Jr. Cats give blue turf a workout

Football madness descended on Wildcat stadium Sunday as Oxford Jr. Wildcat squads spent the entire day squaring off against two local rivals on the new blue turf.
Overall, the Jr. Wildcats split the day, winning two games against Lake Orion Dragons and losing two against the Clarkston Chiefs.
Oxford’s freshman gold team beat Lake Orion 19-12, while the JV gold team stomped the Dragons 26-6.
The Jr. Wildcats freshman blue team was routed by Clarkston 34-0, while the JV blue team lost a close one to the Chiefs, 14-12.
The freshman teams are composed of 8-9-year-old kids, while the JV teams consist of 10 and 11-year-olds.
‘I know all the players were excited to be on the blue turf,? said Jeff Miller, commissioner of the Oxford Jr. Wildcats. ‘It is a great surface to play football on. In the 10-year history of our program we have practiced and played on everything from church fields to baseball outfields. We are very fortunate to have access to the high school field.?
Miller noted that many Jr. Wildcat families were enthusiastic contributors to the turf.
‘We had a very heavy rain on Friday night and the old field would not have handled that very well,? he added. ‘The sidelines would have typically been a swamp. The turf field handled it with no problem and the footing was consistent throughout.
‘The only drawback for early season games is the turf does retain some heat, so our early afternoon games were quite warm down there.? ? Editor C.J. Carnacchio