2011.vs Taunton. Game 3

* In the first quarter, after giving up a long td to Middleboro, James Merrick blocked the xp and Norm Burn scooped it up and returned it 88 yards for 2 pts. 6-2 Taunton.

* Later in the quarter, with Taunton driving, rookie Alex Kershaw (super versatile- he plays cb, safety, linebacker, punter, and wide receiver for us) made the most electrifying play of the year so far. He picked off a pass on the 15, and with a 1/2 dozen Gladiators chasing him he weaved, juked and maneuvered his way through all the guys chasing him, then reversed field, and with another 3-4 guys on his heels he outran the opposition and dove into the endzone for a td just as they were catching up. Some great blocking by his fellow Oilers on teh return, especially by DT Byron Goss.  That gave the Oilers a 9-6 lead.

* Taunton scored the next 3 tds.

* In the 1st quarter, a 31 yd catch by Derrek Macqueen set up a 1st and goal on teh 1. But the Taunton defense held on, and the Oilers walked away with 0 points.

* Despite being down by 3 scores, the Oilers kept battling and made it close in the 4th quarter.

* DE Brendan Sherwin blocked a fg attempt, and lb John Guy returned it 35 yards. Which helped set up an impressive 55 yd td pass from Myers to all star wr Will Price. Price had an excellent game, and is our best weapon in the passing game.

* Price also had 5 kickoff returns for 161 yds, to go with his 4 catches for 75 yards and a td.

* Despite giving up 33 pts, the defense had a decent game. They gave up 2 big plays (50+ yds each) which was the difference in the game. DE Billy Mallory had a sack. DT Byron Goss and CB Mark "Bullet" Royster each had a fumble recovery. Offensive guard Kevin Clark blocked an xp kick. John Guy recovered a fumble in the end zone for an Oilers td.

* After an Oiler td, Vinny Ventosi caught a 2 pt conversion.

*  But the story of the night for the Oilers was rookie Alex Kershaw. He had 6 tackles. Two interceptions-- one he returned for 7 yards, the other was for the 85 yd td return previously mentioned. and he also filled in for an injured wr, and had 3 catches for 53 yards. One which set up a 1st and goal on the 1 yd line.

* The positive for the Oilers was that the team never gave up, continued to support one another, and battled hard until the final whistle. Taunton played an excellent game, but the Oilers gained confidence in knowing that they can hang with the defending league champs. The Oilers clearly need to execute better, and that starts by having ALL players at practice.