Tigers avenge playoff loss with strong running game
Huffman, Nesbit combine for 246 yards, 5 TDs
CHESAPEAKE — Oscar Smith seniors remember all too well what had happened the last time the Tigers played host to Western Branch.
The Bruins beat the Tigers in last year’s Class 6 Region A semifinals. The loss ended a historic streak as Oscar Smith had played in a region final every year since 2004.
That was definitely on the mind of the Tigers on Friday, especially on Senior Night.
“We kept that with us. It was a lot of pain,” said senior running back Isaac Huffman. “And we remembered what the pain felt like. It wasn’t going to happen again.”
The seventh-ranked Tigers made sure of that as they beat Western Branch 35-7 in what could be the last home game for the seniors.
With the victory, the Tigers advance to next week’s Class 6
Region A quarterfinals. But they currently hold the No. 5 seed, which means they would have to go on the road to Richmond. And right now, it looks like they’ll face Glen Allen, which is coached by former Oscar Smith standout running back Perry Jones.
Jones, the 2008 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year, would have been proud of the Tigers’ running back duo on Friday. Huffman and Brandon Nesbit combined for 246 yards and five touchdowns.
Nesbit, who didn’t play in last season’s loss, could tell all week how important this game was to the team.
“It was a business game, a get-back,” said Nesbit, who played for Deep Creek last season.
He also knew it was a big game for momentum as the Tigers head into the playoffs.
“I feel like the line did their job, so I had to do mine,” said Nesbit, who rushed for 113 yards and four touchdowns. “We played hard and everything just went how it was supposed to go.”
Nesbit gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter. He followed that with touchdown runs of 9 and 12 yards to help give Oscar Smith a 21-0 halftime lead.
Western Branch battled back. The Bruins scored on their first possession of the second half when quarterback Derrick Cook threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to his older brother, Devin.
The Bruins (4-6) had a chance to cut further into the deficit after an Oscar Smith fumble, but they turned the ball right back over to the Tigers.
Oscar Smith never looked back as Nesbit scored on a 3-yard run and Huffman followed with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Huffman rushed for a gamehigh 133 yards.
“It feels good to win my last game on this field,” Huffman said as he looked around at Beard-DeLong-Easley Field for possibly the last time. “It was a good win. I’m going to miss it.”
Western Branch entered the game as the No. 7 seed, but could fall to eighth because of the loss. That means the Bruins either will travel to top seed Thomas Dale or to No. 2 and perennial power Highland Springs next week.
The pairings are scheduled to come out this weekend.