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When head coach Josh Niblett arrived in Oneonta the Redskins had just completed a 1-9 season in 1999. His first team won five games and each season thereafter won more games than the previous year. In 2003 they finished 13-2 and came up just short of winning a championship after losing 30-7 to Pike County in the Super Six.           The Redskins were ranked No. 2 in the ASWA Class 3A preseason poll behind T.R. Miller. The two teams never moved from their positions and finished the season ranked the same way.

Glencoe 0   0   0   0   0     Oneonta 10   7   7   0   24

Oneonta opened the 2004 season with a 24-0 win over Glencoe. Anthony Mostella capped a three-play drive with a 44-yard run just 38 second into the game for a quick 7-0 lead. He got a second touchdown on a one-yard run in the second quarter for a 17-0 halftime lead.           The last score came on a 7-yard run by quarterback Brody Cornelius in the third. The defense kept the Yellow Jackets out of the end zone and preserved the victory.

Oneonta             48     Locust Fork             6

In week two, the Redskins routed Locust Fork 48-6 as Miguel Hurtado rushed for 139 yards on 13 carries and scored four touchdowns. Hurtado scored on runs 23 and 27 yards in the first quarter and added touchdowns of 4 and 6 yards in the second quarter.

Leeds             14     Oneonta             41

The Redskins defeated Leeds 41-14 in week three to move to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in Region 4.

Susan Moore 0   0   0   0   0     Oneonta 3   6   7   0   16

Oneonta defeated Susan Moore 16-0 for their second shutout win of the season the next week. Lee Sims intercepted two passes as the defense never allowed Susan Moore to get untracked. They registered five sacks and held the Bulldogs to just 99 yards of total offense.

Springville 0   6   0   3   7   0   16     Oneonta 3   6   0   0   7   3   19

In week four, Oneonta needed two overtimes to defeat Springville 19-16 in a tight game. Mostella scored on a 3-yard run near the end of the first quarter for a 6-0 lead before Jorge Marquez' 28-yard field goal gave the Redskins a 9-6 halftime lead. Springville tied the game on a 25-yard field goal with just four seconds left in regulation.           The Redskins got the football first in overtime and scored on Brent Bender's 8-yard run to take a 16-9 lead. After Springville tied the score and Springville threw an interception on the next possession, Marquez booted the game winning field goal from 27 yards away. Quarterback Brody Cornelius missed the game after separating his shoulder the week before.

Oneonta       21   7   56     J.B. Pennington       0   0   7

J.B. Pennington became victim number six by the score of 56-7. Brody Cornelius set the tone with a 72-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage after coming back from the shoulder injury. The Redskins upped the lead to 28-7 by halftime on two scoring runs by Mostella.           Lee Sims returned an interception 26 yards to make the score 49-7 in the third quarter. Mostella finished with 134 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Sumiton Christian 7   6   0   13   27     Oneonta 7   21   14   7   48

Oneonta thumped Sumiton Christian 48-27 as they celebrated homecoming. Cornelius tossed three touchdown passes and Miguel Hurtado ran for three more scores in the rout. Hurtado scored on a 52-yard run in the third to give the Redskins a 35-13 lead and finished with 114 yards rushing. Mostella added 101 yards on 11 attempts.

Oneonta 14   3   14   0   31     Ashville 0   6   0   0   6

Ashville fell 31-6 in week eight of the 2004 season as the Redskins all but clinched the region championship. Hurtado scored on a 59-yard touchdown run and Cornelius tossed a 52-yard scoring pass to Lee Sims for a 14-0 lead. Hurtado finished with 125 yards rushing on only nine carries and scored two touchdowns.

Fultondale 0   0   0   0   0     Oneonta 0   0   0   0   1

Oneonta was scheduled to meet Fultondale the next week, but the school decided to forfeit the final two games of the season. The team only had 10 healthy players on a roster of sixteen players. The forfeit win clinched the first Region championship for Oneonta since 1995.

Oneonta             21     Moody             12

The next week Oneonta closed out the regular season with a 21-12 win over a good Moody team. Hurtado rushed for 151 yards and Mostella added another 62. Cornelius threw for 151 yards as the balanced attack proved too much for Moody. Cornelius found Lee on a 69-yard scoring pass after Hurtado had scored two earlier touchdowns.

