Klein Oak Panther Football

Klein Oak vs Cy Creek September 6, 2008
Panther’s long awaited season opener is a victorious one Oak outscores Cy Creek 38 – 29 After Hurricane Gustov dashed the hopes of playing at Texas Stadium last week, our Klein Oak Panthers were certainly geared up and ready to roll for their season opener. It was a great night for football as the temperature was quite pleasant as the sun disappeared at Klein Memorial Stadium. The home team Panthers clad in all-black uniforms, took the field around 7pm and eventually took it to the Cy Creek Cougars for a much anticipated victory in the season opener for both teams. 1^st Half: Oak’s sophomore kicking specialist, Michael Schroble kicked off from the south side of the field and Oak’s hired hit man Kevin Williams made the first tackle of the 2008 campaign. The game started positive for KO as the CY Creek ball carrier was hammered by seniors Cody Davis, Brian Corcoran and Williams on the first play from scrimmage. 2^nd play not as fortunate for the Panthers as the Cougars struck quickly with a long pass play down the left side line that ended with junior CB Trey Paine running down the receiver at the 2 yard line. This presented the Panther defense with their first real test and they came through like the steel curtain of the 70’s; the Panther D held the Cougars out of the end zone on 4 straight running plays. A super open field tackle by junior safety Luke Muncie on 1^st down then a solo by junior linebacker Demetrich Gilliam then a combination tackle by linebackers Williams and Corcoran put Cy Creek in a 4^th and goal at the 1 yard line. Once again Gilliam blasted off the hip of sophomore defensive linemen Nathan Hughes and made the stop and the possession was reversed and turned over to the Panther’s explosive offensive machine. Explosive might be an understatement as the Panthers needed just one play, a 99 yard touchdown run by senior running back Ossam Cook. Outstanding interior blocking by senior center Brad Benditz and senior guard Clint Naron opened up the hole just wide enough for the slippery yet super strong Cook to slice through. Cook then juked the safety and out ran the entire defensive secondary down the right sideline for the Panther’s first score of the game and the year. Oak led the contest 7 – 0 as junior kicker Matt Peterson made good on the PAT. Schroble kicked strong again and clearly felt that was not good enough as he ran down the cougar kick-returner and made the tackle himself, nailing him at the Creek 32 yard line. Creek ran their option to the right side and Corcoran and senior linebacker Blake Washington blasted the QB just after he pitched the ball and senior safety Craig Palmer made a nice tackle on the pitch man. Davis and Gilliam then made two solo tackles and put Creek in a 3^rd and 5, unfortunately a pass interference call on the Panthers gave the Cougars another set of downs to work with. This is where super sophomore Hughes makes his presence known as he came untouched and sacked the elusive Creek QB for a 6 yard sack. But again the Panthers had a bit of a communication breakdown and allowed the Creek RB to flair out of the back field only to catch a routine 3 or 4 yard flair out that turned into a 36 yard gainer with Muncie saving the touchdown. But this time the Cougars pushed it over the goal line to tie the score at 7 a piece. Senior DB Mike Anderson returned the kick to the 20 yard line and junior QB Andy Wilson took his offensive back on the field. Wilson immediately went to work and on a play-action fake to Cook, fired a bullet to senior TE Jordan Najvar for a 19 yard pitch and catch. This gave the panthers some better field position and Wilson took advantage of it as he went back to the air and lofted a beautiful pass to senior WR Devin Dickerson for a 15 yard pass reception. Super pass blocking by senior linemen Ryan Koch, Kevin Forsch, Zack Coleman along with Benditz and Naron gave Andy all the time he needed. After Wilson and Cook combined for 20 yards to set up first down at the Creek 25 yard line, Wilson went back to Najvar to give Oak a first and goal at the 7. Cook just needed two tries from there and the Panthers regained the lead 14 to 7. Peterson was