Linebacker posing as a receiver helps Orono complete its rally to victory over Cooper

The play is known as "Rail." Well, "H Rail" to be exact. Until Friday, it was just another play in Orono's offensive repertoire.

Now it's a game-winner.

Orono quarterback Charlie Kraus found Nash Tichy wide open down the left sideline with less than eight minutes left in the game and Tichy carried it the distance. His 64-yard touchdown reception gave Orono a lead it did not relinquish as the Spartans battled back to beat Cooper 21-18 Friday at Orono.

Tichy, a senior who spends most games on the defensive side of things as an outside linebacker, was in the game in a not-unfamiliar role as a part-time receiver when the play was called.

"I was looking at the linebackers and they were playing cover zero," Tichy said. "I knew they were in man and I knew I could outrun them."

Tichy said it felt like it took much longer to reach the end zone than it really did.

"Man, that felt looong," he said, grinning. "My coach came over and said, 'Way to be faster than they are.'"

Orono opened the game with a methodical 62-yard march that took 9 minutes, 1 second and produced a 7-0 lead. Cooper found its vaunted speed game in the second quarter and cut the lead to one, 7-6, on a 42-yard touchdown reception by Key'von Cager.

Orono went back up 14-6 on Kraus' second of three touchdown passes, a 14-yarder to George Perkins in the third quarter, but two touchdowns by speedy Cooper running back DaNari Connors put the Hawks in front 18-14 just ahead of Tichy's score.

"Cooper is a great team, year in and year out," Kraus said. "They know how to move the ball down the field, but we responded. We never got our heads down."

The game matched up foes coming off trips to the state tournament semifinals in 2021. While most coaches try to turn the page on seasons past, Orono coach Joe McPherson acknowledged that the Spartans' run of success last season fueled their confidence this year.

"At the end of the year, we were winning one-, two-point games," McPherson said. "These guys have confidence they can stay in to the end of it."

Kraus said that coming back from a 2-6 regular season in 2021 to get as far as they did is something the Spartans feed off.

"Coming back from the adversity we did, we know we can play with the best of them," he said.