Dadeville 0   0   0   7   7     Oneonta 14   13   0   0   27

Oneonta faced Dadeville in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs. The Redskins won 27-7 as Cornelius completed 14-of-22 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Oneonta held a 27-0 lead by halftime and coasted to the first round win. Dadeville's only score came on a fake punt with eight minutes to play in the game.

Straughn 0   0   0   0   0     Oneonta 7   7   7   0   21

Straughn fell 21-7 in the second round to the Redskins at home. Mostella blocked the first punt attempt by Straughn and returned it for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game. Oneonta upped the lead to 14-0 on a touchdown pass from Cornelius to Lee Sims in the second quarter.           Hurtado scored early in the second half on a one-yard run for the final margin. The win set up a rematch of last year's title game with Pike County in the quarter-finals.

Oneonta 6   6   6   0   18     Pike County 7   6   0   0   13

Oneonta got some revenge for a 30-7 loss to Pike County in last year's title game by defeating the Bulldogs 18-13 the next week. Hurtado scored two touchdowns and the defense held Pike County to just 31 yards of total offense in the second half. The Bulldogs opened the game with an 80-yard touchdown run before the fans were comfortable in their seats.           Pike County rolled up 277 yards in the first half and held a 13-12 lead at the intermission. Mostella and Hurtado combined for 194 yards rushing to keep the football away from the dangerous Pike County offense in the second half. Mostella scored on a one-yard run to cap a long drive with 2:08 left in the third for the final points of the game.

Oneonta 7   7   0   7   21     T.R. Miller 0   0   0   14   14

The win set up a semi-final match with No. 1 ranked T.R. Miller. The Redskins knocked off the Tigers 21-14 behind the quarterback play of Brody Cornelius. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense.           Hurtado rushed for 136 yards on 20 carries and Brent Bender scored the other touchdown for the Redskins. Oneonta led 14-0 at the half and 21-0 before the Tigers managed to find some offense and cut the lead to 21-14 but it was too little, too late.

Winfield 14   0   7   0   21     Oneonta 0   7   0   21   28

The Redskins returned to the Class 3A state championship game with hopes of finishing with another title. They had won back-to-back championships in 1971 and 1972 but had lost the last three trips to the game in 1985, 1987 and last year.           Entering the fourth quarter, the Redskins trailed 21-7 but put on a fierce rally to win the game. Facing a fourth and nine play from their own 42-yard line, Oneonta quarterback Brody Cornelius found Miguel Hurtado for a 51-yard gain to the Winfield seven. They scored two plays later to cut the lead to 21-14 with 9:52 remaining in the game.           The comeback continued with a Cornelius-to-Hurtado pass to tie the game, followed by a 29-yard Hurtado run with 3:52 left that put Oneonta ahead 28-21.            Winfield had one last chance when they blocked a punt and recovered it at the Oneonta 19 with 2:28 left. Two plays later quarterback Blake Franks threw an interception and the Redskins could finally celebrate the championship.           Defensive lineman Cameron LaRue, running back Miguel Hurtado and offensive lineman Adam Vinson were named to the first team by the Alabama Sports Writers Association when it came to the all-state roster. Joe Willie Whited was chosen to the honorable mention team. Coach Niblett was selected as the Class 3A coach of the year.           The 2004 Oneonta Redskins will long be remembered for winning a state championship with a fourth quarter comeback in the title game. They finished 15-0 which set a team record for the most wins in a season. It was also the first unbeaten and untied team in school history. Oneonta 2004 8/27 24 Glencoe . . . . . . . . . . . 0 9/3 48 Locust Fork . . . . . . . 6 9/10 41 Leeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 9/24 16 Susan Moore . . . . . . . 0 10/1 19 Springville . . . . . . . 16 10/8 56 J.B. Pennington . . . . 7 10/15 48 Sumiton Christian . . . 27 10/22 31 Ashville . . . . . . . . . . 6 10/29 1 Fultondale . . . . . . . . 0 11/4 21 Moody . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 11/12 27 Dadeville * . . . . . . . 7 11/19 21 Straughn * . . . . . . . . 0 11/26 18 Pike County * . . . . . 13 12/3 21 T.R. Miller * . . . . . 14 12/9 28 Winfield # . . . . . . . . 21 420 15-0 143 * Playoff game # State championship game

Amazing Seasons, a series on the greatest seasons in high school football history


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