FITHIAN — If Thursday was a chance for a turning point for the season, the Oakwood football team may have made the most of it.
Down 28-12 at halftime, Oakwood outscored Clifton Central 30-6 in the second half for a 42-34 win at Marty McFarland Field.
Clifton Central jumped out to a 22-0 lead in the second quarter, before Oakwood finally scored on an 18-yard run by Jaethan Perez. The Comets added a 46-yard scoring run by Kyler Johnson, before Clifton Central scored the last points of the half on a touchdown pass with a second left.
Johnson and Oakwood caught fire when they left the locker room for the third. Johnson had a 31-yard run and one-yard run to get the Comets down only 28-26.
Clifton Central scored on a touchdown run, but Jackson Dudley connected with Perez on a 76-yard pass. Dudley would then connect to Brandt Hobick for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 34-34 at the end of the third.
Johnson would put the game away in the fourth with a 58-yard run with 5:58 left. He added a two-point run and Oakwood would hold on to win the battle of the Comets.
Johnson ended up for 178 yards rushing, while Dudley passed for 165 yards and Perez caught eight passes for 135 yards.
Oakwood is 2-2 overall and in the Vermilion Valley Conference and will play Westville next week.