If the O'Neill Raiders were feeling good off their 36-0 takedown of the Liberty Indians last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. O'Neill fell just short of Valley Central by a score of 23-21.
O'Neill's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performance. Perhaps the best among them was Chad Haley, who rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 159 yards and a touchdown while completing 72.7% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Robert Federovich, who rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Valley Central was led to victory by Adrian Gentles and AJ Gonzalez. Gentles gained 74 total yards and two touchdowns, while Gonzalez rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Valley Central's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Aiden White.
O'Neill's loss dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Valley Central, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.
O'Neill will square off against Chester/Seward Park at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Valley Central does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
