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Lore
After the pick 6 by Qa'Lil Goode stunned the Oilers Nov. 21, 2025, in the 4A state quarterfinals, I said it was was now part of Oil City football lore. It turned a potential 14-7 Oiler deficit to a 21-0 Aliquippa lead.
That got me to thinking of other examples of lore -- which are listed below if you scroll down. But I completely forgot Dallas Williams' 96-yard WALK OFF fumble return on Oct. 9, 2009, the biggie of them all. So, here it is.
The Oilers were playing Greenville in their homecoming game. They dominated a lot of it, especially in the first half.
Never trailed, but the Trojans, ranked No. 6 in the state in the Bill Born Power Ratings, eventually tied the game 27-27 and were knocking on the door in the waning seconds. It seemed like they were going to win.
And then Dallas Williams happened. He picked up a fumble and went 96 yards for a touchdown as time ran out, giving the Oilers a 33-27 victory. Greenville fans were wondering who Trojans didn't kick a field goal. But they didn't. Oh well.
Williams also caught six passes for 75 yards that night. Mark Kulinski threw for 252. Cody Johnson made 22 tackles.
Game was part of a six-game winning streak heading into the playoffs, where Oilers (who were without injured Ben Koyack) lost to North East.
Williams' heroics broke Jack Hershelman's school record for longest fumble return for a TD. Hershelman's second-quarter return on Oct. 27, 1928, covered 81 yards and in the end, gave the Oilers a 6-6 tie with Titusville, which was threatening to pad its lead at the time of the turnover.
Although it wasn't a walk-off, Hershelman's return was similar to that of Williams. Said The Derrick, "He scooped uo the ball from the tangle and started off for the goal 81 yards away. His action was so swift, his mates, with the exception of (fellow tackle Gene) Stoughton, had little opportunity to aid him." It was Stoughton -- who later played at Pitt -- who took out the lone Titusville player left, leaving Hershelman to a clear path to the end zone.
(Sam Heasley video)
More Lore
✔️ Cowboy Jerome Szafran's '109-Yard Run
The first thing that came to mind didn’t have to do with the Oilers. It had to do with St. Joe, forerunner of Venango Christian/Catholic, and Cowboy Jerome Szafran’s "109-yard run.” It came against Centerville of Westmoreland County on Sept. 1, 1940. You might think it was a return of some sort, but it wasn’t. It was a run from scrimmage, officially covering 99 yards, not 109.
St. Joe had the ball on the 1 after future NFL star Forrey Hall was tackled for a 6-yard loss. This came after a 52-yard punt pinned the Irish back on their 7.
The Derrick’s account on what happened next:
“Szafran went back to attempt to move the oval out and apparently being caught near the rear of the end zone, eluded three or four tacklers. Moved up to the 10 on the right side of the field, cut back to the left and outdistanced the entire team.
“One man chased the speedy back for 30 or 40 yards until
(he was) cut down by Joe Dzieckciascz, permitting Szafran
to cross the goal unmolested.”
✔️ Sharon 108, Oil City 0
The Tigers, set on winning big, scored 44 points in the third quarter after building a 40-0 halftime lead. Mike Sebastian, who later lettered at Pitt, scored nine touchdowns, six in the second half. Apparently he needed the points since he and Grove City's Jimmy Dunn were in a scoring race.
Sharon scored 17 TDs after a debate was settled before the game as to how long the quarters would be.
Sharon wanted 15-minute quarters, Oil City 12. Ref said he'd side with Sharon if the two teams couldn't work it out. Finally, a compromise was reached and the two sides agreed to 14-minute quarters. It should be noted that in those days a team that just scored had the option of receiving the ensuing KO.
At least Oil City was not alone. That very same day (Nov. 17, 1928) Punxsutawney walloped Franklin, 73-6. And a week later Sharon trounced West Middlesex, 80-0. The Tigers just missed the Mercer County scoring record against the Oilers. Grove City hit Farrell up for 109 points in 1921. And two years after the debacle the Oilers beat Sharon, 38-6.
✔️ McFall, Hadley outdo Journey
So there was that, and I also thought of the Jackson
McFall and Mo Hadley show against Meadville on Oct. 23, 2015.
That was the year Journey Brown gained coast-to-coast acclaim by rushing for 722 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns in a 109-90 victory over DuBois in mid-September. (More lore there).
On Oct. 23 they were playing the Oilers at the Oil Field when a 33-point second quarter propelled Oil City to another high-scoring victory -- 74-48.
McFall threw for 424 yards and eight touchdowns – seven going to Hadley, who caught a STATE RECORD 14 passes for 317. The other went to Chris Dragotta. Hadley also threw a TD pass to Cade Cochran. And McFall scored a TD on a fumble return. Oil City’s final touchdown was rather ho-hum -- a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter by Hunter Merwin.
Meadville didn’t attempt a pass. They had three guys run for 100 yards or more, including Journey who was by earlier standards a modest 21/156. Antonio Ferraro led with 17/162.
The Oilers outgained Meadville, 611-400.
At least three different guys tried to cover Hadley, including Journey at the end, but Hadley burned him once or twice. The first defender was so frustrated he was on his knees pounding the turf as Hadley blew by him. Again. I know, I was there.
✔️ Another Wrong-Way Riegels
Don't know his name. Not surprisingly neither The Derrick nor The News-Herald reported it, but a Franklin guy ran the wrong way with the ball in a 5-5 tie with Oil City on Nov. 12, 1909. The Oilers were awarded a safety as the game ended due to darkness.
Lore. If you can think of more lore – Oil City or Franklin – tell me about it, and I’ll add it here. Has to be totally unusual.