OLEAN, N.Y. – The Bradford High football team is in dire need of
some repellent as the Owls were bitten once again by the double
overtime bug in a 27-21 loss to Olean at Bradner Stadium on
Saturday evening.

Following last Friday’s 28-21 double OT defeat to Clearfield,
the Owls came up short in the second extra session as the Huskies
captured the 108th meeting between the rival schools to cut their
all-time series deficit to 59-42-7.

“It’s frustrating to lose two weeks in a row in double
overtime,” said Steve Ackerman, BHS head football coach. “We showed
all kinds of emotion after the game, but not during the game. We
had guys slamming their helmets down and saying they are sick of
losing. How about playing with that emotion during the game when
it’s going to help?”

As was the case a week ago, the contest was deadlocked at 14-14
after 48 minutes of regulation.

While Pennsylvania high school overtimes see the teams commence
at the opponent’s 10-yard line, the New York State rules found
Olean starting at the 20.

On the very first snap, the Huskies’ Neil Fay broke at least
three tackles and rumbled 20 yards down the left sideline for the
score. John Ozogar drilled the extra point and it was 21-14
Olean.

The Owls then benefited from a Huskies’ holding penalty for a
first-and-goal from the nine. Then on a fourth down from the four,
quarterback Ben Walter fired a pass to the right corner of the end
zone and Josh Holleran made a sliding catch with defender Michael
Sprague draped all over him. Steve Butler nailed the PAT to send
the affair into the second overtime.

“We noticed that East Aurora scored on the same play last week
against Olean,” Ackerman stated. “It was a clutch fourth down
play.”

Bradford then went on the offensive in the second OT as Holleran
carried six yards down to the 14. Taylor O’Brien then blasted his
way to the two, but the ball was stripped and Olean’s Chris Weidt
fell on the pigskin in the end zone for the touchback.

Then on Olean’s next possession from the 17, Justin George raced
around left end on a third-and-seven. The senior quarterback got a
block from Weidt at the 10 and crossed the goal line with
game-winner.

“I just think Olean was more physical than us the whole game,”
Ackerman admitted.

It didn’t start out that way as the Owls scored on their first
possession of the contest on a 72-yard run by Holleran.

Butler’s boot was true and it was 7-zip with 8:15 left in the
first quarter.

“It was a jet crisscross,” Ackerman recalled. “Their (Huskies’)
whole defense took the jet sweep fake and he (Holleran) could’ve
walked to the end zone.”

Olean answered from its own 17 with three ticks left in the
opening period when George called his own number, broke a tackle at
the 32 and then made the last defender in his path do a 360 inside
the 10. The 83-yard jaunt was followed by Ozogar’s extra point and
it was knotted at seven.

The Owls then took over at their own 25 to start the second
quarter, but after 20 yards of penalties, the visitors were soon
facing a third-and-Portville to go and eventually had to punt.

“Every time we started moving the ball we’d take a stupid
penalty,” Ackerman confessed. “When we did get some good yardage,
we would be holding out on the edge. It was very frustrating.”

The combatants traded punts on their subsequent possessions, but
the Owls got a break on the Olean punt return when Zack Coon
knocked the ball loose and Tyler Hopkins pounced on it at the
Huskies’ 11.

Three plays later Holleran barged through the right side of the
line for a seven-yard TD and Butler’s extra point sailed halfway to
the former Carpet Town for a 14-7 advantage.

Olean then used a 28-yard aerial from George to Sprague and a
15-yard run by George to set up a second-and-eight from the
Bradford 20, but the Owls’ Nate Foster swatted away one pass and
Holleran intercepted the next as the half ended.

In the third quarter, Olean stopped the Owls cold on their first
possession and took over at the Bradford 38. Five plays hence, Fay
scored from the 14 and Ozogar’s PAT evened the count at 14.

Twice the Huskies drove into Bradford territory in the fourth
stanza, but both times the Owls’ defense rose to the occasion.

“Our defense played well in both games,” Ackerman noted. “You
have to realize we only gave up 14 points in regulation each time
out.”

George seems to be the frontrunner for the annual Olean-Bradford
MVP award with 16 rush attempts for 184 yards and two TDs, and he
was 8-for-17 for 101 yards through the air. Holleran also put his
name out there with 16 rushing tries for 135 yards and three
scores, an interception and a downed punt inside the five.

“Josh (Holleran) played real well,” Ackerman declared. “He did
some big things for us.”

The Owls will try to rebound (hopefully in regulation) in a home
District 9 League clash with Punxsutawney on Friday (7 p.m.).