By Mike Stechschulte
The Oxford Wildcats may be 5-0 for the first time since 1999, but you certainly wouldn’t know it from talking to Bud Rowley.
‘We aren’t even thinking about it,? said the head coach when asked about the possibility of his team’s first Flint-Metro League title in eight seasons. ‘We’re taking it one game at a time, and that’s it. We’re going to enjoy this one first, and we’ll talk about (a championship) later.?
Even if Rowley doesn’t want to admit it just yet, there has been a quiet optimism lately surrounding his Wildcats. On Friday, Oxford demolished league rival Fenton (0-5, 0-4) by a score of 34-14 at Oxford Stadium. Junior quarterback Nick Tombrella completed six of ten passing attempts for 142 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers as the Wildcats looked to diversify their offensive attack, which has relied heavily on senior tailback Zach Line this season.
‘We haven’t thrown much this year, and tonight I thought we made a couple of nice catches and some nice adjustments,? said Rowley. ‘We’re trying to make a concerted effort to throw the ball a little bit more, and tonight we just took what they gave us.?
While the passing attack showed a definite confidence and improvement, Oxford also stuck to its strengths on the ground, rushing for a total of 292 yards, including 143 from Line, who also scored a touchdown in the first half. In the second half, sophomore tailback John Brooks ran for 85 yards of his own as Oxford’s second team took the field with a 34-7 halftime lead.
‘I thought they did a phenomenal job,? said Rowley of his second unit. ‘Our twos played very well, and that’s good because they work hard all week and tonight they got to play a ton’plus, they looked really good. That was about an (eight) minute drive they took up in the second half and then our defense shut them down.?
The Wildcats opened the scoring early on Line’s 21-yard touchdown run to give the team a 7-0 lead at the 6:19 mark of the first quarter. Oxford would go on to score four more times in the half, including two touchdowns each from Joel Fortier and James Nelson.
Nelson played his best statistical game of the season, making three receptions for 113 yards and two scores, including a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone on a lofted pass from Tombrella to put Oxford up 34-7 just before halftime. The senior wide receiver also caught a 56-yard pass in the first quarter for the Wildcats? second touchdown.
The defense played an exceptional game as well, limiting Fenton to just 118 yards of total offense during the contest. Senior James McLean led the way for Oxford with 11 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
The majority of the Tigers? offensive production was generated on the team’s only two scoring plays. Fenton wideout Andrew Frey caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Koresh in the first half, while senior Curtis Holden returned an Oxford fumble for a 53-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
The game marked the tenth straight time the Wildcats have beaten the Tigers, who haven’t won since a 35-28 upset in 1998. Oxford also leads the all-time series 19-7.
The team will play its next game on the road against the Brandon Blackhawks (3-2) on Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.