NORTH EASTON, Mass. – After a heartbreaking loss to Canton in overtime two weeks ago, Oliver Ames head coach Jim Artz only had one message for his team for its Thanksgiving Day matchup against Sharon – to bounce back.
Thanks largely to the seniors the Tigers did just that.
The class of 2013 let it all on the line in OA’s 35-7 victory over Sharon Thursday morning at Muscato Stadium. Greg Cummings notched three touchdown receptions en route to the game’s offensive MVP honors, while Mike McMillan played a strong game on both sides of the ball and earned the day’s overall MVP award.
The victory was also a vindication for the Tigers, who snapped a four-game losing streak to end the 2012 season at 6-5.
“It was the kind of day we wanted,” Artz said about the senior class. “Our [team] theme is family and the season was a whole roller coaster of good and bad. But it was nice to see the seniors come through today in their last game.”
OA certainly had the momentum on its side throughout, but it was a 30-second drive at the end of the first half that helped them seize control of the contest.
During the first play of the ensuing drive, OA junior quarterback Nick Cidado found McMillan, who then pitched the ball to Gagliardi on a hook n’ ladder to drive the Tigers in Sharon territory. With the ball on Sharon’s 30 – two plays later – the Eagle D deflected Cidado’s hail mary that was initially intended for Cummings, but McMillan was able to gather the tipped pass in the corner of the end zone to give his team a 22-7 halftime lead.
“I tried to get it, and I ended up tipping it [to McMillan],” Cummings said about the hail mary. “We were trying to tip it and keep the play alive and it worked out.”
Certainly McMillan and Cummings deserve their due on senior day, but other classmates also contributed to the victory.
Linebacker Sean Kelly notched two sacks and recovered a fumble in the second quarter while fellow captains Sean McCarthy and Dan Luoko played a solid game on the offensive and defensive line, and fullback Daniel Lacorazza scored a touchdown in garbage time.
It was surely an appropriate recognition to the seniors who ended their careers with a record of 17-16.
“It was great playing with my teammates. Some of them I’ve been playing since day one in pop warner back in the day,” Cummings said about his football career with the seniors. “It’s been a great ride.”
With several sophomores and juniors scheduled to return, the OA football class of 2013 have left a strong foundation for them going forward.
“We say that life is football and football is life and there’s going to be peaks and valleys, and you got to rely on the people closest to you when things get tough, and you want to celebrate with those people in the good times,” Artz said about what the underclassmen can take forward from this senior class.
“Hopefully they buy into the whole family thing and work hard and do the things they need to do in the offseason and I hope they learn that. It’s something we preach; it’s a very tight knit group and that’s what we want to keep.”