By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Oak Grove’s playoff opener against Palma took on the look of a drag race Friday night in San Jose, and unfortunately for the Chieftans, the Eagles had the two fastest Carrs on the track.
The Eagles, seeded No. 1 in the Central Coast Section Open Division, got past Palma in the first round with a 42-19 win. Big plays by twin brothers Omari and Jabari Carr paved the way to the victory with Omari, a 5-foot-9 senior running back, rushing for 140 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns, and Jabari, a 6-2 senior receiver, added a 54-yard receiving touchdown.
Despite the big plays by the Carrs, Oak Grove wasn’t able to put away the Chieftans until late in the game. The play of Palma quarterback David Fales was a big reason why as he completed 19 of 37 passes for 357 yards on the night.
“First of all, that’s a very well-coached team over there,” Oak Grove coach Ed Buller said. “It’s been a fun week getting ready for them because we knew they would be a tough team. There are no easy games in the Open Division.”
Fales nearly got Palma on the board first as he completed a 53-yard pass to Bruce Taylor on the first series of the game. Jabari Carr made the touchdown saving tackle and Fales fumbled several plays later at the Oak Grove 22 to end the threat.
Oak Grove needed just three plays to gain the lead. On second down, Eagle quarterback Kenny Arechiga found Jabari Carr for a 30-yard gain. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the 27, where Omari Carr carried over for the first score of the game.
The quick strike touchdown was indicative of Oak Grove’s ability to answer every time Palma threatened. While Fales was able to move the Chieftans downfield with the short passing game, Oak Grove was able to answer with big runs by Omari Carr or pass plays to Jabari Carr.
Omari Carr and Arechiga set up the second touchdown for the Eagles with Carr bursting for a 24-yard gain and Arechiga scrambling for 36. Carr scored on the second play of the second quarter on a 2-yard run to make it 14-0 with 11:18 left in the half.
Palma responded with a 70-yard drive with Fales sneaking in from the 1-yard line. The run ended a 10-play drive for the Chieftans.
The Eagles upped their halftime lead to 21-7 by scoring in just five plays. Thanks to a 40-yard kickoff return by Ronnie Isles, Oak Grove took over at the Palma 35. After a penalty, Arechiga found Omari Carr for a 37-yard gain. Arechiga scored two plays later on a leap over the line from the Palma 1.
Oak Grove appeared ready to run away with the game at the start of the second half. On the Eagles’ first series, Arechiga tossed a short sideline pass to Jabari Carr. The senior receiver did the rest as he picked up a block from his brother, broke two tackles and sprinted 54 yards down the sideline for the touchdown and a 28-7 Oak Grove lead.
The Palma defense, however, was able to stop Omari Carr the rest of the third quarter. That allowed Fales to bring the Chieftans within two scores of the lead with a 9-play, 80-yard drive that cut Oak Grove’s margin to 28-13. Matt Donangelo scored the touchdown on a 3-yard run, but Fales did most of the work on the drive by completing four of six passes for 76 yards.
Oak Grove answered in just one play. After recovering the onside kick, the Eagles set up shop at the Palma 49. After having trouble getting to the outside against the Palma defensive containment, the Eagles sent Omari Carr straight up the middle on first down. Carr was able to bounce to the outside and race 49 yards for his third touchdown of the night with 6:02 left in the game.
Palma continued to make it interesting as Fales drove the Chieftans 76 yards in just five plays, including a 20-yard pass to Bret Chernetsky for the score.
Although Oak Grove didn’t answer immediately this time, the Eagles did score again when Allen Chapman returned an interception 38 yards with 3:21 remaining for the final touchdown of the game.
“We knew they had a good quarterback so we wanted to run the ball as much as possible to keep him off the field,” Buller said. “Turnovers played a big part because we were able to intercept two passes and we also recovered a fumble and we didn’t turn the ball over once.”
Fales completed an outstanding season, finishing with 2,221 yards passing (136 of 203) with 20 touchdowns. Fales threw just five interceptions all season, but two came against the Eagles.
Omari Carr, meanwhile, moved close to a 2,000-yard rushing season. Carr had 1,804 yards entering the Palma game and will need just 56 yards against Valley Christian this week to go over 2,000. Carr has also scored 31 touchdowns on the season.
The Eagles, now 11-0, take on Valley Christian in the second round. The No. 4 Warriors subdued North Salinas 35-7 in a first-round matchup.