Dorchester (MA) vs. Oak Grove (CA)

Oak Grove Edges Dorchester !

The first half of this hard-hitting showcase tilt saw both teams battle to a 0 – 0 tie. At the start of the third quarter, Dorchester blocked an Oak Grove punt and recovered on the Oak Grove 25 yard line. Dorchester then powered down to the 15 yard line. But the Oak Grove defense stuffed the Dorchester running game and took over on downs. Oak Grove powered out to the Dorchester 41 yard line as the third quarter ended.

In the fourth quarter, Oak Grove continued to move the ball. A 22 yard pass put the ball on 18 yard line. From there, Oak Grove blasted down to the one-yard line, only to be hurled back by blitzing Dorchester linebackers. Then, on 4th down and goal to go . Oak Grove fumbled and Dorchester covered it on the six- yard line to end the threat.

Unfortunately for Dorchester, their troubles had just begun. Unable to move the ball, they dropped back to punt on 4th down. Then ,a bad snap caused the Dorchester punter to hesitate for a split second, just enough time for the surging Oak Grove line to block the punt and fall on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown! The try for the PAT was no good, and with 4:41 left in the game, the score was suddenly Oak Grove 6 and Dorchester 0.

But the action was far from over. Oak Grove's try for an onside kick squibbed off the kicker's foot and Dorchester recovered on the kickoff on the Oak Grove 36.
Fighting against th clock, Dorchester powered to a first down on the Oak Grove 22. But, Oak Grove's defense rose to the challenge. On third down from the 18 yard line, the kids from San Jose slapped down a pass. Then, with 4th and six, the Dorchester quarterback was smothered by no less than six blitzing Oak Grove defenders. The boys from Cally took over the ball and ran out the clock to preserve their nail-biting 6-0 win.

“ We beat ourselves today” reflected Dorchester Head Coach Terry Cousins.
“We dropped a key pass and we froze on that key punt. But, what can you do? We had a great year at 16-1. Our kids have been here before and we look to get back here again next year”


Oak Grove's winning Coach Marengo praised the Dorchester Eagles for a hard-nosed game. He also said of his team, “We went through so much this year, a lot of ups and downs. We started the season with 31 players, and injuries brought us down to 27. Out of that, we had two kids with torn ACLs. We had problems as well that were within our own league , along with some individual disciplinary and scholastic problems. But, you know, when forces are against you, I told our kids, that's when we need to pull together and find our inner lining of strength to overcome adversity . We came down here with 27 kids and 10 coaches. We arrived on a Friday so we had some time to adjust and get ready. And now, we've rewarded all that strength with this fulfilling conclusion to our year. That's why I said ‘What a season!' We've grabbed National titles before. And, it's been a tradition for Oak Grove. But this one is special. This year, we had two teams make it to Pop Warner Nationals . Yes, it feels great. Oak Grove is back. We're truly back!”

Congratulations to Oak Grove Eagles- both their 2005 National Championship Midget team and their 2005 National Runner-Up Pee Wee team. And, congratulations, as well, to the battling Eagles from Dorchester for an absolutely great season . We look forward to seeing more of these two great Pop Warner organizations next year