The 2004 season opened on the new turf of Klein Memorial Stadium with a new attitude, new district, new classification and a new schedule, taking up where Oak was last seen in 2003, playing the neighbor Collins.  The Panthers scored 26 points but alas, the Tigers scored 41.  It was a game of offense with the Panthers accumulating over 400 yards, scoring twice passing and twice running.  The defense started out great with a fumble recovery leading to an Oak score in the opening minute of the game.  Collins kept their composure, came back to score on a long run within 30 seconds and never looked back, running the option with mid-season efficiency.  While Collins stuck to the option ground game, Oak worked on a balanced attack that will serve the team well as the season progresses.  The speed of Collins was formidable and the lessons learned from this game will no doubt be dissected by the coaches and brought home to the players as they prepare for the next non-district game against Oak Ridge at Morehead stadium in Conroe next Friday night.

GAME NARRATIVE8

After the introductions of a fantastic group of Senior Night parents, loved ones and kids (make sure you keep the tremendous insert from the game program), the team was led onto the field by Captains Casey Wright, Chris Powell, Scott Sacchieri and Matt Hunter.  Matt Smith kicked off to Collins who coughed up the ball on their third play of the night to Greg Carlson.  The offense came out on the field where the line of Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva and Captain Sacchieri formed the pocket for an airstrike to Bryce Hudman for a 29 yard Touchdown completion with 11:16 showing on the clock.  What a start!  Credit Collins for recognizing that it is a long game in a long season and unleashing a two play, 60 yard blitzkrieg ground game.  Oak took the kick-off and stalled after moving for one first down.  Collins proceeded to mount a ten play drive converting on the first of four 4^th down situations that haunted Oak all night.  The score was thus 6 – 14 at 5:26 in the first quarter.  Oak stalled, suffered a special teams breakdown and gave the ball back to Collins on the Oak 28.  The defense rose up with a huge sack by Steph Davidson, Chris Holt and Carlson to push the Tigers back to the 40 but the speed was too much as Collins scored with 2:05 remaining.  After a Kevin Cravey return of the kickoff to the 26, Oak ran six plays to near the 50 when the first quarter ended, 6 – 21.

The second quarter opened in contrast to the first quarter with Oak suffering the second of five sacks on the night leading to a punt that was returned very hurriedly past the wrong goal line.  10:57 in the second quarter, score 6 – 28. Oak, showing resolve of a special kind, promptly hit the big play, a 77 yard strike to sophomore Louie Black who showed some speed of his own outrunning the secondary for the score with a block by Woody Smith that provided the running room. 10:07 in the second quarter, 12 – 28.  The defense rose up with tackles by Hunter, Holt, Carlson and sophomore Bart Dear (playing for all-District Matt Nolan, out sick) when Josh Howell recovered a fumble to stop Collins in the red zone.  Hudman proceeded to rumble 45 yards when a series of penalties and incompletions hurt the Oak effort.  Collins began a drive that once again ended with another fumble recovery by Josh Howell.  Unfortunately, Oak gave the ball back to Collins on the next play.  The Tigers scrambled and ran a nifty reverse to score at 2:18, 12 – 34.  Captain Wright had a great return of 42 yards on the kick-off but Oak then had the dreaded “3 and out” even with a great 7 yard run by Dustin Conant.  Collins was pinned by a fantastic 53 yard punt by Matt Smith at their own 1 yard line.

The Strutters and Band took the field with a great show.  The Strutters did a routine to “Main Street America” while the Band rock n’ rolled to Journey and AC/DC under the direction of Drum Majors Chris Jones and Curtis Porter (not Chris Porter as reported by the PA announcer.)

The second half opened up with the Panthers showing some composure of their own, taking the kick-off on a 14 play drive and sticking the ball in the end zone on a 14 yard reverse by Leon Thompson. Woody Smith provided a key block that was really more like hand-to-hand combat fighting off a Collins DB while giving away at least 4 inches and 25 pounds.  Runs in the drive were provided by Trey Richmond with an especially sweet 15 yard jaunt into the red zone.  The O-line, including tight ends Chris Boren and Chris Radtke, was rumbling, providing blocking up the middle for the touchdown drive accomplished solely on the ground after the earlier two passing touchdowns that made it 20 – 34 at 7:16 in the 3^rd quarter.  Oak was within two scores with plenty of time left!  Collins pulled a good return on the kick-off and then proceeded left and right down the field in spite of numerous hits in the backfield by the Oak defenders.  Holt, Dear, Sidney Williams, Seth Petross, Sherrod Ceaser and Brendan Asher made some nice tackles and Captain Wright knocked down a long Tiger pass but the dreaded 4^th down conversion hurt.  Oak bit on the signal bark on 4^th and 3 and later gave up a 4^th and 4 option pitch for a touchdown.  20 – 41 at 2:04, 3^rd Quarter.  Hudman, tired of watching the kick-offs sail over his head (Collins kicker will be kicking for the University of Houston next year), took the ball 5 yards deep and carried it out to the 30.  Hudman and Richmond had some nice runs before a well-timed Collins blitz forced a 2^nd and 20. 

The 4^th quarter started when Louie Black  caught another pass giving him 108 yards on the evening but two incompletions stopped the drive on the 32 yard line.  Collins was roughed up by Carlson and Davidson forcing a punt that Wright returned 20 yards, negated by a block in the back called behind his run (go figure?).  Richmond then put on a show running up the middle for some nice gains and throwing a great block to free Hudman for a 21 yard sweep.  The next play, the ball got away from our mighty Oak team landing in the Tiger paws.  Fatigue set in for the Panthers as several golden opportunities for losses were shed by the strong Collins runners.  The defense held on a 4^th and 13 to give the ball back to the offense for one last push with 4:13 left in the game.  Running a no-huddle offense with Hudman left, Hudman right, a drive started to form.  A  pass completion to Thompson and more Hudman worked wonders as the Panthers showed some good conditioning by moving 56 yards before Villanueva led Hudman into the end zone from the 2 yard line at 1:34 remaining.  That gave Hudman a touchdown in the air and one the ground finishing him with 120 yards on 13 carries. The game ended with Collins taking a knee at 26 – 41. 

The Oak stats are impressive.  The passing game earned 149 yards in the air on seven completions in 17 attempts with no interceptions by the Drum Major’s brother, David Porter.  #4 Porter also managed 111 yards on 10 carries before having 32 yards deducted for the times spent involuntarily behind the line on passing plays that will work better next time.  For the Offense, 6 yards per carry and 20 yards per pass are building blocks for the season.  The Defense and Special Teams know the task at hand and will fix the glitches and further shine the bright spots (three fumble recoveries and several deep pass knockdowns).  It’s a long season and these first three games are for learning.

Our Klein Oak High School (KOHS) Panthers put its season record on the winning side, 2-1, winning a hard fought ground battle against The Klein High School (TKHS) Bearkats.  Casey Wright, again, had the big play with a 100-yd kick-off return that stole the hope out of TKHS.  The defensive line, again giving up more than a few pounds to the massive TKHS line, chased the Bearkat backs all over the new logo on the turf of Klein Memorial Stadium.  The offensive line, again showed how teamwork opens up lanes for the Oak running game, gaining over 250 yards.  Klein Oak, again out enrolled 2 to 1, rolled to victory.  Now the old opponents pass and the new begins with a visit up the road to Willis next Friday night in the first 18 – 4A district game.

GAME NARRATIVE

It was 90 degrees when TKHS kicked off to KOHS.  With the sun to their right, the Panthers started sluggishly with a missed pass and a stymied try up the middle yielding a third and twelve.  The 2004 Panthers view third and long as an opportunity and promptly hit the roll-out pass to Louie Black for a 13 yard gain.  Bryce Hudman busted through the middle for a 19 yard romp before the 35^th pass of the season was picked off by TKHS.  The defense had to come out and needed time to adjust to the size of the Bearkat line (keep an eye on their junior tackle, Chris Stewart, 6’5” 320 lbs, he can dunk a basketball and more importantly is a great kid. He’ll be playing on Sunday afternoons in a few years).  The Panthers yielded the yards on a pass to the 6’ 7” TKHS tight-end before the Bearkats pushed the ball into the end-zone to open, 0 - 7 at 6:10.  Seventeen seconds later the score was 7 – 7 and TKHS knew this was a ballgame.  To start the seventeen seconds, the TKHS kick-off went high and to the Wright.  Casey settled under the ball on the  goal line and surged forward gaining speed with each stride.  Matthew Hetmaniak, Chris Radtke, Kenneth Hampton, Josh Howell, Seth Petross, Brad Dear and others (blasted yellow number on white jersey!!) opened a lane that Casey spent very little time admiring.  He broke the ankles of the next Bearkat he encountered (for older readers, that means he juked ‘em) and then made a great decision when he chose to race the last defender down the sideline instead of taking the cut-back to the middle.  Casey won, Kyle Whitmore converted, 7 – 7, game started over, 5:53.  Oak kicked off to TKHS and the defense adjusted.  (JV football player and band member, Kevin Baker, also saw the need for an adjustment, sending his father over to help the Drum Major’s father with the spotting of the blasted yellow number on white jersey.)  The Bearkats made a few yards before they got Steph’d for a 4 yard loss and stuffed for one yard by Chris Powell and Greg Carlson.  While TKHS did complete the third and long, the Defense was beginning the adjustment. Chris Holt and Steph Davidson dropped the Bearkat for a 7 yard loss before Powell and Carlson stopped a run for no gain.  A penalty pushed TKHS back and opportunity arose.  A pass over the middle was picked off, second of the year, by Casey Wright.  The offense gratefully came on the field, let Hudman gain 13 yards in two plays before the quarter ended, game tied 7 – 7.

The second quarter began with a first and ten for Oak on the Oak 29 yard line.  Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva, Scott Sacchieri and Chris Boren put on a clinic, opening holes for a 6 yarder by Porter, a fantastic 32 yarder by the Oak workhorse Dustin Conant followed by a 19 yarder by Porter.  A quick pass to Louie Black kept the Bearkat defense off-balance before the Oak workhorse, Conant knocked out the hard yards to the three yard line.  Porter got the six but the O-line gets the credit for the TD over the left side to make it 13 – 7, 9:20.  The Bearkats went no where on the kick-off when Seth Petross showed some hustle dropping the returner on the 23 yard-line.  The defense put up a “3 and out” when Carlson, Howell, Matt Hunter and Eric Wachel stopped TKHS forcing a punt.  The “out” didn’t last long when the punt was mishandled and the defense came back on the field.  Hunter continued his night of long chases harassing the Bearkat QB into a hurried incompletion and a sack with help from Josh Wilke and Wachel.  The Bearkats persevered and managed a long run for the score, 13 – 14, 6:11.  The rest of the quarter was about missed opportunities.  Oak took the kick-off on the 40, missed some passes, gained a few yards on the ground but couldn’t push the ball down the field.  Porter punched his punt inside the 20 and the Defense hit ‘em in the mouth.  Wilke and Kevin Cravey had some ferocious hits prompting a fumble recovered by Sherrod Ceasar on the TKHS 30.  Hudman gave the Oak crowd hope with a 14 yard gain.  A missed pass didn’t matter as a 9 yard gain down the middle by Porter and a 2 yard plunge by Hudman set up a first and goal at the five.  For the first time this year, the Oak offense did not score while in the red zone. Lost opportunity and the half ended, 13 – 14.

While the Bearkadettes celebrated and celebrated and celebrated their Senior night, the Oak crowd enjoyed reading the scoreboard scrolling announcement of the Class of 2005 National Merit Scholars Semi-finalists: orchestra members Michelle Ting and Suzette Toombs, Math Club member Susan Koons and the Quarterback’s brother Curtis Porter.   This remarkable Oak senior class has four Commended Scholars and four Semi-finalists; all eight will be honored at the Saturday, October 23, Caney Creek game.  Eight nationally recognized scholars out of a class of 375 is an incredible ratio and the inside scoop is that there are more announcements to come!  Congratulations to a hardworking bunch of great kids.

The Oak defense understandably drank too much water at halftime and started the third quarter listlessly.  A little sweating when TKHS drove into the Oak side of the field worked wonders as Carlson, Hunter and Andrew Lester began a long series of chases that pushed the Bearkats back.  Cravey put a stop to the nonsense with another great hit on a reverse to shut down TKHS on a 4^th down.  The Oak offense, perturbed by the 2^nd quarter events, went to work.  Starting at the Oak 27, a series of Hudman and Porter runs with throws to Trey Richmond and Hudman pushed the ball to the 50.  On a 4^th and inches, Davis and Brown collapsed the right side, and Hudman pancaked all 235 pounds of the defensive end to create a lane for Porter.  With a nice YAC (yards after contact) effort, Porter broke off a 15 yard run to the 35.  Hudman and Richmond asked Davis and Brown for the same help and the ball moved to the 9 yard line.  A penalty pushed Oak back to the 24 where the Oak workhorse showed up and Conant picked up 14 yards.  Hudman took the next two snaps making it into the endzone from the 3.  Not to be left out, Villanueva and Sacchieri showed how backside blocking is performed opening up the cutback run for Porter to get the 2 point conversion.  A 77 yard, 16 play drive happens because of discipline and desire such as the downfield blocking by Woody Smith, Leon Thompson and Trey Richmond.  1:58, 21 – 14.  Oak kicked off with Wachel nailing the returner at the 27.  Brendan Asher took on the load that is the TKHS 265 pound tight end with a tough tackle and Matt Hunter showed tremendous hustle catching the slippery Bearkat back on a long run.   Bart Dear stopped another run as the quarter ended, 21 – 14.

The 4^th quarter opened with the Oak crowd jammin’ to “La Bamba”, awesome trumpet solo by Casey Cox and cow bell rhythm by Rob Pasche.  Ceasar knocked down a pass and came up to make a great hit, Wright made a nice tackle and the band broke into “Tequila”.  It was time to rock as Hunter and Carlson pursued the QB into a huge loss on 4^th down, the Oak band and crowd with a noise assist.  The Oak offense went for the big play with a long pass broken up by a Bearkat defender who “accidentally” fell down in front of Leon Thompson, no flag.  Time to punt.  TKHS put on a huge rush and got into punter Porter’s face.  The Drum Major’s brother had to decide on run, pooch kick or take the third less obvious choice and kick the ball with full leg strength and make that poor Bearkat pay.  ‘C’ was the correct answer as the ball came off the defender, flew 27 yards out of the back of the end zone yielding 2 points for the Bearkats, the best possible outcome of a bad situation for Oak.  Porter then promptly punched the ball 25 yards in the air and 27 yards along the ground to set up TKHS at their 28, another best possible outcome.  TKHS got sneaky with the QB up the middle and eventually got into the redzone before Cravey made yet another huge tackle.  Bart Dear came up with a great tackle when Matt Hunter validated the numerous 40’s run during practice with a relentless chase around the field to sack the TKHS drive.  With Hunter’s play, the Oak crowd was standing and shaking the bleachers.  With 2:59 left, the Offense needed a first down or two to ice the game.  Better yet, why not have Porter and Hudman break off a series of runs culminating with a 36 yard Porter sprint to the 4?  Works great and there you can show great sportsmanship, take a knee and start celebrating.

Another team win by the Panthers!  This game was about effort and overcoming the bad breaks on a hot night with a big, strong opponent.  The statistics tell a team story.  Porter with 106 yards rushing and one TD, 42 yards passing.  Hudman with 86 yards and one TD.  Conant with another night of tough yards gaining 51 and Richmond getting 15 when they were really needed and catching a nice pass for 14 more.  Louie Black, Chris Powell and Bryce also caught passes.  Of course, Mr. Wright contributed with a 100 yard TD return to put the “Special” in Special Teams and added a key interception.  The Defense battled to stop the Bearkats passing game and limit their strong running game.  A great win to prepare for the seven game district season and the drive for the playoffs.

You would expect a Panther – Wildkat battle to be a claw-scratchin’, hair-pullin’, fang-barin’ affair and the 2004 Oak versus Willis game met all expectations.  Oak 28, Willis 24 in the most physical game of the year.  The first district game for Oak as the new kid in district 18 – 4A left the fans exhausted, elated and enthusiastic for things to come.  The offense showed a new familiar twist by busting out the single-wing, the defense showed its heart and desire by gutting out an explosive opponent and the special teams played its most consistent game of the year.  The Wildkats went ahead by a field goal with 4:48 left to play and Oak had ‘em where they wanted ‘em, driving down the field 62 yards to score the winning touchdown with 1:52 left.  The defense held, the fans exhaled and everyone headed south down I-45 looking forward to next Thursday’s game against New Caney at Klein Memorial Stadium.

GAME NARRATIVE

The Boy Scouts raised the flag at Herton A. Yates Stadium into a stiff northern breeze that blessedly contained no vestiges of Tropical Storm Ivan.  Oak took the opening kick-off at their own 28 moving with the breeze.  The enthusiasm and excitement of the first play in the reincarnated single-wing was too much as an offsides penalty made Oak start over with a first and 15.  It was the third try that made the single-wing fly when quarterback David Porter took the ball up the middle for 13 yards before halfback Dustin Conant went up the middle for the first first down of the night.  Halfback Bryce Hudman got going with a 17 yarder followed with a 9 yarder before Spinner Back Trey Richmond became the fourth ball carrier of the night with a first down at the Wildkat 32.  Oak took another penalty before the fifth runner of the drive, Hammer Back Kenny Hampton took the short snap up the middle while the crowd wondered where the ball was too busy watching the backfield spinning.  Hudman and Porter took turns spinnin’ before #4 Porter pushed the ball into the end zone.  Kyle Whitmore, improving his kicking at warp-speed, nailed the extra point.  A 72 yard (82 with penalties), 12 play drive yielded 7 – 0, 7:59 first quarter.  The kick-off team ran like a Dear (Bart) to nail the purple-jersey Wildkats on their own 8 yard line.  The Wildcats using a no-huddle, stare-at-the-sidelines, standin’-around offense got off two plays before fumbling into the hands of Matt Hunter.  The single-wing came back onto the shortened field and pushed the 38 yards into the endzone on the carries of Richmond, Hudman and Hampton.  The offensive line of Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva, Scott Sacchieri and Chris Boren had just turned two scores in the first quarter leading Hudman into the endzone at 4:42.  Kyle good, 14 – 0.  Willis managed to get the ball to their 49 yard line on the kick-off and put together a series of plays that moved quickly down the field to a first and goal at the Oak 8 yard line.  The Wildkats then were Steph’D(avidson) on first down, stuffed on second down (Greg Carlson, Sidney Williams and Kevin Cravey), Matt’d on third and faced a 4^th and goal from the same spot they started.  Willis sent its field goal team out on the field, faked the kick, and watched the ball go through the receiver’s hands.  Oak held.  Hudman finished a 20 yard jaunt when the First Quarter ended, 14 – 0.

Oak started the Second Quarter by not starting but stalling.  Punter Porter did his job by sending the ball down to the other end of the field with a 42 yarder.  Willis took over on their 28 yard line and showed some pride on their home field by passing and shoving their way 72 yards to a score with 7:08 remaining.  A surge in the middle of the line made the kicker miss (blasted yellow numbers on white jersey thwarts the granting of credit), 6 – 14.  Oak couldn’t shake the funk on offense and had to punt again.  Willis, feeling the momentum, started another drive that got to the Oak 34.  Mohawk’d Matt Nolan, released this week from sick bay, turned the momentum with a stiff tackle, Josh Wilke stopped a plunge and then another Steph’D.  Kevin Cravey knocked down the pass on fourth down and Oak held.  The offense opened up with some better success moving across mid-field before stalling.  A Porter punt inside the 20 set the Wildkats back to end the Half, 14 – 6.

For the third week in a row, the Oak fans had to look at the backs of the Strutters and Band.  But as always, the Strutters led by Military Officers Candace Bunch, Gloria Smith, Sophie Hartle, Kristen Jackson, Kayla Fiore and Samantha Muhn did a great job.

Oak kicked to Willis to start the 2^nd half.  The Wildkats had confidence and used it well to drive 64 yards to score and convert the 2-points at 9:40, 14 – 14.  The Oak fans and band were undaunted with the Trumpet section (Casey Cox,  Brandon Bell, Kearby Brown, Carlos Guzman, Chris Vrana, Eric Sauder) exhorting the Panther faithful to “eat ‘em up”.  A well-deserved unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Willis gave Oak the ball near mid-field.  Dustin Conant made some nice runs before a pass interference call and runs by Porter and Hudman put the ball on the Wildkat 23 yard line.  The wheels came off on a sack and a screen play gone sour that was intercepted and returned to the other end of the field.  Willis seized the opportunity and moved to a first and goal on the Oak 9 yard line.  The defense put up a fight with Chris Holt, Carlson and Wilke making stops and Nolan popping the runner to create a 4^th and goal.  Willis didn’t wilt and pushed across to take the lead for the first time in the game, 14 – 21, 3:03.  The Oak side of the bleachers just figured now was the time for the kick return team to shine.  After Willis earned an offsides penalty with a silly skit on the kick-off, Brad Dear, Matt Hetmaniak, Chris Radtke, Kelly Nix, Seth Petross, and Josh Howell opened up the lane for Hudman who sprinted 70 or so yards to the Wildkat 9 yard line.  Two plays later, Hudman over, Kyle good, 21 – 21, 2:06.  Willis took the kick-off and got to mid-field to end the 3^rd Quarter, score tied, 21 – 21. 

The second play of the 4^th Quarter was another Willis kicking game deception.  Kevin Cravey, Steph Davidson and mohawk’d Casey Wright would not have anything to do with the fake punt and stopped the runner in his tracks.  The Oak offense just couldn’t help itself when an errant pass deflection landed up back in the Wildkats hands.  Willis seeing victory, ate up clock and worked its way to the goal line.  Yet on three tries inside the 5 yard line, the Oak defensive line held fast.  The third down play was particularly sweet when the Willis fullback was absolutely Steph’D.  Willis chose the safe 3 points instead of trying to bang their head against the Oak Defensive Wall.  21 – 24, 4:48 remaining.  Willis, now leery of the Oak Kick Return Team, kicked OB, had an offsides and finally got it right on the third try.  The Oak offense started on the 38.  Hudman, led downfield by awesome blocks from Chris Powell, mohawk’d Louie Black and Woody Smith, rambled his way inside the Wildcat 20.  For a moment, the men in stripes put their purple hats on and tried to set Oak back with a lousy spot of Hudman’s progress at the 12 yard line thus setting up a 4^th and 1.  The crowd was anxious but Oak came to win and went for the yard and got four setting up a first and goal on the eight.  Two tries got Hudman his 144^th yard and third TD, Kyle good and the lead at 1:52, 28 – 24.  Willis earned yet another unsportsmanlike penalty allowing Kyle to kick from the Willis 45 yard line where he showed leg by hitting the crossbar 55 yards away.  The Oak crowd had lost its voice but found second wind to urge the defense to hold.  Starting at the 20, Willis began its air assault.  An exhausted defensive line found its second wind, playing with guts and determination to keep the Willis game contained.  On 4^th and 10 at mid-field, Casey Wright latched onto the Willis pass making sure no other purple jersey would touch the elliptical orb that night.

This game was about determination.  The offense had some nice drives early, went dormant and came to life for the final scoring drive.  The defense gave the offense some opportunities, fought off the home field advantage and contained Willis in the end.  The Special Teams contributed hugely with a kick return to get back into the game, hitting all the extra point attempts and punting out of harms way.  Another team victory to put Oak up 1 – 0 in district, 3 – 1 on the season.

It was not an Eagle soaring over Klein Memorial Stadium on Thursday night but rather an eighty-two yard Panther punt (you read it right, 82 as in almost the length of the field).  The Special Teams, twice posing as the offense, kept the Eagles in their own nest forcing the blue and white to overcome 336 yards of punting/quick kicks.  The Defense accomplished its primary goal, keep the other guy out of the end zone.  The Offense got two scores and knows it missed chances for a couple of others.  The net effect was a hard-fought 14 – 6 victory over the previously undefeated New Caney Eagles that brings Oak to 4-1 season record, 2-0 district.  The boys next put on their blasted-yellow-number-on-white-jersey as the Panthers travel to Montgomery to wrestle the Bears on Friday, October 8, 2004.

GAME NARRATIVE

Thursday night varsity high school football is an aberration that can be enjoyed when played in cooler weather with an enthusiastic crowd and a team of kids full of “want-to”.  Oak was blessed with all three redeeming qualities.  The 80 degree game-time temperature was quite nice, the crowd swelled with each passing minute as many learned that Thursday means a 7pm start and the “want-to” was very noticeable with Ryan Wilkerson, bandaged arm and all, running down the field on the kick-off team quite glad to finally get out of street clothes.  New Caney took the opening kick-off and went “3 and out”.  Oak didn’t do a whole lot better making one first down but then kicking back to the Eagles.  To the crowd, it looked like a fight was brewing and it always takes intestinal fortitude (hereafter called IF for the squeamish) to win a fight.  New Caney made progress on their second try but got stopped by Andrew Lester, Matt Hunter, Greg Carlson and Matt Nolan at mid-field and put the Panthers inside their 20.  Oak tried the right side twice, made one 5 yard gain and then tried the left side.  Good move.  The try ended 78 yards later with Bryce Hudman waiting for his line of Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva, Scott Sacchieri  and  Chris Boren to greet him in the end zone.  Kyle Whitmore absolutely nailed the extra point, 7 – 0, 3:59.  Ryan got to run back down the field again with his teammates where Chris Holt and Sidney Williams stopped the Eagle on the 33 yard line.  Steph Davidson, well into a long night of numerous 25 yard chases, pressured an overthrow and then nearly blocked the Eagle punt.  Starting at the Oak 30, Trey Richmond did the spin game in the single wing for 10, Kenneth Hampton plowed for four and Hudman went on runs of 30, 7, 12 and 7 to score.  The quarter ended on the TD and Kyle kick, 14 – 0.

Oak opened the second quarter with a kick-off where Kevin Beymann stopped the New Caney runner on the 26.  Greg Carlson, Josh Wilke and Matt Hunter got involved in the chasing and Kevin Cravey knocked down a long pass, forcing an Eagle punt.  Oak received the kick and the wheels came off.  The offense took the first of hundreds of penalty flags on the night, then took the second penalty, then took the third penalty and ended up looking in the playbook for a third and 36 play.  Behold, the Oak playbook has a third and 36 play, it is called “quick kick”.  Lofted over the surprised safety’s head, the ball traveled 73 yards, as in ¾ of the field, to the Eagle 7 yard line.  New Caney got stopped by Josh Howell, Casey Wright, and a Carlson/Hunter sack and had to punt.  Oak had less than two minutes, which has been plenty of time for this Offense.  Alas, the passing game was out of sync and Oak had to punt.  The Defense took it upon itself to get the ball back when Carlson had a monster sack and forced a punt.  Oak ran a cool play with a reverse that turned into a pass which fooled the Eagles but alas, the passing game was out of sync then and three more times, giving the ball back to New Caney when the half closed. 

Halftime was a great joy with the Strutter and Band finally facing the Oak crowd, blasting us with a new show.  The Band is putting together its UIL competition show and is off to a great start.

Oak received the second half kick-off and the Panther faithful gasped then groaned when Hudman broke toward the opening on the return created by Kelly Nix, Scooter Manning, Seth Petross, Brad Dear, and Chris Radtke and with nothing but daylight ahead found the turf below, tripping and tumbling.  It was a sign of things to come.  The offense tripped and tumbled for two first downs before forced to punt.  After the unbelievable 73 yard quick kick in the first half, David Porter decided to continue the night’s punting clinic with a beautiful, classic coffin-corner punt that sailed outside the pylon to be marked out by the men in stripes on the Eagle three.  New Caney was stunned but not beaten.  In spite of the best efforts of Logan Worley and teammates, the Eagles got out of the coffin.  Lots of passes including quite a fumble fight landed the New Caney blue and white into the Oak side of the field where Greg Carlson went on a tear for two successive 10 yard sacks to shut down the revived Eagles.  The quarter ended with the punt to Oak.

Fourth quarter was not much different as Oak took over, tripped and tumbled some more with some more yellow hankies and some more trouble.  Calling upon the quick kick three plays into the quarter, QB Porter launched a 61 yarder on third down pushing the Eagles back to their 14 yard line.  Hunter, Davidson, Carlson and Holt sacked and bagged the New Caney offense forcing a shanked punt.  Oak looked at a 28 yard field  and tripped and stumbled and fumbled (allegedly, since the Panther forward progress had been stopped long before the ball was stripped).  Reluctantly the Panther defense had to come back out on the field.  Time for some IF.  While the crowd watched some New Caney kids do some break dancing on the sidelines, the defense watched Eagle QB Porter, no relation, break dance the Eagles down the field to a first and goal on the Oak 8.  Apparently, New Caney doesn’t get the newspaper and didn’t know about Casey Wright’s pass defense because they challenged him twice and twice Casey won.  Sherrod Ceaser took their challenge on his side and also won.  Oak held with a fine display of IF.  The Offense had its back to the end zone and couldn’t shove its way out.  A quick kick on third down landed back in QB Porter’s lap where he managed to get out of the end zone to leave a fourth down on the one.  New Caney smelled blood.  Villanueva’s punt snap was good, the rush was on and Punter Porter stepped quickly into the ball.  The ball rose and rose and rose, the Eagle return man froze.  The crowd sighed with relief on the safe kick, then murmured its approval with the height and with the bounce, roared with delight.  Meanwhile, the Eagle returner turned and could only watch as it bounced, skidded and rolled to the Eagle 17 yard line.  The math works out to 49 yards carried on the Oak side of the field and 33 yards carried on the New Caney side yielding a grand total of 82 yards. Add in the 10 yards to the back of the endzone and we witnessed a ball traveling over 90 yards.  New Caney then ran 12 pass plays completing 3 to finally get into the end zone with 1:49 left to play.  Chris Powell with the Oak “hands” team gathered the on-side kick, performed twice because of penalty #14, but all was well as the team kneeled for the end.

The game was ugly but Oak showed IF and the Panthers will take an ugly win.  Bryce Hudman had the yards (187), the defense just missed the shut-out and New Caney couldn’t overcome the shoves back down the field by the QB/Punter David Porter.  The Thursday aberration ended well and next week it’s back to Friday night lights.

Apparently, inspired by Roger “The Rocket” Clemens rooting for the good guys, the Panther defense pitched a shut out of their own for 3 ½ quarters limiting Montgomery to 3 first downs (plus 1 via penalty) and less than 50 yards total offense.  Clemens left to a standing ovation with Oak leading 38-7 as he was scheduled to battle the Braves in game 4 of the divisional playoffs on Saturday.

The victory improved KO’s record to 5-1 for the season and 3-0 in district, setting up a potential showdown with Waller (also 3-0) in week 9 for the district championship.  Oak continues to turn some heads as they advance their way through the rankings.

Speaking of moving up the polls, the top ranked Lady Panthers were in town defeating Montgomery in straight games to go 10-0 in district and 26-4 overall.  Good luck Ladies!

Highlights
This football game started out much like a volleyball game as the ball kept going back and forth from team-to-team with 3 turnovers in the first 50 seconds.  Oak began the volleying with an errant pass, but DE Steph Davidson was quick to return the favor as he blocked the pass and intercepted the ball (side out Oak).  The Panthers then put the ball on the ground and the Bears picked it up and ran home with it for a quick 7-0 lead.   DB Josh Howell had a great return of the short kick-off bringing it back 15 yards to near mid-field, but KO could not take advantage of the good field position.

Things started going Oak’s way when QB/P David Porter launched a punt into the wind that penned Montgomery inside the 5.  The Panthers stuffed the Bears for a loss of 2 before DT Andrew Lester pancaked the QB at the goal line for a near safety.  DE Matt Hunter got the job done on the next play as he charged up the middle to block the quick kick out of the endzone for a safety cutting the lead to 7-2 after one quarter.

KR/DB Casey Wright had a great return of the ensuing free kick, but a penalty brought the ball back to the 30.  TB Bryce “Instant Offense” Hudman entered the game and about a minute later he had his first of 3 six-yard touchdown runs.  K Kyle Whitmore sailed it high and true for a 9-7 lead.

With dominating defense and the offensive line leading the charge, TB Dustin Conant, Hudman and Porter piled up the yardage during the second quarter.  Hudman scored 4 minutes before halftime and added the 2-point conversion for a 17-7 lead.  Davidson’s second interception set up Oak’s final drive of the half with Porter taking it over from a yard out for a 24-7 lead at intermission.

It was much of the same in the second half as Hudman and Conant each scored TD’s in the first 15 minutes to extend the lead to 38-7.  Montgomery scored a couple TD’s in the final 3 minutes to make the score more respectable, but a convincing victory nonetheless.

Stats
Offensively, KO piled up 322 yards with 277 on the ground.  Hudman had 105 yards on 11 carries, 3 TD’s and a 2-point conversion.  Bryce has reached the century mark in each game this season!  Porter averaged 8 yards per carry for 64 yards and a TD.  Conant reached paydirt once as he gained 59 tough yards up the middle, and broke a 20+ yarder that was called back by penalty. 

QB/REC Trey Richmond kept up his team leading average of  9 yards per rush as he galloped 49 yards on 5 carries.  Richmond also caught two passes for 28 yards and completed his only pass attempt for 17 yards down the sidelines to RB Brad Dear.  Kyle Whitmore was perfect on each of his 4 PAT’s.

Oak was led defensively by DE Steph Davidson who pulled down 2 interceptions and one of his 4 tackles was for loss.  LB’s Matt Nolan and Chris Holt were the leading tacklers with Nolan having 8 (4 solos) and Holt 6 (including a sack and 5 solos).  DE Matt Hunter blocked a punt for a safety and had 4 tackles (with a QB sack and a tackle for an 11 yard loss).

FS Kevin Cravey returned an interception 15 yards and collected 4 tackles.  DB Chris Powell had 4 unassisted tackles (5 total) and DT Greg Carlson had 4 tackles with one for loss.  Not to be outdone, WR Kevin Beyman had 3 tackles on the kick-off team including a spectacular clothes liner.

Great job Panthers!  We are proud of you.

On the prettiest day this Fall, the Oak Panthers defeated the Livingston Lions.  The green clad Lions tried to blitz and confuse the offense the but the O-line was solid, the defense was stout and the Oak special teams scored yet another spectacular kick-off return.  The Panthers are now 6 –1 on the season, 4 – 0 in the district and who can possibly wait until next Saturday, 4pm at Klein Memorial Stadium to play again? 

The night was pretty, sky was clear, and the cheerleaders felt the cool themselves, striking “pistol-wink” and “air guitar” poses with each introduction.  The crowd murmured with anticipation at the referee’s signal that Oak would receive the kick-off.  Not to disappoint, Bryce Hudman received the kick at about the 10-yard line and started a circuitous route, made so by his trust in his teammates. He zigged with each block and zagged with each broken tackle.  Without benefit of the film review, it can be surmised that Kelly Nix, Brad Dear, Seth Petross and Sidney Williams probably had at least two blocks each on the 17 second run to the goal line.  Kyle Whitmore kicked and Oak 7, Livingston staggered. Kyle kicked back to the Lions and Greg Carlson, Matt Hunter, Matt Nolan and Chris Powell proceeded to shut out the home team on a “3 and out”.  Casey Wright had a nice punt return and the Oak offense had to begin the learning process of dealing with the Lion Blitz.  The first two lessons were in the Lion’s favor but the next three went for Oak as Bryce earned a first down and then some.  The Lions got the momentum back with a recovery of a fumbled snap and a 56 yard march, aided by a hometown spot on fourth and 1, to get into the endzone at 2:30.  LHS had to kick-off and having learned the lesson chose to kick short.  Logan Worley smothered the kick and perhaps earned his way onto the “hands team”.  With a short field, the Offensive Line busted the lanes through the blitzes and Bryce (17 yards) and David Porter (28 yards and then a 9 yard run) made short work with Bryce putting the ball into the endzone at 1:11, Kyle kick, 14 – 7.  LaRon Gilliam showed supreme hustle busting down to nail the kick returner at the 12-yard line.  The quarter ended, Oak 14 – LHS 7.

The second quarter started with the defense, Carlson and Kevin Cravey in particular, putting a stop to the Lions.  Chris Powell just missed a “pick” and the Lions punted.  On third and 5, Kenneth Dodson, Trace Brown and Andy Davis opened up a hole for David to romp 44 yards for the third TD of the night, Oak 21 – Livingston 7, 11:00.  Scott Sacchieri must have also helped since he had to wave to his cheering entourage in order to calm them down when he came off the field.  Bart Dear and Kevin Beymann stopped the Lion return man. On first and ten, Sophomore Andrew Lester subbing for Josh Wilke who is in sick-bay, nailed the runner.  Seth Petross had to stop a long pass catch before Josh Howell put the hurt on an attempted sweep.  On fourth down at mid-field, Matt Hunter was not fooled by the fake punt and nailed the foolish runner.  On the second play of Oak’s possession, the passing game, MIA for the last few games, was found in the form of Chris Boren gathering a soft toss from David over the blitzing linebackers and proceeding 44 yards for a score.  Kyle kick, Oak 28 – 7, 7:47.  The Lions started a drive but Chris Holt, Josh Howell and Sherrod Ceaser had other thoughts and put a stop to the effort.  Dustin Conant busted some nice runs before Bryce followed his blockers in another weave for 16 yards to convert a fourth down.  On first and ten at the Oak 41-yard line, Trey Richmond went over the middle, gathered the David throw and sailed into the endzone, Oak 35 – LHS 7, 0:59.

The Strutters marched onto the field and did the coolest rendition of “Wipe-out”.  They let down their hair, added a lot of color and got the crowd buzzing.  The band put on its UIL competition show with Casey Cox blasting the trumpet introduction and Jonathan Kraft concierto-ing ‘em with his French horn solo. The percussion section, led by Jacob Wyble, Rob Pasche, Justin Belk, and Adam Barron, pounded out some exciting solis in addition to their standard groovin’ cadences. It became a family affair when Jason Villanueva, Joe’s better-looking twin, climbed up on the director’s stand and did a great job as the Field Conductor across the field from the Quarterback’s brother (Curtis) and the Birthday Boy (Chris Jones). The Physics AP class had taken over the field,  Mrs. Schweiger would be proud. Good luck to the Band on Tuesday at the UIL competition and we all look forward to seeing the front side next Saturday.

The Lions took the kick-off and didn’t make it very far with LaRon Gilliam again screaming down the field to stop the return man.  Steph Davidson and Josh Howell had nice tackles and Andrew Lester stopped the Lions after short drive to force a punt.  Casey had another nice return off a great Lion punt to bring out the offense.  The passing game showed up with nice catches by Chris Radtke and Trey Richmond.  The drive stalled on the tenth play, Kyle coming up short on his 36-yard field goal try yet the Oak crowd knows that the next FG try is through the uprights.  The Lions went nowhere with Bart Dear making a nice tackle forcing a punt.  Dustin Conant busted out a few yards before Woody caught a nice 22 yarder off the roll-out. The quarter ended with Oak holding the ball on the 18 yard line, 35 – 7.

The fourth quarter opened with David running right to get 17 yards.  On third and goal, Trey scored his second TD of the night, Oak 42 – 7, 10:09.  The Lions came out passing before fumbling into Casey’s hands.  With time on their side, Oak did lots of running.  Matt Stolt threw some nice blocks to get Trey and Dustin a few yards.  A pass interference that wasn’t, shut down the drive forcing the first Oak punt of the night.  The Lions passed some more while Matt Hetmaniak stuffed the lone run effort before Bart Dear knocked down a pass with his ear.  Eventually, the Lions made it to the endzone using lots of clock along the way, 42 – 14, 2:43.  The “hands team” safely gathered the kick and Trey ran out the clock.

Livingston has more talent than their record reflects and last week put top-ranked Brenham to the test.  This game had to be taken seriously and the Panthers handled the challenge well, the offense gaining over 400 yards (145 through the air), the defense shutting down the Lions and the Special Teams scoring.  Lots of Panthers got to play and go home happy, ready to work to keep the win streak alive.  The season can thus far be described: the O-line plays with a teamwork seldom seen at the high school level; the skill players play selflessly (how many teams have 11 different individuals with pass catches?); the defense never, ever gives up, relentless in pursuit and the Special Teams are truly special; the kick-off teams hustle, the kick return teams are always looking to score, the PAT is reliable and the punt team plays field position with the best.  Let’s enjoy the ride.

The clouds broke just before game time to sauna-tize Klein Memorial Stadium and heat up the Oak Panther football team to a victory over the Caney Creek Panthers.  Klein Oak Panthers 47, Caney Creek Panthers 0.  The Oak defense earns the first shutout of the season, the offense gained over 440 yards and the special teams performed meritoriously.  The heat and humidity eased as the game progressed allowing the Oak faithful to enjoy the lop-sided victory that clinched a playoff spot.  Next week’s opponent will be a different story, plan to attend the District bragging rights game against the Waller Bulldogs at their place Friday night.

GAME NARRATIVE

The scoreboard thermometer must have been measuring both heat and humidity at “75” when Matt Smith sent the opening kick-off to the white and red clad Caney Creek Panthers.  Kevin Cravey, Louie Black and Kevin Beymann stopped the CC returner at the 29.  Chris Holt and Andrew Lester stopped the first play cold.  Chris Powell, Steph Davidson and Josh Howell shut down the next series forcing the punt that sailed very well for CC to the Oak 9 yard line.  A steady stream of Bryce Hudman left and right put the ball on the Oak 47.  David Porter busted a 53-yard run when the first of many yellow hankies landed on the ground pulling the run back to a 6-yard gain after the penalty mark-off.  David and Bryce traded a few short runs behind the O-line of Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva and Scott Sacchieri to get the ball to the 31.  A neat reverse by Casey Wright put the ball on the 20 where Trey Richmond ran twice to get the first score.  Kyle kick and Oak had an opening 91-yard drive for a TD, 4:58.  After Beymann and LaRon Gilliam shut down the CC receiver at the 23, the defense put the first of many “3 and outs” on the CC Panthers.  CC’s defense stymied Oak and followed up with a “3 and out” of their own.  Porter, who only got one opportunity to punt the entire game, made the most of it with a well-designed kick of 57 yards to the five-yard line.  The CCP tried to run the ball on first down and found some Oak players who would have nothing to do with that.  Matt Hunter, Greg Carlson, and Davidson stuffed CC for a two yard gain, followed by Powell making a nice play on a quick rollout to make it third and 4.  CC’s effort to make a first down was stymied when Cravey and Wright stopped the quick pass at the 14 to make it 4^th and one.

The second quarter started with a CC punt caught fair at the Oak 41.  On the second play, Hudman performed a nice 40-yard jaunt to the end zone, yet again; a long run was called back.  Porter followed up at 3rd and 15 with a nice completion to Hudman at the 35.  On 4^th down and five yards to go, the coaches made a quick decision to go for it and David sprinted 35 yards for the TD.  Whitmore with the PAT and Oak took a 14-0 lead with 10:32 remaining.  Another yellow flag showed up on the kick-off so Smith got another opportunity to show his leg by kicking to the 3-yard line.  CC managed to return the ball to the 27, but Louie Black wouldn’t let them get any further with a nice hit.  CC ran a draw play on 1^st and 10 for 6 yards, the long run of the day for the visitors.  CC tried to run again on 2^nd and 4, but managed only 3 yards with hard tackle by Greg Carlson.  On 3^rd and one, Davidson and Howell stuffed CC’s runner for no gain and CC decided to go for it on fourth down at their own 36.  Greg Carlson would have nothing to do with that and made CC’s attempt at a fake look silly resulting in a four-yard loss.  Oak took over on downs at their own 31 and wasted no time by performing a well-timed Hudman-in-motion hand-off to rip off a 31 yard run to pay dirt.  Whitmore with another PAT and Oak led 21 to zip with 7:37 remaining.  Matt Smith boomed the kick-off into the end zone for no return.  On CC’s next drive they managed a couple of first downs with some complete passes into Oak territory.  Oak put an end to that with Josh Howell stuffing CC for a 3-yard loss on 1^st and 10 at the Oak 21 followed by a diving interception by Casey Wright at the 22.  Oak took over and started off with an 18 yard run by Hudman followed by nice 36-yard rumble by the same guy to the CC 24.  The offense stalled at this point and failed to make a first down after going for it on 4^th and two at the 16.  CC took over at the 16, but could not do much.  Hunter made a good defensive play for 1-yard loss and Carlson followed up with a pass deflection.  On fourth and 12, CC punted and decided to interfere with Wright’s fair catch resulting in a penalty and Oak with the ball at the CC 21.  Oak didn’t mess around and Porter threw a nice spiral to Hudman for a TD up the middle.  Whitmore’s PAT was good and Oak led 28-0 with 1:26 left in the half.  Matt Smith made another nice kick followed by a good stick by Louie Black at the 25.  CC pretty much called it a half and Oak went into the locker room with a comfortable 28-point lead.

Halftime was a celebration of academic achievement.  Ten students were honored as nationally ranked scholars, very impressive for the small senior class of 375 at Klein Oak.  National Merit Commended (top 5% PSAT scores) went to Jon Craft, Chris Jones, Amy Finch, and Jerrod Wissel.   Alex Washington achieved the National Achievement Award.  Maria Matos, the 2004 State Discus Champion, added to her resume with the National Hispanic Recognition Award for her outstanding academic scores. The four senior National Merit Semi-finalists, who scored in the top 1% nationally on their PSATs were Susan Koons, Curtis Porter, Michelle Ting, and Suzette Toombs.  The festivities continued with the naming of the Band Beau, Jon Craft, and sweetheart Natalie Brown.  The Strutter’s continued with a dazzling pink and blue surfing performance and the KO marching band finished halftime performing “El Toro Caliente” and Concierto de Aranjuez, their UIL competition show which scored well this past week in Conroe.

The 3^rd Qtr began with Trey Richmond on the sideline with a slight leg injury suffered in the first half (he will be back next game).  Fearing the awesome return team, CC started off with an on-side kick recovered by Brad Dear on the Oak 40.  Hudman took the ball up the middle for five yards on 1^st down and Chris Boren caught a pass for four more plus a personal foul from CC resulting in a first down for Oak at the Creek 39.  Hudman finished the deal with a thirty-yard romp for his 3^rd TD with 9:44 remaining in the 3^rd Qtr.  Whitmore was again good for his 4^th PAT of the day.  KO – 35, Caney Creek - 0.  Matt Smith boomed another kick off for a touchback.  The defense held tough on the next series and CC was forced to punt from their own 45.  Casey Wright caught the punt at the 29 for what looked like a sure loss of yardage and broke a few tackles to get the ball to the 38.  Porter took the snap on the next play and threw to Woody Smith for the completion.  Porter had a nice run negated by an allegation of holding resulting in a 10 yard penalty.  Oak wiped out the penalty with a good call for a middle screen resulting in a first down at the CC 18.  Dustin Conant put another nail in the proverbial coffin with a hard run of 18 yards up the middle to make it 41 zip with 5:58 remaining in the 3rd.  Matt Smith proceeded to boom another kick-off into the end zone.  The defense was awesome on the next CC possession.  On the second play, Josh Howell intercepted the ball and following a penalty, Oak took over at the 20.  Kevin Cravey got some time at QB behind the line of Ryan Lemon and Justin Walters.  Unfortunately, Cravey slipped on 3rd and 3 at the 14 and Oak resorted to a field goal attempt.  The field goal attempt was unsuccessful and CC took over at the 20.  The Oak defense again held tough with Logan Worley and Matt Hetmaniak in the game and Oak performed another 3 and out with a nice sack by Matt Nolan.  KO took over 1^st and 10 at the 46 following a fair catch by LaRon Gilliam.  The offense put together a nice drive and made it to the fourth quarter after some good runs by Conant and Cravey to get to the CC 23. 

Cravey started the fourth quarter with a pass to Louie Black for a short gain and was faced with 4^th and 3.  Cravey kept the ball and rambled for a 1^st down at the 18.  Kelly Coburn decided to punish the defense and took the ball the next three plays for the score and with 8:51 left in the game it was 47 to nada.   After Oak got called for 30 yards of personal fouls on the kick-off, the defense was tough including a nice stick by Chris Holt and a sack by Steph Davidson.  Josh Howell added to his stats by intercepting the ball on 4^th and 17 and the Oak band erupting with their rendition of “Back in Black” by AC/DC and the game ended with Oak running out the clock.

The game was lop-sided because of the outstanding effort of the Oak team.  The roster got to play and all aspects of the game worked well.  The team can savor a win that clinches a play-off spot and face the task of preparing for an extended season starting with very tough opponents, Waller and Brenham.  Two more victories will claim the undisputed District Championship and start the momentum for the playoffs where each week gets tougher.  Let’s Go Oak. 

Waller is a good football team.  The Bulldogs overcame the loss of their star running back to an ankle injury and dominated every aspect of the game.  The Oak Panthers had a rough night on the gridiron but will no doubt recover to play another formidable opponent, the Brenham Cubs, at Klein Memorial Stadium for Homecoming, Friday November 5, 7:30pm.

GAME NARRATIVE

The Waller stadium seats were at capacity, lawn chairs were three deep behind the endzone fences and some people had to park a long hike away from Bulldog Stadium for this District 18-4A showdown.  The crowd was huge and all of the Oak community was glad to see Alex Mirenda attending the game after a scary injury in the Freshman game the night before.  It was the setting for a great game between two great teams but from the start, it was a long night for the Panthers.  Waller kicked off deep and Oak couldn’t find the handle on the ball.  The Panthers had to start at the one-yard line but managed to push out to the thirty on eight plays with tough runs by Bryce Hudman, David Porter and a sideline pass to Louie Black to keep the Bulldog defense guessing.  Nothing was coming easy and the drive stalled forcing a punt.  The second kicking game misadventure happened when the Bulldogs sped in to block the punt into the endzone for the loose ball recovery and a touchdown.  0 – 7, 7:09.  Seth Petross handled the short kick-off to put the ball on the 30 but Oak fell to the dreaded “3 and out”.  Waller took the punt on their own 40 and their star running back showed how he earned his stardom with a 42 yard run stopped by a hustling Sherrod Ceaser on the 6 yard line.  The goal line series was inspiring with Kevin Cravey, Steph Davidson and Andrew Lester stuffing the first few runs.  Casey Wright stopped the lob pass into the endzone and Waller had to go for the field goal.  0 – 10, 0:56.  Oak received the kick-off and next play, showed mettle with a fantastic Bryce Hudman breakaway run of 60 yards to the Waller 16 yard line.  Along the way, Bryce earned his 1000^th rushing yard of the season, a feat to be celebrated by each and every member of the team.  The quarter ended with Oak in the redzone.

The second quarter start just didn’t.  Waller bowed up and forced a field goal attempt that was wide right, Oak just couldn’t get the break it needed.  The Bulldogs took over on the 20, started a 14 play march but lost their momentum and their star running back.  The defense with great plays by Matt Nolan, Greg Carlson, Matt Hunter and Chris Holt forced a punt.  Oak took over on the 26 and quickly moved to mid-field with a nice pass to Louie Black and a couple of short runs by Bryce and David behind the offensive line of Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva, Scott Sacchieri and Chris Boren.  Oak faced a 4^th and two and chose to punt the ball to end the half.

Halftime was fun.  The Strutters broke out the “Cockroach” routine to the delight of the Oak crowd.  Watching the Waller stands react to the Strutters was worth the price of admission.  The Band delighted with eight college fight songs with the last tune always creating the most reaction, a song celebrating Farmers.

The second half was not fun.  Matt Smith kicked off, Waller fumbled, Oak delighted and the refs changed their mind.  Thus began the first of many disappointments.  The Bulldogs, playing inspired ball without their star running back, drove the ball 74 yards down the field for a score.  0 – 17, 7:30.  Oak came out, couldn’t get moving and gave the ball back after three plays.  The highlight of the next defensive series was lineman Logan Worley causing a Waller penalty with his sprint from the sideline as an emergency replacement.  The sight of Worley coming full speed at the Bulldogs scared them into a procedure penalty and so was born the “sideline blitz”.  Waller pulled the trick play of the year with a pass off the reverse that sailed too many yards over the Oak defenders for another score, 0 – 24, 4:00.  Oak had to pass, Waller knew that and interceptions became the rest of the story.  A final push by Oak occurred in the last few minutes with Louie Black making a nice grab for a big gain.  After the third interception on the one-yard line, Oak took the ball away from the Waller runner and gave the Panthers a last chance to avoid the shut-out.  It took an effort but Bryce went over for a score on fourth down with a few seconds left in the game.

The Oak Panthers are now a most respectable 7 – 2 (5-1 district) with Brenham, a well-coached team scheduled next week.  The first playoff opponent, Marshall, looms the following week.  The Panthers need to use this week to heal their hurts and psyches to get ready for some tough opponents.  For those that follow this great group of kids, there is no doubt that the lessons learned from this game will make the team stronger and prepare them for the next opponents.

It was a Friday night made for football and it was a Friday night displaying all that is good with the high school game, tally up the students participating in some capacity and you’ll sum over 300 (football, band, Strutters, choir, ROTC, cheerleaders, Homecoming Court).  Add in the huge student section and one can surmise that the Homecoming game is the biggest student activity of the year.  The game was exciting, Oak won the first half with two scores, Brenham won the second half with three scores and the outcome was not fully decided until the last minute.  The scoreboard was disappointing but recall, Oak won the 5A pre-district (2 –1), did well in the district (5-2) and now joins the play-offs for the third installment of this great season against Marshall, next Friday, 7:30 at Klein Memorial.

GAME NARRATIVE

Could we sign up the Choir to sing the national anthem before a few more games?  The harmony of those talented young adults is a beautiful sight and sound.  The game opened with the Brenham Cubs kicking off to the Oak Panthers.  By the tenth game of the season, teams have done a lot of scouting and the Cubs knew that kicking deep was dangerous so they kicked short giving Oak good field position.  The first try from the Oak 43 yard line was a tough one-yard gain but the second try hit pay dirt.  Bryce Hudman started to the left, let Andy Davis, Trace Brown and Chris Boren collapse the line, picked up speed at the turn where Trey Richmond, Woody Smith and David Porter cleared the defensive backfield and Bryce was on his way 56 yards for the TD.  Kyle Whitmore kick, Oak 7 – 0, 11:12.  Opening drive touchdowns are the expectation of this team and the Offense delivered.  Matt Smith kicked, Seth Petross and Louie Black hustled, and the Cubs had to start at the 19.  Logan Worley came to play and promptly made two tackles on the first Cub possession.  Kevin Cravey broke up the pass and Greg Carlson made a tackle for the loss forcing a punt.  Oak stalled and punted.  Brenham stalled again because Andrew Lester and Bart Dear stopped ‘em before Matt Hunter turned ‘em backwards.  Casey Wright took the Cub punt to the left sideline, didn’t like the look and went to explore the right sideline for a great gain.  The short field was tempting but Brenham showed why they are the leading defense in the district and made the stops.  The Cubs tried the passing game but Carlson knocked one down, Steph Davidson and Chris Powell chased the QB down in the backfield and yet another punt.  Oak stymied and another punt.  Quarter ended, Oak up 7 - 0 and punters on both teams starting to get sore legs. 

The second quarter started with the Cubs holding the ball and making a move before Chris Holt, Steph, and Hunter stopped the runs.  Sherrod Ceaser and Cravey knocked down the long pass and Brenham punted.  Casey Wright raised everyone’s blood pressure but found the handle on the rolling orb at the Oak 16 yard line.  Oak tried but had to punt.  Brenham got stuffed and then threw the ball to Matt Nolan.  Matt added a nice runback on his interception and the offense had another short field to work with.  Oak tried the single wing without much luck and the Cubs took the ball back on the interception.  Carlson and Davidson put the hurt on the Brenham backs but an unfortunate facemask call let the Cubs out of the hole.  Worley had a great stop on the third and short forcing a punt.  The Brenham punt sailed to the Oak 14, the Panthers couldn’t get moving and used the quick kick to get out of the shadow of the end zone.  Steph Davidson, upset at not being able to finish his cup of water, took the ball away from the Cubs and Oak had another short field opportunity with one minute of time left in the half.  Bryce busted a nice run and then threw the halfback pass to Kevin Cravey who got shoved out of the way before the ball came down prompting a yellow hanky in the end zone.  With 20 seconds remaining, Bryce went through the hole provided by Kenneth Dodson, Joseph Villanueva and Scott Sacchieri. Kyle kick, Oak up 14 – 0.  Brenham, showing why they are a State-ranked team didn’t call it a half but went for the long ball and got to the 9-yard line.  The field goal try went awry and the Panthers won a hard-fought half.

The halftime Homecoming celebration was a great sight.  The Court was a handsome group of young men and women.  Michelle Jones, Miss Tomball 2004, and Josh Williams, Mr. Cool, were named queen and king. 

The second half opened with Matt Smith making a touchdown saving collision on the Brenham sideline.  Brenham was fired up and didn’t take long to get their first score, 14 – 7, 9:42.  Casey Wright had another exciting return but Oak couldn’t get the passing game in sync.  David Porter punted the ball so that Sherrod and Woody Smith could run along with the roll to down the ball inside the one-yard line.  While officially marked at the one-yard line, it was actually on the one-inch line.  The defense smelled a safety but Brenham responded to the challenge.  A long run really hurt and the Cubs found the end zone at 5:04, 14-14.  Chris Powell handled the kick-off and Oak found some rhythm with the option game and Kelly Coburn filling in for the injured Hudman. Oak pushed out to mid-field but had to punt, pushing the Cubs back inside the twenty.  The Quarter ended with the game starting over with a tie, 14 – 14.

The fourth quarter started well for Oak.  The Defense held forcing a short punt.  Oak completed a short pass and came within a shoe-length of breaking the tie but at least got the first down on the option run right.  Unfortunately, the next pass was intercepted.  Brenham wasted little time, breaking a long run for the TD with 8:00 left to take the lead, 14 – 21.  There was plenty of time but Brenham stiffened on defense.  An exchange of punts went on and Oak tried a little of everything including Trey Richmond and Dustin Conant moving the single-wing for a time.  The punting for field position went Oak’s way when the Defense forced a “3 and out” with just under two minutes left in the game and Casey Wright made the fair catch at mid-field.  Oak moved the ball on some roll-outs for a first down but quickly faced a fourth and long.  The reverse pass didn’t work yet a penalty gave Oak one more try on fourth and one.  Brenham was fooled by the pass play but the ball sailed onto the turf and the last minute was Brenham’s to celebrate.

The final outcome was a disappointment and the challenge now is to quickly find perspective.  The 2004 Oak Panthers have won 7 games by playing team ball and lost 3 games to teams who are play-off bound in both 5A and 4A.  Recall the things that have worked well like the Offensive line pushing the bigger Klein Bearkats around the field or the Special Teams scaring every opponent with the return game or the Defense shutting down an explosive New Caney offense to win a close game or the Offense driving down the field on the last possession as the visitor to beat Willis, the list goes on.  Those things worked because the Panthers came together as a team.  Nearly 2/3’s of Texas high school football teams are turning in their equipment this week but Oak earned the right to keep playing.  Let’s go play the eleventh game of the season as a Team.

The Klein Oak Panthers saw their season close with a playoff loss to the District 17 Marshall Mavericks on a chilly night at Klein Memorial Stadium.  Final score:  7 – 38.  The outcome of the game was irrelevant in light of the fine season had by the hard-working players of the 2004 team.  The Panthers played a great season that will foster fond memories for the players and fans for years to come.

GAME NARRATIVE

The Klein Oilers and Hildebrandt Mustangs football teams ran through the tunnel and onto the field, an experience that should motivate them through the next few years of workouts as they endeavor to become Panthers.  The Regional Finalist Volleyball team made an appearance that pleased the crowd and thoughts were with the Boys Cross Country team competing this same weekend in the State Meet along with sophomore Kinzie Arnst who won the Girl’s Regional Meet.  The 45 degree temperature and slight breeze made everyone reach for the hot chocolate.  The Mavericks kicked-off and the speed of the Marshall team became quite evident with Oak downed at the six yard line.  The challenge was met nicely by the offense with a pass completion to Trey Richmond for an 18 yard gain and sweet screen run by Chris Powell out to the 33 yard line that was just short of the first down.  Too early to challenge, so the Oak punt went to the other end and pinned the Mavericks at the 11 yard line.  Steph Davidson, Greg Carlson and Casey Wright worked wonders to force a Maverick’s punt.  Bryce Hudman gave it a try but two hip-pointers is just too much to ask of anyone to overcome so his night came to a close and the David Porter punt went 61 yards.  The crowd was settling in for a punting contest when a very large, very talented running back broke the line to find the endzone at the other end. 0 – 7, 2:52.  Oak received and went “3 and out”.  Marshall was fired up but Sophomore John Elijah made a tackle for a loss before Steph Davidson chased the QB down to force the punt.  The first quarter ended, 0 – 7.

The second quarter opened with Oak pinned near the endzone and the third down pass picked off.  The defense rose again to the challenge.  Matt Hunter sacked the QB for a four yard loss, Chris Holt and Sherrod Ceasar nailed the runner at the line and Steph Davidson made two great tackles on third and fourth downs to get the ball back.  Trey made some tough yards but the offense couldn’t figure out the speed of the Mavericks and had to punt.  The Mavericks caught the ball this time and made a nice runback.  The defense gave it a try with Josh Howell, Matt Nolan, Greg Carlson and Kevin Cravey making some solid stops but the Mavericks were able to push into the endzone at 4:26, 0 – 14.  Casey Wright had a great return that set up the offense at mid-field.  The offense pushed across the 50 yard line with nice runs by Trey Richmond and David Porter.  A fourth and one was converted by Trey, running behind Kenneth Dodson and Scott Sacchieri.  With time growing short, Oak went to the short passing game that set up another fourth down at the 34 yard line that likewise came up short.  Marshall, with under a minute, didn’t hesitate but went long and got the ball near the other end before hitting the pass into the endzone, 0 – 21, 0:20 left in the half.

The halftime show was fun, the Strutter’s doing the “cockroach” routine and the Band doing college fight songs.  As is the protocol during the playoffs, the Marshall Mavericks played to their side of the field.

The second half started with an awesome Special Teams play by Oak.  Kyle Whitmore kicked a fantastic on-side kick recovered by LaRon Gilliam to the delight of all Oak faithful.  Oak was down by three scores but there was no quit in these guys.  With the ball at mid-field, the game became roll-out left and roll-out right.  David Porter found the seams behind the blocks of O-linemen Andy Davis, Chris Radtke and Joseph Villanueva, with help from back Dustin Conant and receiver Woody Smith to break away on a 24 yard run to get the Oak score at 9:14, 7 – 21.  Hopes were high with the kick-off to the Mavericks who put their “hands” team on the field this time around.  The kick went deep and shortly thereafter the wheels came off for the Panthers.  A very fast fella wearing white went by the fellas wearing black and it was 7 – 28 11 seconds after the Oak score.  The Mavericks did more damage in the third quarter with a field goal and a long pass to finish their scoring for the night at 38 as the quarter ended.

The fourth quarter had some Oak highlights while the Mavericks went into killing the clock mode.  Louie Black made a nice reverse pass completion to Chris Boren for a 32 yard gain that should be a fun play to watch next year with those two returning underclassmen.  For the Seniors, Trey Richmond ran the single-wing with poise, Matt Hunter showed his heart with some time at offense blocking for Kelly Coburn on the option game, Matt Stolt and Kelly Nix threw their considerable weight around blocking downfield while Kevin Beymann, Matt Hetmaniak, Matt Blomstrom, Josh Williams and Brad Dear fought the good fight on defense.

The game ended, the season ended, but the experience will never be forgotten.  It will always be fond to remember Captains Hudman, Wright, Powell, Sacchieri and Hunter marching out to midfield for the coin toss with great anticipation of the start of the game.  Everyone will laugh at the times the crowd thought a penalty flag had been thrown only to realize it was Steph Davidson’s yellow shoes.  It will be fun to recall the development of Matt Smith and Kyle Whitmore into kicking machines.  Memories will be shared over the Matt Hunter, Steph Davidson, and Josh Wilke chases in the backfield as they hunted the QB so many times.  The O-line teamwork will grow more legendary especially as Andy Davis, Trace Brown, Kenneth Dodson, Joe Villanueva and Scott Sacchieri tell everyone over and over how great they were and they were.  Matt Stolt, Kelly Nix and Brad Dear will be talking about who had the biggest hit on Special Teams. Matt Blomstrom, Matt Hetmaniak and Janyle Douglas were always prepared and ready to make the plays.  Trey Richmond and Chris Powell will be arguing over who had the best downfield move and no one will argue over who had the best interception for a touchdown, Mr. Wright.  Will the memories be of Bryce’s kick-off returns, numerous runs for touchdowns, pancake blocks or his front flip into the endzone after the aforementioned Mr. Wright’s kick-off return against Klein?   Sherrod Ceasar and Casey will argue over the best hit made in the secondary while Chris Holt laughs because nobody got by him to them. Ryan Wilkerson, Eric Wachel, and Scooter Manning always got the crowd moving by their incessant cheering.   Ryan Lemon, Kelly Coburn, Josh Williams and Anthony Flory will debate who looked better with Josh holding the Homecoming King card.  Dustin Conant will rightly insist that he was the toughest player pound for pound over while Woody Smith will no doubt win the loudest player pound for pound.

In the end, this game didn’t matter because other more important things matter, like the Seniors being good leaders, the underclassman learning how to act with class and the 2004 season a success by any measure.