O’Connor threw two touchdown passes and the Falcons rushed for 204 yards to beat the Talawanda Brave 14-6 at Yeager Field.
“My offensive line is amazing,” O’Connor said. “I’m best friends with all of them, of course. I buy them candy bars. That’s my thing. I love them.”
O’Connor didn’t have to throw much, finishing with 89 yards on 4 of 10 passing. He connected with Jackson Kauffman on a 13-yard touchdown pass to put Fenwick up 7-0 with 45 second left in the first half.
O’Connor later hit Sean Heberling with a 24-yard TD pass on fourth down with 5:26 remaining to give the Falcons a 14-6 lead they’d hold on to.
“I felt like we were very fluent pushing the ball down the field — run, pass, everything,” O’Connor said. “It was just the penalties that got us. I felt like we were good. We were running fine.”
Fenwick’s Fred Cranford, who got his first win back as head coach, said he’s becoming more impressed with how O’Connor has stepped in to run the offense.
“We see the poise, and we see the comfort within our own place,” Cranford said of O’Connor. “Under the lights, it’s different. That’s just growth. We feel as though every game that he will settle in. He’s going to aggravate people more as a dual threat.”
Talawanda senior quarterback Cale Leitch threw for 175 yards, including a beautiful 78-yard touchdown strike to Demetrius Morris-Williams that cut the Falcons’ lead to 7-6 with 11:49 left to play. Fenwick blocked the extra point.
“What’s happening right now is that our defense is playing well enough for us to win — and our offense is not,” Talawanda coach Andy Stuckert said. “A lot of it has to do with the trenches. In my opinion, it’s not necessarily just the kids upfront because we do like our offensive line, our wings, our running back stuff. We’re just getting loaded boxes right now and are unable to adjust.”
Patrick Keefer wrapped up a game-high 10 tackles and had three sacks to lead Fenwick on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore Hudson Kreke snagged an interception.
“We kept reinforcing, ‘Hold the line. Hold the line,’” Cranford said. “As teams do wear down, you simply saw how we were able to move the ball.”
Cranford, who was hired in January, coached the Falcons from 1998 to 2012 — including seven years (2006-2012) as head coach when he led them to a 37-34 record.
“There was some sloppy football,” Cranford said. “We’ve just got to clean up. You’re not going to win many games playing slop ball as young as we are. We can correct that. It made for an aggravating night. But we found a way, and I couldn’t be more proud. I told them that they were going to bed a winner.”
Fenwick (1-1) travels to Monroe next Friday, while Talawanda (0-1) hosts Eaton.
About the Author