After an hour-long lighting delay, it was Olympus Titans who came away victorious in a tense and tightly contested game against the Brighton Bengals, 35-28.
Things did not start off well for the Titans. After going three and out on its first offensive possession, Olympus allowed Brighton’s offense to score and grab the lead early when quarterback Jack Johnson found wideout Jace Matheson for a short 5-yard touchdown reception.
Not long after, lighting struck and both teams headed into their respective locker rooms. After getting off to a poor start, this delay was a welcome opportunity for Olympus, and once the game resumed, it was clear the Titans took full advantage of the break and welcomed the opportunity to make some necessary changes to their game plan.
The team came out focused and energized, especially in the second quarter when it scored 22 unanswered points and entered the halftime break with a 28-14 advantage.
“We had our backs against the wall. We came out and were making a lot of mistakes, Brighton goes up 7-0 then we have that lighting delay. We were able to regroup and used that delay to our advantage. We regrouped offensively and just started running our basic stuff,” said Olympus head coach Aaron Whitehead.
The Titans were led by quarterback Seth Roberts who had a rushing touchdown and a big 72-yard touchdown completion to tight end Anthony Olsen.
“I was really proud of our quarterback Seth Roberts and the offensive line. The players showed some real maturity, and it was just a fun night overall,” Whitehead said.
Johnson was able to keep the Bengals in the game by throwing three touchdown passes on the night — two of them to Matheson — and it looked like Brighton would have a good chance to at least tie the game late and at minimum send it to overtime.
With two minutes left in regulation and the Bengals driving deep in Olympus territory, Johnson threw to the sideline, hoping to find one of his receivers and stop the clock.
Instead, the ball found the hands of Olympus cornerback Sam Kernodle, thus sealing the all-important road victory for his team.
“This is big for us. We’ve suffered some heartbreaking injuries to some key players, and to come into Brighton and get a win like this is no easy task. I’m just happy to come away with the victory,” Whitehead said.
Olympus improves to 4-1 and will have another tough away game when they face off against East. For the Bengals, the defeat sees them drop to 3-2 on the season as they move on to play Skyline.