again good with the PAT. . Another deep Schroble kick and an Anderson tackle gave the Cougars 1^st and 10 at the 32 yard line. The Defense stiffened this go around with some big plays from Davis, Hughes and a big sack from junior linebacker Antoine Stewart that forced the Cougars to punt. With Wilson back in control, the Panther O was back in action. On 2^nd down Wilson completed a nice 8 yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Tory Waites and then he took matters into his own hands with a nice run of 18 yards. A great kick out block by Naron and nice downfield blocking by Koch helped the cause. With the ball squarely on the Panther 35 yard line, it was Cook up the middle via a Forsch block, then a nice inside run by senior flanker Jeremy Maywether that gave Oak another set of downs to work with. After two rather unsuccessful plays, Wilson went back to his money-man Najvar with a nice 1^st down pass completion. With the ball on the 15, Wilson threw a perfect pass to Najvar in the end zone but defensive interference was called on the play and Oak had it at the one with a new set of downs. Oak however could not push it over and turned the ball over to the Cy Creek offense. On the 3^rd play from scrimmage after the turnover on downs, the Cy Creek QB was stripped of the ball by Hughes who also jumped on the fumble for a turnover. A super sophomore play if I’ve ever seen one. After several running plays and a few incompletions, Najvar caught two more passes in a row but just barely shy of a first down. On 4^th down, the Oak coaching staff sent out Peterson for a long field goal attempt. It barely missed and the Creek offense took over. A nice drive by the Cougars turned into an eventual field goal that brought the score to 14 – 10. Nice defensive plays on the drive by Stewart and Muncie who had his usual hard hits from his post in the secondary. Also in on the action was Washington who made some super run downs of the QB in crucial times. Another tackle in the backfield by Hughes and a jarring hit by Palmer along with a nice tackle on a screen by junior nose guard Kilrain Jones forced the Cougar field goal. The half ended at that point. Honestly the mood seemed a bit bitter sweet as the Panthers had their opportunities to put this away early but that’s the beauty of football and why we have halftime adjustments. 2^nd Half Moving into the 2^nd half, Luke Muncie looked like “Juke” Muncie as he returned the kick 36 yards as he made a plethora of cougar would-be tacklers miss. With the ball spotted at the Oak 43 yard line, Mr. Wilson went back to work. After 3 unsuccessful plays the Panther’s we’re forced to punt. Schroble did the honors and the ball somehow bounced off a cougar foot and was recovered by the Panthers Mayweather. Heads up play by Jeremy to jump on the loose ball. Oak O back in business at the 25 yard line. This drive however fizzled a bit but the Panther’s we’re close enough for the big foot of Schroble as he nailed a 42 yard field goal to extend the lead to 17 to 10. Cy Creek taking over at the 25 yard line put together a 75 yard TD drive with the help of some untimely penalties on the Panthers. Nice tackles on the drive by Jones, Corcoran and Gilliam we’re clearly not enough to keep the Coog’s out of the zone. 17 -17 Mayweather’s turn to return a kick off and he did an equally nice job as he darn near broke it all the way but a shoe string tackle trips him up a the 35 yard line. This return obviously fired up the Panther machine as they scored quickly. After a quick pass reception to Najvar and a nice 15 yard run by Wilson, Dickerson got it the action and made a highlight real play as he darted all over the field for a 28 yard pass reception. He probably ran for 50 yards on the play as he did a lot of east to west side stepping. Super down field blocking by sophomore wide receiver Max Stevenson, all 6’5 of him along with Mayweather, Big Brad Bendtitz and Coleman certainly helped the effort. One play later Wilson threw a perfectly placed ball to Najvar in the south west corner of the end zone for yet another Oak touch down. Big J-Nive was practically unstoppable on the evening as he hauled in 9 passes for over 100 yards. Oak led 24 -17 (kick good