If you missed all the action at Ruskin High School last Friday night then you really missed out on a statement win by the Northmen.  Oak Park needed to come out and show that this year's team is much improved over years past, and they did just that.

The Northmen came out on top of this matchup in 2018 winning 20-14, hosting the Eagles at the DAC.  2019 will be a memorable one for the Northmen, as they battled Ruskin in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Imelda.  Oak Park can also claim the largest margin of victory ever vs Ruskin, outscoring the Eagles 37-0 and claiming the Northmen's second shutout of the season.

The Oak Park Offense got off to a hot start in the first quarter with Logan Willmann showing off his athleticism with a 35-yard touchdown run. The defense also made themselves known early with a safety forced by Jeffrey Banks. 

The second quarter was more of the same. Najib Alhakeem had his biggest play of the year on a 63-yard touchdown run behind a wall of white jerseys. Blake Bland picked up his 5th touchdown pass of the year, once again to Logan Willmann. The defense would hold strong throughout the 1st Half and came out on fire int the second half creating 2 take-aways.  '20 LB Phil Corbin had a forced fumble, and Isaac Cerv came down with his first interception of the year. Late in the third-quarter, '21 WR Logan Willmann found the endzone for his third touchdown of the game. '22 RB KeAndre Braxton earned his first varsity touchdown on a 4 yard run behind a great goal-line block from '21 OL Jackson White.

The Takeaways:

Let's talk offense first.  We thought the Northmen were gonna come out and show some more passing looks to get the QB and WR's back in sync, and that's exactly what they did. Even with the weather, Blake Bland had a much-improved night, finishing with 6 of 14 attempts with 51 yards, 1 TD and 0 INTs. We saw our first look at '22 QB Ty Clemens, who took some snaps late in the 4th Q and had a hot arm, zipping a pass into a tight window near the Oak Park sideline. 

The running game was once again on fire all night, lead by Najib Alhakeem 6 carries for 75 yards and a TD, and Phil Corbin's 5 carries for 47 yards.  Braxton was given 7 opportunities late in the game and turned them into 64 yards and 1 TD. Logan Willmann also had a good night in the stat book and is providing that change of pace that this Northmen team needs when he is firing on all cylinders.  

Now for that Defense! The Northmen defense has picked up the pace a bit since that disappointing week 1 loss to what is looking like a Class 4 State caliber Platte County team.  The Northmen have only allowed one touchdown (Raytown) since, but it's not just the shutouts that are impressive. What is most impressive, is watching how this defense is stopping these teams.  We predicted that the Oak Park D-Line would have a game this week and that they did. The Northmen boasted 10 TFL last week, 2 from '20 LB Colton Tisthammer, 2 from '22 DL Jermaine Harris and 2 from '20 LB Jeffrey Banks.  Add the fumble forced by Phil Corbin, an interception by Issac Cerv, and the special teams unit dialed up a blocked punt. The Northmen defense allowed the Ruskin offense only 69 total yards.
 

Up Next:

No doubt that the Oak Park fans were treated to a great night of football, regardless of the weather.   Oak Park goes 3-1 on the year and is 3-0 in conference play. The Northmen travel to the new facilities at Fort Osage High School and face a 1-3 and conference opponent Fort Osage, who will provide a great test for our Northmen on Friday, September 27th, Kickoff @ 7:00 pm.  Don't let their record fool you, Fort Osage is a well-coached team who has faced some tough competition this season, and this is a tough place to play for any opponent. We'll need the support of all of the Oak Park Family for this road trip and help our team bring home another win.