This season, for the Northmen, is full of excitement, there are lot of experienced seniors and young players who could leave their stamp on the program in 2019.

There have been a lot of difficult seasons leading up to last year when the Northmen recorded the most wins in a season since 2008. This is year 3 for Coach Ken Clemens & the new coaching staff, and they are working hard on building a winning culture to returning this program back to where it was in the late 90's early 2000's. 

It's business as usual for the Northmen, as they start their season off on the road against Platte County a team that the Northmen are 0-5 against all time.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

The Pirates always have a good offense and are consistently disciplined, and in 2018, they were the only team to shutout the Northmen.  You would figure the players and coaching staff really want this win, however when Oak Park head coach Ken Clemens was asked what getting this first-ever win against Platte County would mean he simply responded:

"Every win is an important one".

The Pirates always seem to find good quarterbacks, and this year is no different.  It's an important piece to have in their spread offense. The Northmen are going to have to be disciplined on defense and limit the critical errors to force the Pirates into mistakes. 

On offense, for the Northmen, it's all about the running game, and getting Phil Corbin and Najib Alhakeem off to fast starts. Blake Bland will have to be on top of his game to keep the whole offense together and hit his targets downfield if Oak Park wants to keep the Pirates defense guessing.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

On the Pirate's side, they have a strong offensive line Wyett Wallingford is a (6'5 290) senior tackle and Suburban All-Conference offensive linemen Trey Butcher is a (6'3 265) junior guard and 2-year varsity starter they make up the bulk of the O-line. 

This will be Junior quarterback Chris Ruhnke first year starting for the Pirate varsity, however he has Junior running back Cayden Davis, who had 333 yards last year and 3 touchdowns as a sophomore, to share the load.

Collin Tyson is a Junior DB he recorded 30 total tackles last year with 2 interceptions to go along with them, Senior Garret Wilson is one of their best, and only seniors on defense as he recorded 64 total tackles ( 3 TFL) just a season ago.

For the Northmen, Phil Corbin and Najib Alhakeem are both players who can change a game as soon as they step on the field.  That backfield is deep for Oak Park, including '21 Ardrace Hughes, '22 KeAndra Braxton, and '22 Adriano Garcia, all performing well in the jamboree.  No matter who gets the ball, it's hard to ignore the elephant in the room...or elephants. You can not overlook the Oak Park offensive line, in fact it's kind of hard to.  '21 Michael Larson (6'3" 275), '21 Jackson White (6'3" 285), '20 Garrett Waddell (5'11" 295), '20 Desmond Lamb (6'0" 295), and '20 Ryan Woodson (6'3" 285) with '20 Curtis Lee-Wertz (6'5" 320) and '20 Taylor Vincent Buenaflor (6'0" 265) waiting in the wings. Every back in the city would drool to get behind those bodies, and the Northmen backfield will be sure to take every opportunity.  

The defense is littered with returning starters for the Northmen, including four-year starter '20 Colton Tisthammer, team MVP on defense last year, and nearing the 300 tackle mark in his career with the Northmen. he will play a big role in getting the defense lined up, and stopping the Pirate run game.

THE TAKEAWAY

This is a good opportunity for the Northmen. Platte County begins the year at #4 in class 4 as well as #18 in Kansas City (810 Varsity).  The Pirates look young on paper, with not much experience at the skill positions. Oak Park will have to make sure they limit mistakes and take advantage of any miscues from Platte County.