O. Smith wins thriller on a final-play heave
Johnson catches 36-yard TD pass from Andrews
CHESAPEAKE — Oscar Smith quarterback Lonnie Andrews III just became a starter a few weeks ago, but already he’s experienced the biggest play of his career.
With 1:44 left and the game tied, the freshman helped orchestrate one of the most amazing finishes this high school football season.
With five seconds left and the ball on the Indian River 36 — and nearly everyone thinking overtime — Andrews heaved the ball toward the end zone. At the last moment, sophomore wide receiver Travis Johnson jumped between two Indian River defenders and made the game-winning catch to help the eighth-ranked Tigers beat No. 13 Indian River 27-21 at Oscar Smith.
“Before the first half ended, we ran that same exact play and I threw an interception,” said Andrews, who completed 11 of 28 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. “(The second time), I knew the second post was going to be wide open and Travis finished the job.”
Johnson also believed. As he ran toward the end zone, he was thinking one thing: Catch the ball.
“It was a great throw,” said Johnson, who finished with six receptions for 124 yards. “I was just trying to get the ball. It was an amazing feeling.”
Oscar Smith assistant coach Lafonte Thourogood knew it was going to be a tough game, but he believed his team would pull it out.
“We made some mistakes that kept them in the game,” he said. “But we knew in the end, we trusted (Johnson) and we trusted (Andrews). We practiced this, and we had no doubt. We knew they were going to get the job done.”
The Tigers (4-2) jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to running back Brandon
Nesbit, who scored on touchdown runs of 12 and 48 yards. Nesbit, who was injured in the second quarter and had to be carried off the field, returned in the second half and finished with 159 yards.
Indian River (3-3) cut into the deficit in the second quarter when quarterback Tyler Allison threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Davion Turns to make it 14-7.
Andrews threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Johnson to give the Tigers a 21-7 lead, but Indian River came right back when Malachi Hinton returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-14.
Neither offense had much success in the third quarter, but Indian River tied the game with 1:53 left when Allison threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tra’veion Slaughter.
But it ended up being another heartbreaking loss for the Braves, who lost last week to King’s Fork in double overtime.