by Schroble) Good coverage this time by the KO kick-off team as they stopped the cougar returner at the 10. Did not take long for the opponent to strike back as they hit their wide out right over the middle for a 90 yard pass reception. Outstanding effort by senior CB Jacobe Shankle saved the touchdown as he used his outstanding sprinter speed to catch the Cougar receiver. Two plays later they scored but missed the extra point and the Panther’s hung on to a tight one point lead 24 -23. A great ball game at this point. Oak took over at the 49 yard line as the Cougar kicker kicked the ball out of bounce. Ossam went back to work for a 11 yard gain off the block of Naron and Koch, then two plays later with ball on the Panther 41 yard line, Ossam slipped through the blocks of Coleman, Forsch and Bendtiz, broke two tackles and darted to the south end zone for 6 more points. PAT was good by Schroble and Oak took an 8 point lead; 31 – 23. Sophomore Cory Waites made the tackle on the next kick off and the Cougar offense came back on the field. Oak’s defense stiffened again and forced a Cougar punt. A super behind the line of scrimmage tackle by Palmer highlighted that series along with tackles by linebackers Washington and Corcoran. The Cougar D was also up to the task as they forced a Panther punt after 3 plays. With a Schroble punt that pinned the Cougars back on their 8 yard line, Shankle made the stop after a 9 yard gain. Another two yard run gave Creek a 1^st down. Cy Creek then proceeded to put together an 11 play drive that culminated in a 7 yard touchdown run. A tough drive to swallow but there was some nice effort plays specifically by Muncie with a tackle for a loss and Stewart who drove the ball carrier out of bounce. This got Creek back in the game 31 – 29 as they missed on the two point conversation with a nice team effort led by Kevin Forsch at nose guard. Mayweather returned the kick 12 yards to the 25 yard line to start the Panther drive. Wilson then went to work and orchestrated a beautiful 75 yard, 8 play scoring drive that ate up valuable minutes on the clock. The drive ended with another wonderful loft pass to Dickerson who practically leaped over the defenders head to haul in the pass. Great pitch and catch by the Wilson / Dickerson tandem. A lot of credit goes to the big O-line as they won the battle of the Bigs and gave senior RB John Michael Cook and O. Cook room to run and Wilson time to throw. Najvar, a Stanford commit, also had a nice 15 yard reception on the drive. Klein Oak Panthers 38, Cy Creek Cougars 29. That ended the game and the scoring. Overall a great effort by our Panthers with a no-give up attitude. Klein Oak Panthers 38, Cy Creek 29 Score by quarters Cy Creek 7 3 13 6 -- 29 Klein Oak Panthers 14 0 17 7 -- 38 Individual Stats Offense RUSHING –Ossam Cook 23-233, 3 TD; Andy Wilson 14-75; John Michael Cook 2-2; Jeremy Mayweather 2-10 PASSING –Wilson 13-17 for 251 yards and 2 TDs RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 9-140, 1TD, Devin Dickerson 3-100, 1TD, Tory Waites 1-11 Defense Demetrich Gilliam, 10 tackles; Kevin Williams, 10 tackles; Brian Corcoran, 7 tackles, caused fumble, pressure; Nathan Hughes, 6 tackles, caused fumble, fumble recovery, pressure, Jacobe Shankle, 9 tackles; Craig Palmer, 6 tackles
Klein Oak vs Klein Forest September 26, 2008
Klein Oak Defense comes up huge in big win over the Klein Forest Eagles. KO forces 8 turnovers and scores 21 defensive points as they route the Eagles 34 to 6 Dealing with hurricanes, power outages, gas shortages and miles of tree debris, not to mention the looming economic situation; a much needed diversion was certainly in order… for all of us… Nothing like a little high school FOOTBALL to answer that bell. Speaking of answering the bell, that is exactly what our Klein Oak Panthers did Friday night as they absolutely blasted the cross town rival Klein Forest Eagles 34 to 6 in the district opener for both squads. Defense was the key to this game as they forced the Eagles into 4 interceptions with 3 of them returned for TDs and 4 fumble recoveries that also led to scores. Two of the picks we’re by Sr. nose guard Cody Davis and the other by Jr. safety Luke Muncie. Not too sure if in the history of football you will find a nose guard picking two passes and scoring… Pretty darn rare. The Panther D held the highly touted Forest RB to just 28 yards on 17 carries and gave up just 145 yards on the ground and just 64 through the air. Overall an outstanding job by the entire defense including the coaching staff that made some gutsy position changes from the previous game and challenged the team to attack. 