Oil City Stuns General McLane To Win District 10 Crown, 16-14

Tagged under: District 10, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Shane Lux | November 2, 2025

Edinboro – Time to party like it’s 2020.

Not many people had the Oil City Oilers winning the District 10 Quad A title, but that’s why they play the games on the field.

Oil City used a bend-but-don’t-break defense and got just enough from its offense to secure its first title since 2020 with a 16-14 victory over General McLane.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” said Oil City head coach Dan York.

Back on September 5th at the Oil Field, General McLane handled the Oilers, beating them 28-7, opening up a 21-0 lead in the third quarter on the way to the victory.

It was a different story Friday night at Edinboro University’s Sox Harrison Stadium.

As advertised, General McLane’s high-flying offense got things started early as Kyle McConnell returned the opening kickoff to the Oilers’ 30-yard line, followed by Matt Caro’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Jared Corwin four plays later to open the scoring 95 seconds into the game.

“We fell behind tonight like the first meeting,” York said. “Right off the bat. We knew a lot of what they were going to do, but the problem was stopping them. They have an excellent quarterback, receivers, and tight ends. But we have some good athletes on our team as well, trying to cover those guys. Sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t.”

What followed was a stunning performance by the Oilers’ defense and a series of miscues by the Lancers’ offense.

Oil City’s defense came up with its first of two interceptions on the Lancers’ following drive, setting them up at the 9-yard line, but failed to convert on 4th-and-6.

Though they failed to score on offense, Oil City pulled to within 7-2 when Matt Caro was called for intentional grounding late in the quarter.

The Oil City defense made an even bigger play when General McLane gambled on fourth down at midfield. Caro was flushed out of the pocket and strip-sacked, where Brayden Buzard picked up the loose ball and raced 40 yards for a touchdown with 11:11 to play in the half.

“When Logan Heath punted that ball and pinned them down there, that was fantastic for us,” York said. “Then Brayden comes up with that big play for us on defense. You have to have good linebackers and play great defense if you want to compete at this level.”

The Lancers looked like they would get right back into the game when they drove 71 yards in nine plays, but failed to reach the end zone as Jared Corwin ran the ball from the 4-yard line to the one, but had the ball popped loose, where Cole Findlay of the Oilers recovered it.

Oil City then went on their only offensive touchdown march of the game as they drove 78 yards in 14 plays, capped by Findlay’s 1-yard run, coupled with Steven Heise’s 2-point rush, giving the Oilers a 16-7 lead with 1:48 to play in the half.

“This means a lot,” Findlay said. “I’ve never been a part of a District 10 championship. So it means a lot they we were able to fight all year together, come out here and get a big win. When we came out against them the first time, we didn’t trust ourselves, our belief that we were better than them. Tonight, we had a chip on our shoulder and came and played like we were the better team.”

General McLane had driven to the Oilers’ 7-yard line early in the third quarter, but they turned the ball over on Steven Heise’s interception in the end zone.

The Lancers eventually cut the deficit to 16-14 when they recovered a Heise fumble at the 42-yard line, where two plays later Caro connected with Kyle McConnell on a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Caro completed 22 of 43 passes for 286 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. McConnell caught seven passes for 113 yards, while Corwin had eight receptions for 67 yards.

The Oilers gained only one first down on their next two possessions. At the same time, the Lancers looked to take the lead on their succeeding drive when Caro connected with Charlie Salvo for a 54-yard gain, but the Oil City defense held them to a 32-yard field goal attempt by Carter Sindlinger that was partially blocked, ending the threat.

General McLane would have one final shot to win the game after holding the Oilers on downs at their 13-yard line with 2:20 to play.

The Oil City defense prepared for one final onslaught and forced a 3-and-out, getting the ball back with 1:47 to play.

“It was just we held them out, we held them out, and then the last time they went for it and they didn’t get it,” said York. “I thought after that stop, now, we have a chance to put this game away with a first down.”

The Lancers had all three timeouts and faced a 3rd-and-25 at their 37-yard line. Quarterback Cole Findlay ran a draw 26 yards to all but wrap up the contest.

Findlay rushed for a game-high 134 yards on 23 carries, including 111 yards on 18 rushes in the second half.

“Honestly, the coaches just wanted us to get a couple of yards and give them the ball back,” said Findlay. “I got the ball, found a lane, and kept running. It worked out. Coach was telling me all week that I was going to have to run the ball if we were going to win. Everyone on the line played well, so thanks to them. Everybody played great, and we were able to get this win.”

Two quarterback kneels later, and Oil City celebrated its first District 10 title since 2020. The Oilers will now get a bye and advance to the state playoffs to play the winner of Punxsutawney and Clearfield.

Game Highlights:

Oil City 16 General McLane 14

Score by Quarters

Oil City – 2 14 0 0 – 16

General McLane – 7 0 7 0 — 14

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

GM – Jared Corwin 36 yd pass from Matt Caro, (kick good), 10:25 – 4-30

OC – Safety – Caro called for intentional grounding in the end zone, 3:55

Second Quarter

OC – Brayden Buzard 40 yd fumble return, (pass failed), 11:11

OC – Cole Findlay 1 yd run, (Steven Heise rush), 1:48 – 14-78

Third Quarter

GM – Kyle McConnell 15 yd pass from Caro, (kick good), 1:19 – 2-42

Individual Stats

Rushing: OC – Heise 18-60, Findlay 23-134, Buzard 1-3. Totals: 42-197. GM – Charlie Bennett 5-11, Cohen Beachly 10-41, Nick Swenson 3-14, Caiden Holler 1-(-1), Corwin 2-8, Caro 1-(-10). Totals: 22-63.

Receiving: OC – Landon Baker 3-35, Logan Heath 1-20, Heise 1-3, My’Saun Mills 2-6. GM – Corwin 8-67, Kyle McConnell 7-113, Holler 3-15, Charlie Salvo 3-89, Gabe Montroy 1-2.

Passing: OC – Findlay 7-for-19, 64 yards. GM – Caro 22 for 43, 286 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT.

Interceptions: #83, Heise.

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