Oil City upsets General McLane in District 10 Class 4A high school football final
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
EDINBORO — Oil City didn’t waste its second chance.
Four turnovers. One defensive touchdown.
It’s an oft-used adage in football: Defensive wins championships. This proved true again Nov. 1 in the District 10 Class 4A high school football final at PennWest Edinboro.
General McLane’s offense looked nearly unstoppable all season. This included a September game at Oil City which, despite two uncharacteristic turnovers, the Lancers won by three scores.
This time, however, a sterling defensive effort de-throned the defending champions. No. 2 Oil City (9-1) beat top-seeded McLane (8-2), 16-14, at Sox Harrison Stadium.
“(Oil City) got after us. A lot of pressure; a lot of different looks,” McLane head coach Marshall McCormick said. “There was a tenacious effort toward our quarterback, and they were able to get to him. That changes the entire game.”
Findlay finished with his legs
Defense defined the night. But, after repeatedly wasting second-half possessions, Oil City needed one offensive play to complete an upset.
Senior quarterback Cole Findlay used his legs to convert a 3rd and 25 with less than two minutes to play, allowing the Oilers to bleed the clock.
“I just saw a hole and hit it,” Findlay said. “My linemen blocked out, so I had a lane to run. I made a couple people miss and got down; that’s it.”
A string of six empty Oil City possessions preceded Findlay’s game-sealing conversion. The Oilers kept the lead, though, thanks in part to a blocked field goal and their second interception of the evening.
McLane’s four turnovers also included two fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Brayden Buzard after a jarring hit by Abdul Stanton. Before all that, Oil City registered a safety when McLane was flagged for intentional grounding in its own end zone.
“We have some kids who can pressure the quarterback, and we have some good defensive backs who can make plays,” Oil City head coach Dan York said. “That’s two big things (defensively).”
Lancers started hot
McLane started the game the same way it starts most – with a scoring drive.
Matt Caro threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Jared Corwin on the contest’s opening possession. After that, the Lancers’ first half possessions ended with an interception, a safety, two fumbles and a punt.
“We knew we were going to get cover zero and they’d try to pressure us,” McCormick said. “That’s what we got; we just weren’t able to hold up and hit our answers.”
Caro connected with Kyle McConnell for a 15-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. That was the last time the Lancers scored.
Caro completed 20-of-41 pass attempts for 285 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while McConnell’s six catches for 116 yards paced McLane’s receiving corps. Nine penalties for 87 yards hurt the Lancers, especially compared to two Oil City penalties for 23 yards.
Oil City’s only offensive touchdown came on a Findlay run. He and Steven Heise — who grabbed one of the interceptions — paced the Oilers’ offense on the ground.
What’s next?
A week of rest awaits Oil City.
The Oilers will play either Punxsutawney or Clearfield in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. That game won’t occur, however, until the weekend of Nov. 15-16.
McLane’s season, though over at 8-2, included a Region 6 championship.
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Oil City upsets General McLane in District 10 Class 4A football final
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos