Nothing has come easy for Coach Bud Rowley’s Wildcats this season.
Each one of the team’s four victories this year has been a nail-biter and the 13-10 homecoming win over Lapeer East on Friday was just another one in the string.
Three of the four victories have been by three points and the fourth was by a touchdown. One of the losses was by three points, also.
Rowley said he was especially proud of the way the team came back from a 10-0 deficit in the game to shut out East for the final three quarters and score 13 unanswered points.
‘The kids played their butts off. Hat’s off to them and to the homecoming crowd,? Rowley said.
The Eagles? scoring came on a 32-yard field goal with 5:12 left in the first quarter and then on an 18-yard pass with 1:57 left in the opening quarter.
Matt Versteeg, whose accurate kicks have been the difference in three of the Wildcat’s victories this season, hit a 28-yard field goal with 3:02 left before halftime, to cut the Eagles? advantage to 10-3.
Prescott Line scored Oxford’s only TD with 4:16 left in the third quarter. Versteeg’s extra point tied the score at 10.
It appeared the game could be headed to overtime until Matt Economou intercepted a pass and returned it to the Lapeer East 30 yard line with less than five minutes remaining.
Neil Maskill then picked up 12 yards to the East 17 yard line.
When, the drive stalled, Versteeg was again called upon. He responded with a 28-yard-field goal with 3:38 remaining.
Oxford had 228 rushing yards and no passing yardage. East had 189 total yards of offense.
Maskill had 103 yards rushing. Quarterback Zac Miller had 40 yards and Gabe Grifka had 45 yards rushing.
Gary Wurtz and Prescott Line led the defense. Wurtz had 18 tackles and Line had 16. Luke Blose also chipped in with an interception to halt a Lapeer East drive in the first half.
The Wildcats will travel to Swartz Creek on Friday for a 7 p.m. game.