By Travis Chapman
Tuesday night this week, your elementary Apaches travelled across the state to the big-time rivals of the OCS Eagles where your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade Apaches beat the Eagles in a WILD overtime thriller, 13-12. While the 5th and 6th grade Apaches played a great game but fell 16-0.
Fully expecting to be in a dog fight and playing against ‘home cooking” as normal, your “Little” Apaches started with the ball on offense. This game marked the first time all season that QB, Awesome Austin Ramsey, did not take a 70-yard sprint to the house on the opening play, but Ramsey took the oblong ball around the end for a gain of 15 yards, but was only tackled by a shoestring. Two plays later the chains moved again with great blocking by the Apaches as Wild Man, Wilder Butler ran hard on a counter trap. On 4th and short, the Apaches paved a brand-new strip of asphalt down the middle of the Eagles field for Awesome Austin as he blew into the endzone from 30 yards out for a touchdown. The 2pt try failed. The Apaches led early 6-0 with 1:10 left in first.
On defense, the Apaches had the quick Eagle running back bottled up behind the line, but he broke 2 tackles and scurried for 40 yards where BK Ingles and Awesome Austin Ramsey made the tackle. The next play the giant 4th grade back that “apparently made weight”, ran over everyone who tried to tackle him and trounced in for the Eagle score. But the Apache defense stopped the extra point. The game was locked at 6’s to end the first quarter. The Apaches offense found a great pass play to flip the field quickly, but an illegal procedure backed the Apaches up and turned the ball over on downs. On the ensuing defensive set the Apaches defense stepped up and forced a 4th down. Big Mack, Brooks McCullough made two great tackles to turn the ball over on downs for the Eagles with HUGE tackles for loss. On the first play on offense, Zaine The Knight Train picked up a huge first down. Then Liam Hulk Hurley knabbed a perfect pass from Ramsey to pick up 25 yards with 1 minute left in the half. Big Mack McCullough took the direct snap and picked up big blocks from Nasty Nate Mosely and Wrecking Will Abshire. The Apaches moved the chains for a huge first down. The Apaches marched the ball down the field but ran out of time at half time with the score knotted at 6.
The Apaches stellar defense started the second half. The Apaches forced a fumble right off the bat but an errant facemask flag thrown from across the field gave the Eagles a new set of downs. Big Mack continued his dominance on defense and made a great tackle for no gain. Early into the third quarter, that tackle marked his 7th of the night. The Apaches defensive line, led by Joltin Jett Jones and Nasty Nate Mosley busted up a play in the backfield, but the Eagle QB found a lucky 15 yards and moved the chains. The Apaches pushed the Eagles back for a 4th and long. Hulk Hurley made a great move and met the oversized Eagle back behind the line of scrimmage and stripped the ball right out of his arms and picked up the fumble with 1:07 left in the third. The Eagles defense were not to be outdone and forced a punt to start the 4th quarter, still tied 6’s.
The Apaches defense forced its second fumble of the night that Hulk Hurley picked up in plus territory. But offensive miscues and yellow laundry backed the Apaches up for a third and very long. The Apaches picked up big yards but faced a 4th down. On the 4th down play a tipped pass and big hit from the Eagle linebacker on Awesome Austin gave the Eagles the ball and nearly knocked the Apache Star QB out of the game, but he bucked up and accepted the challenge and fought for his War Party Apaches. The Apache defense came out with their hair on fire and forced a huge fourth down with 1:30 left in the contest. The Apaches held the Eagles and took the ball over on the 50. The field General, Ramsey returned to the field and made an exceptional pitch with blitzing linebackers in his face and found Zaine The Knight Train for a big gain of 15 yards to move the chains. But a strange turn of 2 penalties in a row after consecutive huge gains……..(insert eye roll here) backed the Apaches way up with the clock winding down. Quick play calls by Coach Alex kept the Eagles defense on their heels and Awesome Austin picked up a huge gain with 14 sec left. The Apaches threatened after picking up the lost yardage. Ramsey called for the ball and launched a big pass down the sideline and found BK Ingles on a streak inside the 15-yard line of the Eagles. The Apaches hurried and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 2 seconds left. Coach Alex called a QB run all the way. The Apaches faithful that filled the stands were on their feet as Ramsey made one man miss, the clock buzzed at zero’s, made another man miss, picked up a few yards, was hit hard, bounced off the tackle, the roars of the crowd got louder and louder as the stellar QB fought closer to the goal line, but a stretched out Awesome Austin was tackled inside the 3-yard line to end regulation. WHAT A BATTLE!!
