In the first road game of the season, the Stratford Freshman White Team overcame some early penalties and turnovers to defeat Oak Ridge Thursday afternoon.

After receiving the opening kickoff, Oak Ridge moved down the field using a combination of runs and short pass plays to score the first touchdown of the game. Oak Ridge was not successful with the 2 point try after Nick Riopelle (#49) made a great tackle to foil the attempt. A quick three and out by Stratford led to a punt, however one play later the defense forced a fumble, giving the Spartans possession back. The first quarter ended with a beautiful pass from QB Andy Navarro (#3) to WR Jamiel Wright (#83) that unfortunately ended in a turnover back to Oak Ridge.

Down 6-0, the defense forced a three-and-out that resulted in a nice punt return by Joey Mundwiller (#34). Unfortunately, this drive ended in a fumble recovery by Oak Ridge. The War Eagles converted on a critical 4th down and long pass to the three yard line. The very next play resulted in a touchdown right before half to lift the home team with a score of 12-0. The try-after failed again thanks to Robert Black's (#26) great tackle.

Some early jitters and first game mistakes quickly evaporated when a focused Spartan team started executing in the second half. Stratford received the second-half kick and quickly moved into scoring position with a seam pass to Joey Mundwiller (#34) down to the 16 yard line. A couple of runs later, RB Brayden Botary (#33) carried the ball across the line for the first touchdown of the season. Unlike their counterparts, Andy Navarro (#3) executed the point after, and Stratford narrowed the lead to 12-7. A combination of a tackle for a loss by Jackson Berg (#88), a sideline saving tackle by Jamison Cook (#38), and a QB sack by Nick Riopelle (#49) proved too much for Oak Ridge and turned over the ball on downs at their 15. The Spartans quickly capitalized with an inside handoff to Botary (#33) that went the distance for a fantastic 85 yard touchdown run. The point after was converted once again, and your Freshman White Team took their first lead 14-12 after three quarters of play.

The fourth quarter proved to be a stalemate despite a great run by Navarro (#3) and several defensive plays by Joshua Siems (#44) and Joey Mundwiller (#34). A forced turnover on downs deep in their own half of the field proved too much and allowed your Spartans to run out the clock, winning 14-12.