1^st Half: Sr. Captains Clint Naron, Jordan Najvar, Ossam Cook, Brian Corcoran and Davis met with the Forest captains for the coin toss. Forest won and elected to take the ball first. As it turned out that was clearly a decision they might change if they new what was about to happen. Oak’s Michael Schroble kicked off and a combination tackle by Antwoine Stewart and Mike Anderson stopped the Forest ball carrier at the 18 yard line. The kick off team must have fed off the defense as they continually harassed the Forest returnees all evening long and did an excellent job of keeping the ball deep in Forest territory. KF opened up with a run that went for about 3 yards as Sr. middle linebacker Kevin Williams made the first of his 13 tackles. Forest then tried the air and the pass fell incomplete, With 3^rd and long and the Eagles deep in their own territory, the Panthers appeared to be in good position but the Forest QB completed a 38 yard pass down the right sideline and gave them another set of downs. After another nice tackle by Williams, the Forest ball carrier finally slipped thru the defense for a decent 12 yard gain after being driven out of bounce by Sr. Safety Craig Palmer. With a little bit of momentum, Forest went to their money man #8 on 1^st down and he was greeted by Sr. strong side DE Brian Corcoran who spun the ball carrier into the ground for a 4 yard loss. Then it was our other defensive ends turn, as super Soph Nathan Hughes stopped the ball carrier for a short 3 yard gain. Feeling a bit frustrated the Forest coaching staff went to the air which is just what Jr. Safety Luke Muncie was hoping for. He stepped in front of KF receiver and picked it off and ran down the west side of the field for a super 68 yard touchdown. That opened up the scoring and Oak led 7 – 0 as the extra point was good by Jr Matt Peterson. Oak kicked off and back up QB and kick off hit man Jr. Brandon McClain made his presence known as he blasted the Forest returner leaving him down on the turf at the 20 yard line. That brought our defense back on the field which was a common theme, especially in the 1^st quarter. Just a quick side note, there were 28 plays in 1^st qtr (not including kicks) and the defense was on the field for 23 of them. Those boys we’re not only fighting hard but breathing hard all the same. Forest was able to move the ball as Oak’s defense did bend a bit but did not break. Forest put together a decent 28 yard 10 play drive but ended with Jr. linebacker Demetrich Gilliam jumping on a lost ball. Nice defensive plays on the drive by Jr. outside linebacker Stewart who literally picked up the Forest tailback and stuck him in the ground. Corcoran also got his second of 13 tackles on the evening with another tackle in the backfield for a 6 yard loss. A great heads up play by Gilliam as there we’re a number of folks who could have grabbed that ball but he clearly wanted it more than them. FINALLY a much needed rest for the D and a chance for our explosive offensive to get a crack at em… Did not take long as Sr. tailback Ossam Cook took the 3^rd play from scrimmage all the way to the house for a 54 touchdown. The offensive line opened a huge hole as Sr. guard Clint Naron absolutely pancaked the Forest linebacker and Sr. center Brad Benditiz blocked what appeared to be two would-be tacklers. That quickly gave us a two touchdown lead 14 – 0. The good news was we scored, the bad news was it took just 3 plays and we were back on defense. Apparently we had enough rest as we forced the Eagles into a 3 and out as Sr. linebacker Blake Washington squashed the drive with a tackle 10 yards deep in the backfield. A forest punt and Oak’s offense took over at the Eagle 38 yard line. Two more plays and that ended the quarter (finally).. Sr. TE Jordan Najvar got his first catch of the evening, a nice 10 yard strike from Jr. QB Andy Wilson that moved the chains for a Panther 1^st down. This drive would eventually fizzle out and we we’re forced to punt. The Schroble punt gave the ball back to the Eagles at their own 34 yard line. Did not take long for the Panthers defense to create some more havoc for the Eagles as they forced yet another turnover as Stewart alertly jumped on the pigskin in the Forest backfield. Unfortunately we gave it right back to them as the Forest DB made a nice interception deep in their own territory. Panther D back in action. Williams, Hughes and Gilliam stuffed the ball carrier on 1^st down then a minor let down allowed the ball carrier to scoot down the field for a 20 yard gain with Palmer making the stop.. Corcoran then got his 3^rd tackle for a loss as he one armed the ball carrier around his blocker. Sr. DB Jacobe Shankle got in the action and made a nice run down of the Forest ball carrier, however a penalty on the Eagles pushed them back to the 8 yard line. That’s when the Eagles tried a middle screen and the ever present Davis made his first of two pick/six’s…..A nice pass rush led by Stewart forced the errant throw and Cody made the absolute best out of it. That brought the Panther lead to 21 – 0.. Well when the defense scores they need to go right back out there and that’s exactly what they did after the Schroble kick off. The Eagles opened their next drive at their own 34 yard line and went to work. They attempted to throw the ball and nice coverage by Shankle shut that down; they then tried run around their right side and the Forest ball carrier was blasted by Muncie. That left them with a 3^rd and long and yes you guessed it we forced yet another fumble. This time with great pursuit by a host of Panther’s led by Hughes, the Forest ball carrier tried a desperation pitch back to the QB and Mr. Washington was there instead. Our 5^th turnover to that point. Wilson then took his offense back on the field. You got to give the Oak offense a ton of credit because it was very difficult for them to get into any rhythm based on all the strange turn of events in one half. Andy did an excellent job of taking advantage of excellent field position with the ball at the Eagle 17 yard line. It took only 5 plays to hit pay dirt as he threw a dart to a slanting Max Stevenson for an 8 yard TD strike. The offensive line of Zack Coleman, Ryan Koch, Kevin Forsch, Naron and Benditz did an excellent job of team blocking. A big play on the drive was a 4^th and 1 and Wilson went under center and Benditz and co. drove the D-line backwards for an easy first down. That was a big play and executed perfectly. Nice job by the big boys up front. With the half coming close to an end, each team got another possession that ended in punts. Forest was threatening right at the end of the half but time ran out and the Klein Oak Panthers held a commanding 27 – 0 advantage. 2^nd Half: Oak to receive. Soph Tory Waites took the kick and returned it 24 yards to the Panther 29 yard line. A direct snap to O. Cook resulted in a 17 yard gain. Great blocking by Koch and Sr. flanker Jeremy Mayweather was key. With the ball spotted at the 46 yard line it was Sr. RB John Michael Cook’s turn. JM scooted right up the middle for a hard fought 4 yard gain. Again nice interior blocking by Forsch helped. Another 7 yard scamper by JM Cook gave Andy and co another 1^st down. O Cook got another carry and ran the DB over for a 6 yard burst. Again Forsch, Naron and Coleman were blocking like this was their last game. With the ball in Eagle territory the Forest defense stiffened and stopped the Panthers short of a first down and forced a punt. A great punt and even better coverage spotted the ball back at the Eagle 15 yard line. Corcoran made the first stop of the 2^nd half for the Panther defense with his 4^th tackle for a loss. Faced with a 2^nd and 11 the Eagles went to the air and outstanding coverage by Palmer forced the pass to sail out of bounce. If you can believe it the Eagles tried that middle screen once again to catch us off guard and it back fired again. Cody Davis read it perfectly, dropped back off his initial rush and stepped in front of the Eagle flanker and took it home for his 2^nd score. That gave Oak an even more commanding lead of 34 to 0. Schroble kicked off once again and the Panthers let the Forest ball carrier return it to their own 34 yard line. The Panther D continued to harass the Eagles as they forced them into yet another 3 and out. Super plays by Anderson and Jr. Corner Trey Payne stopped them in their tracks. After the ensuing punt, the Panthers got the ball back at their own 24. After some hard nosed running by JM Cook came up just a bit shy for a 1^st down, the coaches elected to punt. Clearly with a 34 point lead the coaching staff kept the ball on the ground to eat up the clock. There was no need to run this up as the game was clearly in control at this point. Forest took over and put together a 3 play drive that amounted for 50+ yards with a nice 40 yard scamper by the Eagle QB with Palmer running him down once again.. However the Eagles got a bit greedy and went deep. Payne and the Eagle receiver both caught up to the ball at approximately the same time near the 10 yard line and Payne out muscled him for the interception. Payne’s momentum ran him into the end zone as he then reversed field and headed south landing at the Oak 23 yard line. Outstanding corner play by Trey. Oak took over and after 3 plays that accumulated 14 yards the 3^rd quarter ended, Moving into the 4^th quarter and the game clearly in hand, the Panther coaching staff continued to run the ball in a conservative style. This drive eventually ended in a punt as the Forest Eagles stuffed 8 or 9 players in the box as they new what was happening. With Forest on offense after the punt, reserve D-linemen Kelby-Diaz Jackson made two nice tackles and Corcoran fell on the last of the 8 turnovers. JM Cook and Krimildo Shirute handled the running chores and McClain took over at QB. If not for some untimely penalties this group would have done some damage. Nice interior blocking by linemen Chris Kline, James Caldwell, Marcus Montanye, Clemente Rodriguez and Geoffery Hartnup along with wide out Ethan Condiff made holes a bit larger for both Cook and Shirute torun through. McClain did an excellent job of managing the team down the stretch. Defensively in the 4^th quarter there we’re big plays by linemen Andy Ortiz who had the only sack of the evening and Pat Bailey who made a nice tackle on the east side of the field. Towards the end of the game the forest QB hooked up with their top RB and completed a relatively long TD pass that ended the scoring. Final score: Klein Oak Panthers 34 … Klein Forest Eagles 6. This was a game for the ages as you won’t see 8 turnovers by one team with 3 returned immediately for touchdowns and 2 additional scores resulting from the turnovers. It would be hard to believe if you did not see it for yourself. Not often is defense the talk of the town but in this particular case it is deserving… Klein Oak Panthers 33, Klein Forest Eagles 6 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Klein Forest Eagles 0 0 0 6 -- 6 Klein Oak Panthers 14 13 6 0 -- 34 Individual Stats Offense RUSHING –Ossam Cook 17-145, 1 TD; Andy Wilson 7-30; John Michael Cook 4-12; Jeremy Mayweather 2-5 PASSING –Wilson 3-6 for 30 yards and 1TD, 1 INT RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 2-20, Max Stevenson 1-10, 1TD Max Stevenson – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense Brian Corcoran: 13 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 pressure, 1 QB hit, 1 fumble recovery Kevin Williams: 13 tackles, forced fumble Cody Davis: 10 tackles, 2 INT, 2 TD, 1 caused fumble – DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Demetrich Gilliam: 8 tackles, 1 caused fumble, 1 fumble recovery Nathan Hughes: 8 tackles, Antwoine Stewart: 7 tackles, 2 QB hit, 1 pressure, 1 fumble recovery Tray Payne: 3 tackles, 1 Int, 1 pass block Luke Muncie, 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD Craig Palmer, 7 tackles Special Teams Mike Anderson, 6 tackles – SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME Blake Washington, 5 tackles, 2 pressures Jacobe Shankle, 3 tackles
Klein Oak vs Klein October 3, 2008
