Published: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Updated: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Thunder clinch 1st district title

MANATEE — Out-of-Door Academy desperately needed a defensive stop.

There were 48 seconds on the clock, and visiting Moore Haven had a fourth-and-2 from the Thunder 12, trailing by six points. The call was a base green defense with strong safety A.J. Strong walking down into the box.

Moore Haven gave it to workhorse tailback Fred Hall for the 28th time, but linebacker Jake Siciliano burst through the gap to the center’s left and got a hand on Hall’s shoulders before fellow linebacker Ryan Kaminski, who was bumped down to end on the play, followed up to finish off the play.

“We let it rip,” Siciliano said.

The defensive stand preserved the 27-21 victory Friday and clinched ODA’s first district championship in football. Instead of a raucous celebration, though, the Thunder milled about the field afterward with exasperated looks reflecting a team that knew it was lucky to escape against the Terriers, who are still winless in the district.

“I feel like we lost,” ODA coach Brett Timmons said. “We hold ourselves to a certain standard of play ... but we played down to our opponent.”

Moore Haven hardly played like a team that is 4-5 overall and 0-4 in the district, especially after ODA’s A.J. Strong scored on a 33-yard touchdown run with 5:07 remaining. The Terriers took over at the ODA 44 and used nine plays to drive down to the 12 before Hall, who ran for 174 yards, was stopped on fourth-and-2.

The four-year-old ODA program sewed up its first district title with one game to play in Class B, District 6 and is now 6-1, including a perfect 4-0 in district.

“It’s a step in the right direction for the football program,” said Siciliano, a junior. “It’s a huge, huge accomplishment for the team and the coaches.”

Strong scored twice, the other touchdown coming on a 76-yard run early in the second half. Quarterback Brian Ragone hit Jamie Onufrak for a 20-yard touchdown on the game’s first possession and later scored on a 15-yard scramble.

The Thunder should expect another emotional contest next week in the third installment of the Headmaster’s Cup against district foe St. Stephen’s. Then, it’s on to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

“We played a hard-fought game, but we did not play to the best of our abilities,” Siciliano said. “You’ll see a different ODA in the future. I promise you that.”