The Oak Park Northmen have gotten off to a slow start so far in the 2020 season starting off 0-2, with back to back losses to Lee's Summit and Grain Valley.  They will be looking to bounce back against the Truman Patriots in a good match up between two evenly matched teams. 

Oak Park Run Game 

This is an intriguing factor because there's something that the Northmen have never had in my time here, and it's shaping up to be a three headed monster in the backfield.

I am very interested to see how the Northmen options evolve in the run game with '22 Adriano Garcia and '23 Marlon Gant Jr.. Garcia had a great game last week against Grain Valley with 50 yards on 6 carries, establishing himself as a solid number two back, which will definitely help the Northmen as this season progresses.

What I like the most about this situation is the versatility of these two backs when you add '22 KeAndre Braxton.  You have three guys with three completely different styles. Garcia is a 150lb slasher with a quick burst, Braxton is just now starting to figure out how to use his 195lb as a bruiser with some patience to allow things to develop and top end if he get loose, and Gant is being used as a gadget player and with great vision and a very deceptive speed; getting the ball to him in space is important for the Northmen.

The versatility of the Oak Park Running Corp may not bode well for the Patriots. In two weeks, Truman's run defense has struggled, giving up 276 yards on the ground against Winnatonka and 184 against Grandview. 

Oak Park Run Defense  

I spent the last paragraph talking about how the Patriots struggle against the run but let's be honest the Northmen aren't exactly sitting pretty there either. You would feel that the confidence in this group is waning a bit after giving up 288 yards on the ground against Lee's Summit and 316 against Grain Valley, but what you don't see in these stats is that most of these yards have come in the 3rd Quarter for the Northmen.  Oak Park has been almost perfect in the 1st half of football on defense both weeks, can this be the week the Northmen D pitches a complete game?

There have definitely been some bright spots on that defense regardless of the 3rd quarter  execution. Guys like '21 Nic Hoops, '22 Jett Sutton, and '22 Paul Hernandez have been dominating the stat charts with 50 combined tackles in 2 weeks.  The question on this team isn't the talent, it is consistency. Truman could prove to be a stressful match-up tonight, they are well coached, and have a few match-ups that could give them fits, what a great opportunity for the Northmen to earn some confidence.  The weather will also be a factor tonight on both sides of the ball, turnovers will make or break both teams.

Oak Park Linebackers

This is one of the biggest storylines and question-marks for this 2020 team. With the change of scheme, you are seeing players like '22 Jett Sutton, '21 Ardrace Hughes, and '21 Ka'Von Jackson more involved in the run game. Guys such as '21 Kage Diehl, Nic Hoops and '22 Paul Hernandez, have brought a new energy and experience to that roll at those LB spots with a willingness to stick their nose in the scrum of things to lay some hits, and it has really translated well on the stat sheet. Can these guys help keep the Northmen Defense energized for 4 quarters?

This is going to be a fun battle between two good teams in a similar situation, and both teams will be fighting to get their 1st win of the season.  Throw in some questionable weather, and we might have the makings of an instant classic on Friday Night at the DAC.

Oak Park High School Northmen vs Truman Patriots

Kickoff: 7:00pm