Two much-improved teams provided the crowd with a very entertaining game last night at Oldham County's Bell Field....

 

....Good to see both QB Tanner McCoy and WR Brandon Rose back in the North Oldham lineup. Both had good games for the Mustangs. McCoy repeatedly threw some picture-perfect throws and Rose showed why North wants to get the ball in his hands in space as much as possible. These two were big reasons why North - who went almost exclusively to the pass in the second half - rallied from a 3 point halftime deficit to take a 24-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

... Oldham County, under first-year coach Mike Fox, has made a commitment to a platoon system, with only one player - Jacob Ratliff - starting on both sides of the ball. I thought it showed up as an advantage for them last night, as the Colonels were definitely fresher and more physical in the final quarter.

...speaking of Jacob Ratliff, what a playmaker he was in the fourth. By that time, North had pretty well become one-dimensional, and although they had little trouble moving the ball through the air in the third, Oldham began to force some issues for McCoy in the fourth with pressure. The beneficiary was Ratliff, who picked off passes on back-to-back possessions - returning both for touchdowns. All of a sudden, a 24-21 game (North lead) with 6 1/2 minutes left turned into a 35-24 Oldham County advantage.

...Daniel Calderon, senior running back, and the Oldham offense was all but unstoppable to start the game. The big senior followed some strong blocking - keying on the right side - for big gains in the first period, racking up 87 rushing yards on just 8 carries, before retiring with an unspecified lower leg injury about the time they headed to the second quarter. He still led the Colonels in rushing for the game! With Calderon out, North controlled the second and third quarters, rallying from a 13-0 deficit to claim the above-mentioned 24-13 lead after three.

....Perhaps the biggest play of the game was a defensive one. With North up 24-13, the Mustangs started to put together a fourth quarter drive that could have clinched it. Logan Schultz, a backup senior running back, suddenly broke free for a 35+ yard run that appeared possibly headed for a clinching score. Trey Pervis came up from the defensive backfield and met Schultz and the two ran along together for a bit, before Pervis - while the two were still both upright and running - ripped the ball out of Schultz' hands for a "steal". Oldham turned the Mustangs' last serious offensive threat back, and got the ball at their own 5 yard line.

...Starting that drive at the five, Oldham brought out Preston Dykes to join Lucas Jones in the backfield with QB Erix Edwards. The two-back set caused North some problems, and Dykes keyed a 95 yard scoring drive, ultimately carrying the ball for the TD himself that pulled Oldham to within 24-21 with about 6 1/2 minutes to play. That set the stage for Ratliff's defensive heroics.

 

Other observations....

...Oldham QB Erix Edwards didn't get much chance to shine in the first half, going just 2 for 5 - and he opened the second half with an interception, followed by a near-interception. But he settled in, and was remarkably consistent the rest of the way (7 of 9), beating the aggressive North defense with short to intermediate throws. He finished 9 of 16 with one pick and 89 yards, and spread the ball around to five different receivers.

...North kicker/punter Adam Berry continues to impress. His punts were booming, high-hang-time monsters, and he kicked a 41 yard FG (that would have been good from at least 45) as the horn sounded to end the half, pulling North to within 13-10.

...one week after having to run for his life, and spending half the game on the bench with an injury against Western, North QB Tanner McCoy was a force. He ran for two TDs and tossed a 33 yard TD pass. Unfortunately for him, he suffered serious leg cramps in the fourth, that forced him to miss a few plays, and severely limited his mobility. Oldham took advantage with a couple of fourth quarter sacks, and, of course, the two big INTs.

...penalties, penalties, penalties. Of course, this was a county rivalry game, but Joe Gamsky of North and Mike Fox of Oldham had to be frustrated with amount of yellow linen tossed onto the field! There were six personal foul calls - three on each team - and mostly, they were the type that should have been avoided. Add on several procedure calls, delay of game, illegal shifts, offsides, holding, ad nauseum, and both teams gave up opportunities to each other that simply shouldn't have been there.

....North's loss tied the school's longest losing streak at 16, which is also currently one of the longest (third-longest??) in KY.

 

OLDHAM COUNTY - next week at home vs. 4A Collins. This will be a great challenge for the Colonels against one of the top teams in 4A.

 

NORTH OLDHAM - on the road vs. Waggener. It will be interesting to see how the Mustangs handle the Wildcats' two D1 prospects - two of the most talented individuals they will see all year. If they avoid the penalties / turnovers that plagued them against Oldham, they will have a reasonable chance to end the losing skid this week.

 

Tremendous improvement by both teams this week. Both teams maintained their composure despite points in time when the other team seemed to have the game in hand. Both made some big plays - but both will have to cut down on the mistakes to be successful down the road.

 

CM

North vs. Waggener next week....I'm watching Waggener vs. Boyle....this is an explosive Wildcat team!! ...their biggest weakness may be the low number of kids on the roster...

Impressive what the new staff @ OC has been able to do.

 

Did not think the 'culture change" would come so soon.

Hear great things.

OC has a bye next week and Collins the week after. Let's not forget that Ratliff also caught the 2 point conversion that brought them within 3

That Ratliff kid is talented, must take after his mom. :jump: