fumble recovery to open the seconds quarter allowed the Tigers to regain possession at the Pirates' 21-yard line. On third and 6, Nick Cramer gained two yards. Before the next play, Oroville was moved back five yards due to an illegal procedure penalty. Kearney was then sacked by Johnson, giving the ball back to Wheatland.
 
Vetrone's 15-yard gain allowed the Pirates to get a first down at the Tigers' 40-yard line. On third and 1 at the 17, Johnson gained three yards to keep the drive moving. Facing a fourth and 13 after a penalty, the Wheatland offense came up empty as Tyler Zepp threw an incomplete pass.
 
Vetrone's 11-yard gain a minute and a half into the third quarter gave the Pirates a first down at the Oroville 42-yard line. Mario Gomez brought Wheatland into scoring range as he gained five yards to reach the 19-yard line. Two plays later, Johnson ran four yards for a touchdown. the two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, so the Pirates' lead stood at 12-0.
 
Vetrone ran 64 yards into the end zone for a touchdown with 6:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. The extra point attempt was no good, so Wheatland was ahead 18-0. Kevin Jenkins took the ensuing kickoff to the Tigers' 42-yard line. He later caught a 19-yard pass for a first down at the Pirates' 38-yard line. The drive ended when Kearney completed a pass to Cramer, but was stopped four yards short of a first down.
 
Gomez then gained 22 yards to bring Wheatland to the Oroville 48-yard line. Later, Johnson had a 22-yard gain to push the Pirates into scoring range at the 14-yard line. On the next play, Gomez ran the distance for another touchdown. The extra point attempt was not made, so Wheatland's lead was 24-0.
 
Jenkins took the kickoff to the Pirates' 44-yard line. The Tigers' next drive started when Rodney Fapula brought Jenkins down for a six-yard loss. Faced with a fourth and 22 with 16 seconds left in the game, Fapula sacked Kearney to finish Oroville's final drive of the game.