By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – It was a win, but it felt like a loss for the Oak Grove boys.
The Warriors needed a win by two goals to leap past Brandon in the Region 6-6A standings and secure the region’s top seed heading into the Class 6A playoffs, and they only got half the job done.
Senior Cade Ortego’s goal in the final minutes of the game was the only score the Warriors could muster in a 1-0 victory over the Bulldogs Tuesday night at Warrior Field.
Oak Grove (11-2-1 overall, 5-1 region) will host a first-round playoff contest on Saturday against the third seed from Region 8-6A. Brandon (13-2-1, 5-1) gets a bye through the first round as the No. 1 seed from the region.
“Brandon got what they came for,” said Oak Grove head coach Julio Martinez. “It’s kind of a shame, because they’re a better team than what they showed tonight. They never came with a clear opportunity to score.”
Despite the inability to score until late in the game, Oak Grove dominated throughout and set the tempo for the game.
“I thought our defense was solid tonight, especially compared to the first time we played them,” said senior center back Ethan Miller. “We came in the first time after winning the region last year with our heads high and ended up losing.
“Tonight, I thought we came in with our heads up, going in strong, knowing what we had to do.”
Although the Warriors pushed the pace as much as possible, it was tough going against a Brandon defense that was content to sit back in its zone and wait for counterattack opportunities that were few and far between.
The first shot of the game – by either team – did not come until the 10th minute, when Oak Grove senior Broc Bookout got an opening and hit a shot off the right post.
Oak Grove had two more chances over the next 12 minutes, with Ortego and senior Heath Mattocks getting shots on net against Bulldog goalkeeper Cameron Kent.
“I thought we definitely dominated both halves,” said Ortego. “I don’t think Brandon had a true shot on goal. We missed two in the first half, and maybe a couple more in the second half.”
Brandon finally got a pair of shots on back-to-back free kicks that made it on goal but were easy saves for Warrior senior keeper Josh Goodwin.
Although Oak Grove dictated the pace, Brandon’s defensive strategy seemed to bog down the Warriors in the second half.
Neither team got a shot until 13 minutes were gone in the period, and Oak Grove didn’t get its first shot of the half until the 67th minute.
“In the second half, we kind of got away from what we like to do,” said Martinez. “We were looking for long balls and not building like we should. But we found the goal, even though it was late.”
The Warriors kicked up the pace a notch at that point and began to step up the pressure. Oak Grove got two shots in succession, and the second resulted in a corner kick from the left side.
Junior Jason Guerrero arced the kick into a crowded goal box, and Ortego was in position at point-blank range to knock the shot into the net for the score in the 73rd minute.
“We were desperate for the goal, because we knew we had to win 2-0 to win the region,” said Ortego. “Jason sent it in to the back post, in the center, and I was in the right place, I guess. It was crowded, for sure.”
For the game, Oak Grove outshot Brandon 12-6, and the Warriors also doubled up the Bulldogs in shots-on-goal, with four to Brandon’s two.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” said Miller. “They beat us in district, but that’s not the trophy we wanted anyway. We want to pick up a championship trophy.”
As a senior-laden team from a squad that reached the South State finals last season, expectations in the postseason are high for Oak Grove, and Martinez said winning Tuesday will be a big momentum boost in fulfilling those expectations.
“I thought we grew as a team tonight,” said Martinez. “Going into the playoffs, that’s what you need. The kids need to know that they can win in the big moments, and this win came at the right time for us.”
Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson
