Oak Park High Schools Northmen travel to Fort Osage as teams square off this Friday in a Conference title matchup for the ages. Will the favorites win at home, or will the underdogs prove the doubters wrong and come out with the win?

Oak Park has made a statement in their 2022 campaign with their 7-1 record. The last time Oak Park put up 8 or more wins in a season was 1999, when the Northmen went 10-1, and a younger Coach Ken Clemens was cutting his teeth as an assistant coach under Coach Keith Ross. 

After coming off a dominant win over St Joe Central last week, Coach Clemens and his team look to make history on Friday. A win would secure the #1 seed in districts, as well as a the outright conference title, the Northmen’s first since…1999.

Oak Park has looked like an extremely well-rounded team though the first 8 weeks of the season. That 7-1 record for Oak Park has surprised most of the football savy in Kansas City, but it’s no surpise to the Northmen. A well-rounded backfield with a mix of speed, strength, and power has pushed Oak Park forward. There is no mistake that the 3 headed monster they tout in the backfield powered by another experienced OLine is the real deal. Rushing led by #36 ‘25 Travon Pankey has shown no signs of slowing down. Travon Pankey has 805 rushing yards on 101 attempts, averaging 7.9 yards a carry. Pankey has 9 TD’s on the year, with his longest rush being 79 yards. 

But he isn’t the only one getting touches, #1 ’23 Marlon Gant Jr and #7 ’24 Evan Braxton have had their fair share of opportunities in the ground game. Marlon Gant Jr has 242 yards on 45 carries. Averaging 5.4 yards a carry, with 9 touchdowns. Evan Braxton currently has 154 yards on 33 carries. Averaging 4.6 yards a carry and 6 TD’s. QB #2 ’24 Aidan Hinkle has also shown he can make plays in clutch situations, both in the air and on the ground. Coming up with big first downs in necessary situations. Hinkle has had 565 yards in the air, completing 60% of his passes, and throwing for 6 TD’s and 3 INT’s. Hinkle had been known to go to his best wide receiver #8 ’23 Xavier Williams when he needs to. Xavier Williams has 20 rec for 369, averaging 18.5 yards a catch, and 3 Receiving TD’s on the season.

On the other side, Fort Osage has had a grinder of a schedule this year, posting a 6-2 record proves that they will be a formidable foe. Fort Osage is led by QB Greg Menne, who has completed 56 % of his passes on 75 attempts, throwing 7 TD’s and 3 INTs, and getting looks from notable D2 programs around the area. #22 Ryver Peppers, a sophomore, leads the Indians in rushing with 500 yards on 76 carries and 9 TD’s. Fort Osage has yet another tough defense that should be a good battle for the Northmen, giving up just 17 PPG and only allowing 261 yards a game.