ODA football wins first home playoff game in eight years

One word dominated The Out-of-Door Academy's postgame talks — or lack thereof.

"Speechless." 

Head coach Ken Sommers knew his team was good enough to win, but how they won stunned him. The Thunder ran roughshod over Sante Fe in all three phases, using both power and speed, and won 42-6. ODA (6-1) led 35-6 at the half, and an early-second half score kickstarted a running clock. 

It is ODA's first home playoff win in eight years. 

"I loved our physicality," Sommers said. "I loved our belief. I loved our composure when things got chippy. Just generally proud of these guys all around. The win speaks for itself."

Thunder senior running back Dakota Dickerson had four touchdown runs in the first half. Senior quarterback Gus Mahler added a rushing touchdown of his own to go with a 52-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Ethan Bertrand. 

The defensive line duo of sophomore Ryan Ives and junior Tucker Harris wreaked havoc on an overmatched Santa Fe offensive line all night. ODA forced two fumbles and only allowed one scoring play, a deep pass on Santa Fe's first drive of the game that J.T. Taylor took to the house after breaking a tackle. 

"We literally came into this season (with) people asking me if we were going to have a program," Sommers said. "Now, players are getting texts from kids in the school. There's a vibe, an energy. People are psyched to come to the game and cheer, you can hear them up there. 

"This year has been a game-changer in terms of not only the program's belief in itself, but also the community's belief in us."

The Thunder will face Saint Stephen's Episcopal School next week. The 8-0 Falcons beat ODA 61-7 earlier this season, the only loss ODA has suffered.