The 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior, carrying the ball regularly for the first time since the seventh grade, gained 182 yards and scored two touchdowns on 16 carries before leaving with cramps late in the third quarter.
His efforts weren’t enough to help the Big Blue overcome a balanced and explosive Sycamore offense that produced a 50-17 win in both teams’ Greater Miami Conference-opener at Hamilton’s Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium.
“We’ve had some injuries and needed some guys to step up,” said Oliver, who was planning to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State today. “I think I’m going to do it all year, but I’ve got to stay in the whole game.
Junior quarterback Greg Simpson gained a season-high 191 yards and scored three touchdowns on 16 carries and classmate Solomon McMullin, who’d gained 68 yards all season, picked up 123 yards on 15 carries for the undefeated Aviators.
“They’re going to challenge for the league title,” HHS coach Bob Jaboby said.
Simpson, who had two touchdown passes in Sycamore’s first three games, threw two in the first half to help the Aviators take a 21-10 halftime lead. His five-yard toss to McMullin helped Sycamore take a 7-3 lead with 3:45 left in the first quarter, and his 11-yard strike to Caleb Coletts gave the Aviators a 21-10 halftime lead with 21.8 seconds left in the first half.
Oliver, who carried the ball six times in Hamilton’s first three games, gained 99 yards on 12 carries in the first half. He broke four tackles before breaking free for a 47-yard score with 6:50 left before halftime.
The Aviators outscored HHS, 27-7, to take control and set a record for the most points in a quarter against the Big Blue. The previous record was 24, also by Sycamore in 2006.
“We didn’t expect that at all,” Sycamore coach Scott Datillo said. “Greg had a special kind of a night, and we were able to block them, which was fortunate.”
Hamilton is scheduled to play a GMC game at Mason next Friday.