Flint Hill extended their record to 2-0 on a cold afternoon in Oakton, beating Espicopal for the first time in four years. After a sloppy, penalty-ridden, scoreless first half, the Husky offense scored on their first two possessions in the second half and held on for the 10-7 win.
The first half was all defense, as neither team orchestrated much of a drive and the majority of first downs were gained by way of penalties. However, Flint Hill running back Trevor Ogundepo was finally able to get going early in the third quarter. Following a great strip fumble recovery by the Flint Hill defense, Ogundepo busted out back-to-back big runs before punching it in from the 3-yard line.
Espicopal responded with their best drive of the games, scoring on a 16-yard scamper on third and inches. A 27-yard field goal by senior Hunter Windmuller on the next drive put the Huskies back on top and the defense, which was terriffic all day, preserved the victory.
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“We came into the game very confident in our defense and our special teams,” coach Michael Wright said afterward. “A few penalties put us in some bad situations, but our defense came up with the big plays.”
Perhaps no play was bigger than junior free safety Ben Kase’s interception ripped out of the hands of an Episcopal wide receiver early in the fourth quarter. A controversial pass interference call had put Episcopal on the fringe of scoring position when Kase came up with the vital turnover.
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“We knew they had to pass,” he said of the third-and-long attempt. “They had gone deep to him a couple times before, and I was able to read it and rip the ball away.”
After a three-and-out and a great punt from Windmuller pinning Episcopal deep in their own territory, Kase made another interception, this time a gift on a ball thrown over the tight end, to seal the deal.
The Huskies will look to remain undefeated next Saturday at John Paul the Great.
“We are trying to impress upon them the importance of practice,” Wright said. “We need everyone on time and on the same page to continue to get better.”
“We beat a good team today and it felt great,” Kase said. “But we still have a lot of room for improvement.”