Sun Valley loses Gordon, then game to Octorara
ATGLEN — When Octorara does Homecoming, it’s more than just crowning a king and a queen. There’s a carnival, complete with rides, games and food. For the first time in three years, the festivities included a football win, with Corey Cooper and Alex Gooden leading the way to a 54-33 victory over visiting Sun Valley.
“We played really well tonight, ” said Braves coach Jedd King. “We moved the ball well, and made some key stops on defense, then came right back up the field and scored. It was a well-played game for us.’
Sun Valley struck first, with quarterback Gabe Boccella capping a 65-yard opening drive with a two-yard keeper for a touchdown. The Braves answered right back, though, with Alex Gooden running it in from 24 yards out to culminate an 8-play, 61-yard drive on its own possession.
The back and forth continued with a four-yard run from Kijana Gordon before the Braves started playing some defense, shutting the Vanguards out in the second period. The period proved even more costly for Sun Valley, as Gordon, the Vanguards’ leading rusher, left the game with an injury. The senior back had 57 yards on five carries before the injury.
“Kijana was off to another good start when he got hurt,’ Vanguards coach Ray Gionta said. “This is a young team really starting to learn its way offensively and defensively. The kids played hard, and we’re just going to keep plugging away. We just came up a little short tonight, and their No. 12 (Gooden) and 23 (Cooper) are two very good football players.’
Cooper finished the night with 256 total yards. The Braves’ tailback rushed for 109 yard on 17 carries, and returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns. The first went 77 yards to open the second half, and the second put the final nail in the coffin. Officially, the final return went 70 yards, but the elusive Cooper probably ran about 150 with all the cut backs and changes in direction.
“Both Corey and Alex are incredibly elusive on kick returns,’ said King. “Either one can break one every time the touch the ball. Sun Valley tried to squib it, but Corey still manged to get the ball and go.’
For Cooper, it a simple matter of seeing what’s there and taking it
“I saw a cutback lane, took, it, saw another, took it, and saw one more,’ said Cooper. “I took it too, and then turned up field. It’s a great feeling to get a big win like this for homecoming.’
Gooden, for his part, ran for a game high 122 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for 107 on 4 of 7 passing. He connected with Dan Rugger for a 55-yard score.
“We feel like we can move the ball on anyone,’ King said. “Tonight, we started to see our defense come up a bit more. We’ve got Unionville next, so we’ve got our work cut out for us, but these kids aren’t going to back down. They’re up for the challenge of Unionville.’
