12 Straight

By Steve Dooley - 11.24.08

Oak Grove - Oak Grove head football coach Vic Dalrymple endures January through October just to get to November and December. In fact, as far as he's concerned, the calendar really only needs two months.

It is this time of year when Coach Dalrymple's favorite activities take place. Second on his list is sitting in the solitude on a deer stand with his trusted compound bow in hand. But, that pursuit comes only after his first love (after his wife Mae Ellen, of course)...the high school football playoffs.

Don't expect to find Coach Dalrymple relaxing after a big turkey dinner on Thursday afternoon with his feet kicked up watching a football game on TV with nothing to do after Thanksgiving. For the 12th straight year, Coach Dalrymple will spend his Thanksgiving preparing his football team for an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.

Oak Grove continues what has become a Thanksgiving tradition by advancing to the third round of the playoffs after defeating Arcadia 49-26 last Friday night. The #5 seeded Tigers will face off with #4 seeded Haynesville, who defeated Kentwood 48-6.

The streak of 12 straight for Oak Grove began in 1997 when the Tigers were playing in Class 2A. Oak Grove made it all the way to the final round that year, but lost to OCS 53-35 and finished the season 12-3.

The following year, Oak Grove fielded what many still consider to be one of the best teams ever, averaging 53 points per game while giving up only 14 points per game. But the Tigers were shocked 27-26 at home by Riverside in the semifinals and Oak Grove never got their shot at the 2A state title that year, finishing the season 13-1.

In 1999, Oak Grove was reclassified to Class 1A and racked up 14 straight wins to go undefeated, including a 33-15 win over Kentwood in the finals. The 2000 squad attempted the same feat and made it 12 wins in a row before falling to Port Sulphur 48-14 in the quarterfinal round.

Oak Grove avenged that loss to Port Sulphur the next year in the finals, winning a 35-34 thriller in what has to be one of the most exciting high school football finishes ever. Oak Grove defensive back Willie Pepmiller intercepted a pass deflected by Jeff Bennett and batted by Lance Tyson in the final seconds to preserve the win and the state title for Oak Grove.

In 2002, Oak Grove lost to Sterlington in the semifinals 55-20. Sterlington went down to defeat to Port Sulphur in the finals by a score of 24-18 while Oak Grove finished their season 11-3, two of those losses at the hands of Sterlington.

The 2003 Tigers started their season 1-3 and were in jeopardy of not only breaking the quarterfinal streak, but also the playoff streak of 19 straight years. But, Oak Grove got back on track and won eight straight to make it to the quarterfinal round against Kentwood. The Tigers were shut out under the water tower 24-0 and finished the season 9-4.

The 2004 team surprised many fans after starting the season 2-2, the reeling off 10 straight wins to advance to the state finals against Dunham. The Dunham Tigers jumped on Oak Grove early in the state championship game and held off an Oak Grove rally in the second half to win the title 42-20.

In 2005, Oak Grove put together a 9-1 regular season to advance to the playoffs as the #1 seed in the tournament. Following two easy home games, the Tigers went on the road to play St. John. Oak Grove had a chance to win the game on a 2-point conversion attempt, but a wayward option pitch preserved the 41-40 victory for St.John in the quarterfinal round.

Two years ago was almost a carbon copy of the 2003 season. Oak Grove started out 1-4 but managed to get tuned up for playoff action and advanced to the playoffs as a #7 seed, just as in 2003. And, like 2003, Oak Grove advanced to the quarterfinal round against Kentwood with somewhat similar results when the Tigers' season ended with a 39-21 loss.

Last year, Oak Grove finished with two regular-season losses and entered tournament play as the #2 seed. The Tigers jumped on Desire Street with three quick touchdowns, but could not hold back a second-half rally that resulted in a 38-35 elimination.

2008 makes 12 straight years of quarterfinal appearances for Oak Grove. But, don't expect Coach Dalrymple to make a bid deal over it. "It's just another game," he says. "It aint the one that delivers the grits".

One of many things Coach Dalrymple is fond of saying is, "To be successful, all you gotta do is make the playoffs and win your last game". He adds, "There's only one game you can relax after - the final one." It's that attitude that has advanced the Oak Grove Tigers to another quarterfinal appearance - twelve years and counting.