After losing to the Hawks twice last year, including once in the Class C regional semifinal, the Oceanside Mariners silenced the Hermon crowd on Friday, as they pounded their way to a 38-24 victory.
It was Hermon’s first game on its new $4.1 million turf at Pottle Field.
The Mariners took a page out of the Hawks’ playbook, relying on the ground game to bury Hermon’s chances.
Led by senior quarterback Cohen Galley’s four rushing touchdowns and 175 yards on 12 carries, the Mariners outran Hermon to avenge their losses last year.
“Everyone got a little older, a little more mature,” Galley said. “The biggest part of this year is our line. Our line’s really giving a good push up front, so we can run the ball more consistently.”
In the first quarter, the Mariners quickly scored on two pass-first possessions, with Galley finding four different receivers for five receptions and a total of 98 yards. A 39-yard pass to senior Gavin Ripley opened the scoring, and Galley later tacked on a 2-yard touchdown run (plus both 2-point conversions) to make it 16-0.
Hermon added another defensive back in response to Oceanside’s potent aerial attack, so the Mariners made the adjustment.
“Cohen’s not a one trick pony,” reigning Big 11 Coach of the Year Sam Weiss said. “When you take something away, you’re giving up something else. Cohen takes full advantage of that.”
Oceanside’s third touchdown drive lasted only 100 seconds in the second quarter, keyed by 15-yard and 14-yard runs by Galley, the latter resulting in the score.
Last year’s Class C North Player of the Year senior Aiden Sergent was also a major threat on the ground, helping create diversions for Galley. The Hermon product had close to 50 all-purpose yards in the first half alone, plus a two-point conversion.
On the other end of the ball, junior Hermon quarterback and linebacker Bruce Coulter rattled off two rushing touchdowns in the first half, and even picked off Galley at the beginning of the second quarter.
Coulter finished with 108 yards rushing on 11 carries in the first half. He scored a total of four rushing touchdowns all game.
In the end, though, Oceanside’s defense had learned from last year’s mistakes, holding Hermon to an uncharacteristically low 24 points.
“We played way better defense this time, and it showed today,” Sergent said. “It wasn’t amazing, but we beat them.”
Oceanside’s 49-28 loss to Hermon in last year’s Class C North regional semifinal was a wake-up call for Weiss and company to brush up on defense. Last year was Weiss’ first with Oceanside, and first coaching high school football altogether.
“Our focus has been our run defense since that loss last year,” said Weiss. “We didn’t touch offense in practice Wednesday or Thursday.”
In the fourth quarter, Oceanside senior Chris Mills picked off Coulter in the red zone, and Galley proceeded to ice the game.
With 8:05 to go, Galley cut through the Hermon defense and sped past everyone down the visitors’ sideline for a 90-yard touchdown run, making it 38-18 Oceanside.
“The run game opened up, and we stuck with it,” Sergent said. “I hope we play them again in the playoffs. We got way more to prove. We want to solidify the win, not leave any doubt.”
The two Class C state championship hopefuls have a decent chance of meeting again in the playoffs, and Hermon head coach Kyle Gallant is confident his team can bounce back.
“We were complacent; they were tougher,” Gallant said. “It’s a long season. We’ll get back to work. We’ll flush it.”
