Thunder continue domination of Panthers

SARASOTA — The defensive pressure came and Myles Braxton-Johnson lost the football.

Out-of-Door Academy senior Jamie Onufrak pounced.

The Thunder emerged from the pile with a decisive turnover and prime field position at the Bradenton Christian 21.

Four plays later, ODA kicker Jeff Young hugged the inside of the left post for a 30-yard field goal.

That and a late insurance touchdown kept the Thunder’s unbeaten streak over the Panthers intact as ODA won 17-7 Friday on homecoming in a pivotal Class 1B-District 6 contest at Twin Lakes Park.

ODA (5-1, 3-0) has now won all five meetings between the schools. More importantly, the Thunder vaulted past BCS for sole possession of first place in the district.

“We control our destiny now,” ODA coach Brett Timmons said. “We have a big game against Moore Haven next week, and we can’t count our chickens before they hatch.”

The Panthers (7-1, 2-1) were poised to add another accomplishment to their stellar season as the teams entered the fourth quarter deadlocked at 7. And they were doing it with a freshman, Braxton-Johnson, under center after quarterback Sean McCarthy left late in the first half with an injury.

Braxton-Johnson finished the game 9-for-14 passing for 133 yards and a touchdown pass to Egan Fridenberg that tied the score and capped an impressive 14-play, 80-yard drive.

BCS had won its first seven games for the first time in school history with a variety of offensive and defensive weapons.

But it couldn’t stop ODA’s running attack in crunch time.

A.J. Strong tallied 142 yards on 30 carries, exiting the game three times after hard hits.

But the ODA senior tailback returned each time, determined to keep his club moving forward while eating precious time off the clock.

“It was all cramps in this heat,” said Strong, who had two touchdowns. “And drinking fluids. I kept limping, so I had to go back to the trainer and take some tablets, and keep the cramps from coming. And drinking Gatorade and water to keep myself hydrated.”

Strong scored on a fourth-and-3 from the BCS 11 in the second period. Timmons elected to go for it rather than settling for a field goal.

“It was early in the game, emotions and what not, and we sort of wanted to try and send a statement,” he said.

Not only did Strong wreak havoc, but the mental mistakes also plagued the Panthers down the stretch.