Six turnovers, including two that led to 10 second-half points, doomed the Oxford Wildcats last week against Flint Metro League rival Lapeer West.
West beat Oxford, 10-7, for the fourth consecutive year, which dropped the Cats to 2-1 in the Flint Metro League.
Coach Bud Rowley said his squad just committed too many turnovers.
‘We made too many mistakes and they capitalized on them,? he said. ‘They beat us for the fourth year in a row. We have to go back to the drawing board.?
Both of West’s scores followed Oxford’s offensive miscues.
The Panther’s first score came on a recovered fumble in the end zone while the winning points came on a 22-yard field goal, which followed a turnover on Oxford’s 13 yard line.
The winning score came with 6:07 left in the game.
Good punts pinned the Cats deep into their own zones each time before the fumbles.
The Wildcats? starting defensive squad played very well, holding West to 86 yards in total offense for the game.
The starting defensive unit for the Wildcats has not allowed a touchdown in three league games this season.
The only touchdown scored in a league game against the defense was in the Clio contest and came against a second unit late in the game.
Oxford’s TD came on a sharp 80-yard drive that midway through the second quarter.
The Cats ran quarterback options very effectively in the drive before Joel Fortier ran the final four years with 6:58 left before halftime.
Don Pohl kicked the conversion and the Wildcats held a 7-0 lead.
The Cats? offense struggled following the score, netting less than 20 yards rushing in the second half after piling up 103 in the first half.
Vinnie Ives had 41 yards rushing in the first half, which Nick Collier netted 33.
This Friday, the Cats will travel to Fenton for a 6:55 p.m. game