With overtime we found the Apaches on defense from their own 25. The Apaches defense made a great tackle on the giant running back. Nasty Nate continued to have himself a day and blew up the Eagle play backwards. The oversized back broke several tackles and scored for the Eagles, 12-6 in OT.
The Apache offense settled in and needed to score to keep the game going with the possession. The Zebra’s lost their laundry a few times again at crucial moments just like they had at the end of regulation, and it forced the Apaches into a long uphill climb. Coach Alex dialed up another great play call where Awesome Austin called for the ball, sprinted out to his left and uncorked bomb down the side line that went over the out stretched fingers of the Eagle safety and into the hands of Big Time, Big Prime, Big Mack, Brooks McCullough who sprinted in for an Apache TD from 27 yards out. The OCS field staff is probably still repairing the crater in the field that was left from Big Mack’s ENOURMOUS spike in the endzone. The Apaches needed to punch in the extra point for the win. Ramsey had picked up a minimum of 3-4 yards around the outside all night. On the ensuing play, the Apaches lined up in their normal package where Ramsey had carried the ball multiple times. Mega Martin Smith made a perfect snap to Ramsey, The Knight Train and Hulk Hurley led the charge to the right, the Eagle defense sold out on the outside run that Ramsey nearly scored on at the end of regulation, but in the words of Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars, “IT’S A TRAP!!!!”. Awesome Austin made one step to his left and found a giant hole behind Will Abshire, Big Bad Brooks Boyd and Joltin Jett Jones and could’ve moon walked like a Smooth Criminal into the endzone for the extra point and the walk off APACHE WIN!! The underclassman of the elementary sports program remained undefeated after a hard fought gutted out win in hostile territory. This marked the first time the Elementary Apaches won on the home cooked OCS field since 2022.
In the 5th and 6th grade contest, the Eagles won the toss but deferred to the second half. Your Apaches started with the ball. After some good runs by Action Jackson Shipp, the Apaches faced a long third down but a QB keeper by Ryder Hollywood Hollingsworth picked a first down and a gain of 14 yards. On the next play the Apaches executed a great sold option play had Shipp blazing down the sidelines and picked up 15 yards. Hollywood found stride with another great run. Hollywood spun the most beautifully spiraled pass down field that fell outside of the fingertips of the Blonde Bullet, Brant Bridges that was nearly a touchdown for the Apache offense. The Apaches were forced to punt after driving the length of the field. The Apaches defense held the GIANT OCS Eagles but a deep pass down the field found the 6ft tall 6th grade Eagle receiver for a touchdown after he slipped off the Apache tackle. The Eagles led at the end of the first 8-0. The Apaches offense moved the ball well but faced a third down. The Blonde Bullet nearly picked up a first down, but the Apaches were forced to punt. On the next defensive possession King Cade made a huge tackle on the giant Eagle running back and forced a big 4th down in plus territory. Captain “Oh My” Captain Powell was at the point of contact with the Eagle running back for no gain but was pulled down from behind by the man he just beat that sprung the Eagles to a first down. Folks, this happened all night and was never called after the same officiating crew called the 3rd and 4th grade game like it was the NFC Championship….. But our outstanding Apaches showed their resolve and character and fought through it. The Apache defense stood tall and Hammering Hank Rowton who showed his toughness, made a huge tackle for a loss of 5 and the Eagles turned it over on downs to close the first half with OCS up 8-0.
In the second half, the Apaches defense stiffened up early as Hollywood Hollingsworth showed his defensive prowess and made a Sportscenter highlight reel, complete de-cleating hit on the Eagle running back. The Apaches held the Eagles after a few first downs to a big fourth down. Big G-Grayson Avery and Hammering Hank collapsed on the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs with 2:08 left in the third. On the first play for the Apaches offensive drive, the Eagle cornerback made a great break on a perfectly thrown pass and came down with the INT to close the third quarter. The Eagles milked the clock on the next possession and punched it in late to go up 16-0 with 4:17 left in the contest.
The Apaches offense moved the ball well but couldn’t punch it in to draw the game closer. The second team, Apaches got some great playing time against a slough of athletic and giant Eagles before the clock hit zero. The 5th and 6th grade Apaches fought hard but fell short against the biggest 6th graders in the state of Louisiana. This kind of battle will serve our Apaches well as they grow and learn the game, as well as learning what they are capable of through seemingly overwhelming odds. Our coaching staff is unbelievably proud of our Apaches. We’re proud that they play football the right way, with grit, toughness, resolve, and INTEGRITY!
The Apaches have one more game of the 2025 season where we will travel all the way over to the river delta of Rayville, LA next Tuesday, 9/29 to face the Riverfield Raiders. As always, IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE AN APACHE!!
