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NEW MANCHESTER -- The Oak Glen football team has been facing a losing battle with injuries all season long.
The injury bug reared its ugly head again Friday night as rival East Liverpool defeated Oak Glen, 44-12, in the annual "Battle of the Bridge" at Patterson Field.
"I sound like a broken record, but they had two big plays in the first half," first-year Oak Glen (2-6) head coach Doug Taylor said. "We were dealing with some injuries. I thought our start to the second half was pretty decent, but the kids we had to put in because of injury, one of them got hurt.
"It's a game of numbers. They're 14-year-old kids. Defensively, they are going to give up some big plays. They found a weakness on the perimeter, and they kept attacking it. We just had no answer.
"We have just been playing so many young guys. You can't get mad. You have to remember they are only 14-years-old. They are going to get better. You just have to play through it, but they are going to be better in the future."
The road ahead does not get any easier for the Golden Bears as Oak Glen welcomes undefeated Cameron to Hancock County this week. Kick off between the Golden Bears and Dragons is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight up at the Bears Den.
"They have been an upcoming and program for the last two or three years," Taylor said. "They went undefeated last year. They are undefeated this year.
"Their coach is doing a good job. He has the program going in the right direction. They have got some athletes. They play a good brand of football."
The visitors from Marshall County are a talented group.
"They have a lot of skill," Taylor said. "Size-wise, they aren't that big. They do have a couple of big kids, but they really have a lot of skill.
"They can throw the ball. They can run the ball. They can play the power game. They can also play the finesse game. The teams able to do both of those things are few and far between, but they are capable of doing both."
The Dragons -- the No. 5 ranked team in Class A in West Virginia -- are 8-0 on the season as Cameron has wins against West Greene (41-31), Hundred (47-0), Frontier (42-6), Magnolia (53-8), Tyler Consolidated (21-7), Madonna (46-8), Valley (41-6) and Clay-Battelle (42-0).
Cameron has outscored its opponents, 333-66, on the season, and the Dragons have only given up five points per game in their last seven contests.
"Defensively, they have a couple of big guys, but don't really have a lot of size," Taylor said. "They have a lot of speed and quickness. They like to attack. They will have six or seven guys up at the line of scrimmage. They will bring pressure.
"They want to get you behind the chains. They want to force you to make a mistake. They want to force you to turn the ball over.
"Defensively, they are really good. They are aggressive. They are really quick."
Cameron has a small team.
"Looking at the film, we have counted 22 kids," Taylor said. "To be that good with such a low number says a lot. When you have a low number like that, it can be hard to have quality practices.
"I saw them last year when I was at Madonna. They are a really good football team. They really do a good job with the kids they have.
"For them to be undefeated going into Week 9 of the season, says a lot about their program."
Teams have struggled to stop Cameron offensively, while at the same time teams have struggled to score points against the Dragons defense.
"I talked to the coaching staff earlier this week, and by and large, we cannot give up the big play," Taylor said. "We have to keep them on their own side of the field. They have had success running two or three plays and being on the opponent's side of the 50. We have to keep them on their side of the field.
"Offensively, we are going to keep doing what we do. We are going to have to take what they give us."
It is going to take a strong all-around game by the Golden Bears to knock off the Dragons.
"They are undefeated," Taylor said. "They are a very good football team. They beat a very good Tyler Consolidated team that beat Robert C. Byrd that we played. Their record is not inflated at all."
Robert C. Byrd defeated Oak Glen, 57-23, in Week 2 in Clarksburg.
For the second time this season, Oak Glen's game will be on TV.
"We moved the game to Thursday," Taylor said. "Early on in the season, we decided to move the game to Thursday. Any time you have a chance a chance to be on TV, I am all four it. It's all about the kids, the community and the school. We are looking forward to it."
Weir opened the season by playing Weir in a televised game. The Red Riders defeated the Golden Bears, 32-13, on the road.
Playing on Thursday really doesn't change how the Golden Bears are preparing for the game.
"No, it just eliminates one of your walk through days," Taylor said. "You still have an offensive day, and you still have a defensive day. You still have a quick walk through. You just eliminated a walk through day."
This week's game will also take place on Oak Glen's senior night.
"It is also our last home game," Taylor said. "It is our senior night. We are playing an undefeated and state ranked team. The kids are pretty excited."