Oscoda almost has a full, two-hand grip on the series.
But, on this night, it felt like it was up for grabs.
Oscoda prevailed in its War on the Shore rivalry with Tawas for the ninth straight year. But the spirit of the series appears alive and well after the game went down to the wire before the Owls celebrated a 20-14 victory.
Oscoda was able to hold up nine fingers — and the News-Press Trophy — to commemorate another battle won.
“Our defense once again came to play, setting the tone for the game,” Oscoda coach Mark Whitley said. “The offense did what it took to win a rivalry game.”
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Oscoda (2-3, 1-2) snapped its three-game losing streak and broke into the Northern Michigan Football League Leaders Division win column. Furthermore, it extended its hold on its age-old rivalry with Tawas to one year shy of a decade.
Since Tawas evened the series with a win in 2016, Oscoda has rattled off nine straight wins to take a 40-31 advantage.
But after losing 36-0 a year ago, Tawas came into this one playing a bit more feisty. The Braves (1-4, 0-3) got a 57-yard touchdown run from Steven Yarema and a 27-yard touchdown toss from Aiden Smith the Carson Selman to make things interesting.
“The guys finally stepped up tonight and took the rivalry to heart,” Tawas coach Will Luzar said. “They played the best game they’ve played all season, and we expect them to continue to play hard.”
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Oscoda stayed one step ahead, sparked by dual-threat quarterback Hunter Vincenty-Cole. The junior rushed for 146 yards and passed for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Casey Nelson ran for 95 yards and a score while Randey Eschenburg tallied 68 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Brett Travis led the Oscoda defense with an eye-popping six tackles for loss in his 14-tackle performance. Vincenty-Cole notched eight tackles, including three for loss, and Eschenburg added six stops.
Andy Olivet snared an interception for Tawas.
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