Oscar Smith High School’s football team defeated host King’s Fork High School 28-14 on Friday night, but the Tigers did not run away with it, which was evidence of the Bulldogs producing some things their coach was looking for.

“We played the game better,” King’s Fork coach Joe Jones said. “We competed harder, we played with more emotion, we played with a little more urgency, we just played tougher.”

He was comparing this performance to the ones the Bulldogs turned in the last two weeks. Across two home losses on Oct. 16 and Oct. 23, King’s Fork was outscored 80-20.

The Bulldogs played more physically on Friday but ultimately gave up too many big plays.

“We missed out on a great opportunity on the opening drive,” Jones said.

King’s Fork drove all the way to the Oscar Smith two-yard line with the chance to take a 7-0 lead but then turned the ball over on a fumble.

“You can’t do that against good teams,” Jones said.

The Tigers made the Bulldogs pay, responding with a 98-yard drive capped off by junior quarterback Shon Mitchell’s 11-yard touchdown run.

Early in the second quarter, Oscar Smith took a 14-0 lead, but King’s Fork cut it in half shortly before halftime following a three-yard scoring run by senior feature back Deshaun Wethington.

Jones said he felt OK with the 14-7 halftime score, knowing his team was in striking distance. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs gave up a 50-yard touchdown run less than 20 seconds into the second half.

“But we kept fighting back, and I’m glad that we kept fighting back,” Jones said.

After Oscar Smith made it 28-7 via a 32-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 to go in the third quarter, King’s Fork responded quickly. It made it 28-14 with 10:32 remaining in the fourth following a 23-yard touchdown run by Wethington.

A fumble recovery by the Bulldogs defense shortly thereafter kept the momentum going, but mistakes prevented a rally.

Oscar Smith generated 398 yards of total offense, 278 of which came through the air, while King’s Fork finished with 223 total yards, with 161 coming on the ground.

Wethington ended up with 28 carries for 171 yards and the two scores.

King’s Fork (5-4) concludes its regular season schedule next Friday night on the road against Deep Creek High School.