JEFFERSON HILLS, Pa. — The Oil City Oilers are set to battle the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars in the PIAA Class 4A State Semifinals on Friday, with a trip to the championship game on the line.
(Photos by Richard Sayer)
The Oilers, who are 10-0 with a 7-0 regular season record, are fresh off a pair of one point playoff wins over Juniata and Upper Moreland. The Oilers have been without two of their best players throughout the playoffs, losing the powerful rushing of Cam Russell and the defense of linebacker Brayden Crocker to injuries.
“Crocker was our leader on defense,” said head coach Dan York. “He calls all the defensive signals and he was the leading tackler on the team.”
Replacing Crocker has been a tough task, but players like Mario Fontanazza, Holden Stahl, Zac Kiefer, and freshman Kevin Pearsall have stepped up well to fill the void.
Despite injuries piling up for the Oil City offense, the Oilers have continued to play their game thus far in the playoffs, using both passing and rushing to cut open opposing defenses. Quarterback Holden Stahl has upped his game during the playoff push, throwing for 194 and 170 yards in the two state playoff wins, well above Oil City’s pre-playoff average.
“Holden seems to have a good touch for the deep ball… and he’s been great running the option,” said York.
York also lauded Stahl’s strong decision making and his ability to avoid turnovers, as he has only thrown two interceptions in his three years under center for the Oilers. Sean Stack and Isiah Aeschbaker have also done well carrying the football, maintaining the Oilers’ strong ground attack.
Perhaps Oil City’s strongest trait throughout the playoffs has been their resilience. The Oilers have overcome injuries and made clutch plays, coming up big during the most important moments of their playoff run. The Oilers have both come from behind to win, and recovered to secure the win after relinquishing a big lead.
“Even if we got behind by a little bit, nobody panicked. [The players] don’t have any panic in them,” said York, who went on to praise the resilience of his team: “We have a core group of kids who have a lot of fight in them and they’re not going to give up no matter what the circumstances are.”
No matter what happens on Friday, it would be unwise to doubt the fight and comeback potential of Oil City.