The Oxford Wildcats took a huge step toward challenging for the Flint Metro League title with a 21-14 win over nemesis Lapeer West last week.
The Cats has not beaten the Panthers in four years and Coach Bud Rowley said the victory was important for the team to believe in one another. The win improved Oxford’s record to 4-0 and 3-0 in the Metro League.
‘That’s how you learn, ‘Rowley told his team. ‘Now it’s one week at a time. It was an important win for this team to believe in themselves.?
For the third consecutive week Oxford used its Zach attack to stun its opponent. . Senior running back Zach Line ran 38 times for 265 yards and all three touchdowns. It was the third consecutive week that Line has rushed for more than 200 yards.
Oxford jumped to a 1?4-0 halftime lead with Line scoring TDs on runs of five and six yards. One the second TD, Oxford QB Nick Tombrella passed to Joel Fortier for a two-point conversion.
West came back to tie the game, first by scoring late in the third quarter and then getting its second touchdown with 4:40 left in the third quarter.
After a strong kickoff return by Fortier to move the ball to Oxford’s 40, Line took over, carrying his team to the winning TD by rushing for all 60 yards on the drive. The final play on the drive was a 28-yard run.
Don Pohl kicked the conversion and Oxford went ahead for good with only 1:45 left in the game.
The Cats finished with 317 total yards, with 313 of those on the ground.
Oxford will host Fenton on Friday at 7 p.m.