Football 10/1/2021 9:51:00 AM N2Sports Staff

Homecoming 2021

Big game on the big stage for the Oak Park Northmen as they host St. Joe for the 2021 homecoming game. This will be a game that the Northmen are hoping will be a turning point to get them some momentum for the fast-approaching district playoffs. The Northmen still have some favorable matchups left on the schedule as we hit the midpoint of the regular season.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CENTRAL

The Indians have started the season 1-4 with many close games going the other way, similar to the Northmen. Both teams are looking to improve their record to 2-4 after Friday's game. Central is coming off of an offensive battle against Lafayette, winning the game with a final score of 63-56 in OT.

History has not been kind to Central in this matchup, as Oak Park has dominated the series going 25-7 against the Indians since 1977.

The Northmen last game against Park Hill South was a very hard-fought and great game overall. The Northmen showed that they can fight and stay in the game for all 4 quarters, even against some of the best teams in the area.

Things are really looking up for these Northmen, while we are 1-4 the Northmen are a much better team than the record shows, and are looking to win out the rest of the season.

THE OFFENSE

The running game was a vital focus for the Northmen last week. Versus a good Park Hill South team, '23 Marlon Gant Jr. 78 receiving yds on 5 receptions, and '22 KeAndre Braxton poured in 60 rushing yds on 15 carries. '22 Ty Clemens connected with 4 different receivers and added 170 yds through the air, Keep an eye on '22 Ian Risner , '23 Sharo Mahdi '23 Wyatt, '24 Logan Westling, and '25 Jalen Williams to hold their ground and give '22 Ty Clemens lots of time to get the ball out and score.

This Offense is starting to get in a groove and the Northmen are poised to up their play this coming week. The Indians have practice vs good offenses all year, and have gotten better week by week.

THE DEFENSE

Park Hill South came into last week's game knowing the Northmen have had trouble against the run. Allowing 252 rushing yds just last week for the Northmen, The Panthers focused on keeping the ball on the ground for the game. '22 Jermaine Harris (5 TKL vs PHS) and the newly staffed defensive line will bring a new look to the defense at just the right time. '23 Karl Knaak poured in 7 total tackles leading their defense while missing two key players in '22 Jett Sutton, '22 Paul Hernandez were missing due too injuries.

As the defense gets healthy, the experience these players are getting only help this Northmen defense succeed in the next coming week.

The Indians primary offensive threat is their passing game, meaning the Oak Parks secondary will need to be on alert at all times to keep this Central team in check and off the board early. The Northmen will need their play makers to step up this week to not let Central get any easy yards downfield. This puts a lot of pressure on guys like '22 Adriano Garcia, '22 Shaun Hauser, '22 Jett Sutton and '22 Ty Clemens '24 Aiden Hinkle to stay aggressive in coverage and focus on their keys.

This is going to be a fun battle between two good teams in a similar situation. The Northmen seem to be fully in control of their destiny and with the weather shifting and the temperature dropping, and the chance for some weather, we are sure to get a good one this Friday night.

St. Joe Central vs. Oak Park Northmen
Kickoff: 7:00 pm

Stream and Live Stats Provided by N2Sports at:
https://GoNorthmen.org/watch

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Players Mentioned

#20 KeAndre Braxton: RB/DB; 5' 8"; Senior

#11 Ty Clemens: QB/DB; 6' 3"; Senior

#1 Marlon Gant Jr.: RB/DB; 5' 9"; Junior

#24 Adriano Garcia: RB/DB; 5' 9"; Senior

#58 Jermaine Harris: OL/DL; 6' 3"; Senior

#3 Paul Hernandez: RB/LB; 5' 10"; Senior

#10 Karl Knaak: QB/LB; 6' 2"; Junior

#55 Sharo Mahdi: OL/DL; 6' 2"; Junior

#63 Ian Risner: OL/DL; 6' 2"; Senior

#33 Jett Sutton: WR/DB; 6' 0"; Senior

#2 Aiden Hinkle: WR/DB; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#74 Logan Westling: OL/DL; 6' 3"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#20 KeAndre Braxton
: 5' 8"; Senior
: RB/DB

#11 Ty Clemens
: 6' 3"; Senior
: QB/DB

#1 Marlon Gant Jr.
: 5' 9"; Junior
: RB/DB

#24 Adriano Garcia
: 5' 9"; Senior
: RB/DB

#58 Jermaine Harris
: 6' 3"; Senior
: OL/DL

#3 Paul Hernandez
: 5' 10"; Senior
: RB/LB

#10 Karl Knaak
: 6' 2"; Junior
: QB/LB

#55 Sharo Mahdi
: 6' 2"; Junior
: OL/DL

#63 Ian Risner
: 6' 2"; Senior
: OL/DL

#33 Jett Sutton
: 6' 0"; Senior
: WR/DB

#2 Aiden Hinkle
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: WR/DB

#74 Logan Westling
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: OL/DL

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CENTRAL

THE OFFENSE

THE DEFENSE

St. Joe Central vs. Oak Park Northmen Kickoff: 7:00 pm Stream and Live Stats Provided by N2Sports at: https://GoNorthmen.org/watch

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

St. Joe Central vs. Oak Park Northmen
Kickoff: 7:00 pm

Stream and Live Stats Provided by N2Sports at:
https://GoNorthmen.org/watch