Coach Ellison gets first win as Oliver Springs beats Oakdale, 30-6

The Oliver Springs Bobcats picked up their first win under first-year head coach Rodney Ellison with a 30-6 win at home over Oakdale on Friday night. "We played a very clean game offensively, didn't turn the ball over," Ellison said. "That was very good to see. Eli completed 66% of his passes, which was a big improvement. If we continue to do those things, we can win a lot of games." Ellison is a Campbell County High School alumnus who previously served as head coach at Wartburg and Powell. "Our defense made a few position changes defensively, moved a couple linebackers to the D-line, and it really helped our defense," Ellison said. "We instantly became a better tackling team, and we're able to get more penetration. Atticus Demott, Karson Seeber and Isaiah Hinds did a great job with their hands on the ground. Bear Lively led the team with 12 tackles from his linebacker position." Oliver Springs kicker Bryson Goodman's 23-yard field goal gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead with 5:46 to play in the opening quarter. Oakdale's Maddox Tilson ran in a touchdown from 8 yards out to give Oakdale a 6-3 lead, but a two-point try failed. Oliver Springs quarterback Eli Richardson found Karson Seeber for a 23-yard touchdown to give Oliver Springs the lead, 10-6, with 8:55 before halftime. Richardson himself ran it in from 4 yards out to widen Oliver Springs' lead to 17-6 with 6:22 left before halftime. Goodman would hit his second field goal of the game, this one from 30 yards out, to make it 20-6 Oliver Springs with 51.4 seconds to go before halftime. Avander Demott ran in a touchdown from 1 yard out to give Oliver Springs a 27-6 lead with 7:16 left in the third quarter. Goodman added another 30-yard field goal, his third made FG of the game, to give Oliver Springs a 30-6 lead with 10:10 to play in the contest. Richardson was 12-of-18 passing for 119 yards and one touchdown, according to Oliver Springs team stats. He also ran the ball five times for 46 yards. "I think, at this point, if we can get some things corrected with our offensive line, we will be hard to stop," Ellison said. Demott ran the ball 14 times for 41 yards. "Avander Demott, a freshman, ran hard and was able to get his first rushing TD of the season," Ellison said. "Our kicker Bryson Goodman scored 12 points, including three field goals, which was huge for us. It's nice to know, if the offense stalls, we can still score points." Seeber had seven catches for 95 yards in the game for Oliver Springs. Bear Lively led Oliver Springs with 12 tackles and three tackles for loss. Lively also had one of Oliver Springs' two fumble recoveries in the game, the other one belonging to Caleb Marney. Oakdale hosts Coalfield on Friday night, while Oliver Springs will host Wartburg. "We continue to grow and are getting better each week," Ellison said. "That's all I can ask of them."