KEIN OAK WHITES OUT KLEIN An emotional homecoming loss for the Bearkats as the Panthers win 23 -17 1^st Half: Klein obviously concerned with Oak’s high-powered offense attempted an onside kick but failed to receive it as Oak’s Sr. receiver Patrick Morgan jumped high in the air and alertly covered the ball. The Panthers then took over but were unable to get anything going early with two short runs by Sr. Tailback Osaam Cook and an incomplete pass attempt by Jr. QB Andy Wilson. After an Oak punt by sophomore Michael Schroble, the powerful Panther defense forced the Bearkats into a 3 and out as a heads-up 3^rd down stop by junior safety Luke Muncie was key. KO then took over at the 47 yard line. After a loss of 3 on first down, Wilson then went to the air and found Sr. Flanker Jeremy Mayweather for a super 14 yard pass reception accounting for a first down. The next play Oak went back to the legs of Wilson and he picked up anther 15 yards and a 1^st down. Three straight runs by Cook accumulated 18 yards and another Panther first down. Now with the ball on the 3 yard line, Wilson took the ball himself out of the shotgun and ran in for the first touchdown of the night. Great interior blocking led by offensive player of the game Sr. Center Brad Benditz, along with big guards Clint Naron and Kevin Forsch made it a bit easier for Andy. Klein Oak 7- Bearkats 0 as the extra point was good by Schroble. With momentum on the side of Klein Oak, a host of Panthers tackled the Bearkat return man. Klein taking over with the ball on their own 36 yard line. The Panther defense was still pumped and again made the Bearkats go 3 and out. Great tackles by Sr. linebackers Demetrich Gilliam and Kevin Williams along with junior linebacker Antwonie Stewart. After the Klein punt, Wilson and the offense took over at the 36 yard line. Cook started the drive with a nice 6 yard gain over the block of Sr. tackle, Zach Coleman. After an incomplete pass, Wilson then found sr. tight end/ wide out, Jordan Najvar who caught a crucial 3^rd down pass. Another blast by Benditz, Naron and Forsch allowed Cook to gain another 9 yards. That play ended the 1^st quarter action. With both teams switching sides, the Panthers kept the drive going with a 5 yard run by Cook. With an incomplete pass on 3^rd down, Schroble came in and kicked a 25 yard field goal. A great hold by Brandon McClain as the snap was a bit high. Panthers 10- Bearkats 0. With a booming kick by Schroble, there was no chance of return as the kick sailed through the end zone. Klein got determined and started to pound the ball with gains of 2, 6, and 22 yards. Hard hitting tackles by sophomore Nathan Hughes and Jacobe Shankle were highlights on the drive. After a 15 yard pass by the Bearkats, the panthers got a 3^rd down stop by Jr. Corner Tray Payne and Muncie. Still, the Klein Bearkats got on the board with a perfect 49 yard field goal into the wind. Panthers 10- Bearkats 3. With a poor Klein kick the Panthers took over on the Klein 45 yard line. On the opening play of the drive, Cook made an unbelievable play by running for an astonishing 55 yards. Ossam was running as fast as the number on his jersey which would get him a speeding ticket had he been running that fast in the Northampton subdivision. After a 12 yard pass completion to sophomore receiver Tory Waites, the Panthers were primed for another score and that is exactly what they did. Cook slipped through the middle of the big O-line darted past a few would be tacklers and cut back left and into the end zone. Super vision by Ossam has he felt his way with his eyes and feet to pay dirt. That brought the Panther lead to 14 points. Nice down field blocking by Najvar and sophomore wide out Max Stevenson sealed the Klein DBs from even getting a paw on Cook. KO Panthers 14 – Klein 3 Oak defense again stepping up forced another 3 and out on Klein’s next possession. Nice defensive plays by sr. linebacker / DB Mike Anderson, sr. linebacker Blake Washington along with Gilliam were evident on the series. Oak took over after the punt and started their next drive at their own 45 yard line. Wilson ran for a 15 yard gain then another for 6 which eventually left them in a 3 and long. The Oak coaching staff decided to send Schroble out for field goal but it was unfortunately blocked and the ball