USO (4-1) 5-game winning streak over Allderdice (6-1) came to an end Friday afternoon at Cupples Stadium. The Dragons led by the Jackson brothers and a physical defense was able to pull off a 15-8 upset. The victory moved Allderdice into the top 20 in the state.
James and Tim Jackson potential for greatness are limitless, but it’s up to them to fulfill. James to Tim, just might be the best quarterback to receiver combination in the state. Allderdice is very well coached and has great size and is a team who is built to win the City and a PIAA State championship.
The schedule has made for an “exciting” end of the regular season by matching the city’s two most dominant teams.
After a scoreless first half, quarterback James Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown run and an extra point kick by Alex Hahn gave Allderdice a 7-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, USO quarterback Ron Brown threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Desean Bonneau. Brown also found Bonneau for the 2-point conversion to give USO a 8-7 lead.
Quarterback James Jackson had done all he could do to bring Allderdice back from a fourth quarter deficit and bring Cupples Stadium back to life. He passed for over 100 yards and nearly rushed for 100 yards.
Allderdice was trailing late in the fourth quarter 8-7 and began a drive from their own 2-yard line. Quarterback James “Action” Jackson drove the Dragons on an 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to take a 15-8 led and the win and the top seed entering the league’s playoffs. Jeremiah Hardrick bulldozed into the end zone from 2-yards out and a Timothy Jackson run completed the successful 2-point conversion.
“We call it NASCAR and we practice the two-minute drill every day in practice. My team and the Jackson brothers, they have an imposing will to win,” Allderdice Coach Jerry Haslett said. “When that happens, they bring everyone else along for the ride.
“We have a bunch of kids who are winners and who don’t take lightly to losing. We have some veterans and some younger guys still learning their roles. We’re starting to figure it out.”
The Dragons have won six games in a row since opening their season with a non-league loss against Wheeling Park (W.Va.). They have only given up 23 points against City League opponents.
USO Quarterback Ron “Downtown” Brown has thrown for 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns in five games.
Since joining the league in 2011, USO has beaten Allderdice in five consecutive games. The Wildcats beat the Dragons in the City league championship game, 33-20, last year.
The defending City League Champions were hit particularly hard by graduation but the Wildcats did not play with the execution and precision that the fans were accustomed to seeing. They entered the game averaging 40-points per game and was held to only 8-points. Both teams combined for whopping 23 penalties and at times it looked more like flag football.
In 2012 US. (University Prep, Sci-Tech, and Obama), teammate Ne’Ondre Harbour, was the victim of a Garfield shooting in which he was an innocent bystander and lost his life. On Wednesday, October 8, U.S.O. classmate Eric Young was shot to death in the Hill District.
“They came out real flat. They lost two classmates. One from the Hill and the other in East Liberty and it had to affect them,” said Ronald Brown Sr., USO quarterbacks father. “My son is taking it hard. He hates to lose. He has been that way since he was little. I told him to keep working. He doesn’t have all those senior receivers like he did last year, but everybody is getting better each week and if that continues they are going to be hard to beat by the end of the year.”
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