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Tigers stopped by Celtics as season comes to an end
By Joe Warren
Nevada Daily Mail
Saturday's season finale between the Nevada Tigers and the O'Hara Celtics had little meaning in the statewide football picture. The Harrisonville Wildcats had already clinched the Class 3, District 12 title, leaving Nevada and O'Hara to battle for second place and a winning end to the 2005 season.
The game was hardly meaningless, though.
For Nevada, it was the final game for nine seniors. It was also the final chance for the Tigers to leave their mark on a season that saw Nevada improve upon its 2004 mark, with glimpses toward a brighter future.
For O'Hara, it was an opportunity to show that for the second year in a row, they were rightful runners up to the powerful Harrisonville Wildcats. Besides, O'Hara had 13 seniors of their own, plying their trade for the final time on their home turf.
The action on the field was proof that this game had plenty of meaning.
The battle was fierce. Both teams leaving everything on the field with jarring hits and courageous efforts.
When the final gun sounded it was the Celtics on top, taking a 35-15 trophy to end the year.
While the final score indicated a 20-point O'Hara victory, the Tigers found plenty to be proud of.
Nevada (3-7 overall, 1-2 in District 12) never stopped fighting. Down 21-0 at halftime, the Tigers won the second half, 15-14. Nevada's two most consistent offensive weapons the past two season, seniors Keith Overton and Heath Baker, each scored touchdowns.
Most importantly, the intensity on Nevada's final drive of the game was just as great as when the first quarter began.
Nevada hurried to go 34 yards on seven plays to score the final touchdown of the season in the final 55 seconds of the game. This despite being worn down by the ball-control offense of O'Hara, to the tune of a 34:26-13:34 Celtic advantage in time of possession.
When Overton took the final steps into the end zone on a 2-yard run with 3.3 seconds left on the clock, you wouldn't have been able to tell that this was a team down by 20 points. The team celebrated and it was the final stamp on a trying four seasons for the nine seniors, who stuck out the changing of the head coach, the changing of philosophy and the partial rebellion by many upperclassmen who had refused to buy into the current team.
"It didn't turn out the way we wanted to," Nevada head coach John Skeans said of the final game. "We had a tough first half. We made a lot of mistakes, but we came back in the second half."
Skeans praised the Nevada seniors.
"Our nine seniors have given 100 percent every week in practice. They've given tremendous leadership," he said.
O'Hara junior Derek Willis was the main focus of the Celtic attack, particularly in the first half when he gained 119 yards on 18 carries. Willis finished with 24 carries and 135 yards to lead all rushers, including one touchdown.
Nevada scored their first touchdown in the third period when Cameron Cartwright hit Baker in the end zone on a 10-yard pass. The score capped a 6-play, 64-yard drive that included a 46-yard pass from Cartwright to Colby Shepherd that put the ball at the O'Hara 12.
Just as Nevada appeared to gain new life, O'Hara countered with a grueling, 17-play drive that went 74 yards and ate 9:18 off the clock. The drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by O'Hara quarterback Casey McNamara and ended all hopes of a Nevada comeback.
Skeans pointed to the O'Hara running game, which ground up 288 yards, seemingly five yards at a time.
"Their offense controlled the ball," Skeans said. "They did a good job of controlling the clock."