turned over to the BearKats. The block clearly got our opponents pumped up being down by just 10 points and just over 2 minutes left in the half. Taking over a their own 36 yard line, Klein immediately went deep and the ball feel incomplete as Payne and Palmer we’re draped all of the BearKat receiver. Then Klein caught the extremely aggressive Oak defense stunting the wrong way and the Klein RB slipped through the teeth of the D and sprinted practically untouched for a 64 yard TD. KO Panthers 17, Klein Bearkats 10 With 2:16 left on the clock and the ball back in the capable hands of the Oak offense, they picked up one first down then eventually punted. Klein then took a knee to end the half as the Panthers held a 7 point margin. 2^nd Half: KO’s Schroble opened up the 2^nd H with another bomb into the end zone for a zero return. Klein taking over at their 20 yard line. After a quick first down by the Klein offense the defense understanding the game was close, began to bring it once again. On 1^st down the entire D line led by Hughes, Sr. nose guard Cody Davis and Sr. D-end Brian Corcoran ended up in the backfield and forced the Klein fullback backwards into his own man for a 3 yard loss. Corcoran then beat the double team and forced another tackle for a loss, his 1^st of 5 tackles for a loss in the contest. With 3^rd and a mile they went to the air and nice pressure by Washington and even better coverage by Payne and Muncie forced a Klein punt. Oak didn’t fare much better on their next drive as it ended after 3 plays. Again the Panther D playing like there is no tomorrow forced yet another punt as Gilliam, Corcoran and defensive game MVP Williams along with Muncie made nice stops on the drive. A decent punt by Klein ended in a zero return which gave the ball back to the Panthers at their own 16 yard line. Cook got the first carry and did not disappoint. A nice 20 yard gain with a super block by Najvar along with Mayweather. Then a couple of fumbles in the backfield although recovered by the Panthers halted this drive and we’re forced to punt. Too bad as the O-line seemed to have driven the Klein D-line backwards on the two fumbled plays and who knows what could have happened… Schroble then booted a 50 yard punt that resulted in another zero return. With the ball way back on the BearKat 20 yard line, Corcoran again beat the double team blasted around the fullback and pounded the ball carrier into the ground. It looked bad because he caught a portion of the RB’s face mask and was caught for a 15 yarder. That gave the BearKats a little room to breath unfortunately. Anderson then stepped up and made two tackles in back to back plays then Corcoran, Gilliam and Davis made consecutive stops. The brought and end to the 3^rd Qtr. On the 2^nd play of the 4^th, the Bearkat RB slipped around the corner and scooted in for a game tying touchdown. This fired up the homecoming packed crowd on the Klein side of the stadium. All square at 17… with 11.17 minutes left in the contest. Well with the Klein fans going berserk, that only fueled the fire within the leader of the Oak offense, Mr. Andy Wilson. After the kick-off, Oak took the ball over at their own 20 yard line. Wilson took the first snap for a quick yard and regrouped with the rest of the O. With Andy running on 1^st down, the Bearkats were either thinking pass or Cook run, one or the other. The coaching staff made a great call as Andy faked the hand off to Cook pulled it back and darted his way down the left side line for a dramatic 79 yard TD run. There we’re multiple outstanding blocks on the play led by Koch, Forsch with a pancake, Mayweather with a crack back, Coleman and Stevenson with downfield blocking and Waites with a block at about the 5 yard line that sealed the deal. The right side of the line did their jobs as well as Bendtiz, Najvar and Naron sealed off any would-be tacklers. Overall a well drawn up play and even better executed. This is where special teams MVP, Luke Muncie makes another super play. Oak attempted the extra point but again it was blocked and returned by a Klein wingman (not a slow guy either)… With at least a 10 yard head start on Luke, he hustled, sprinted and balled out for an unbelievable tackle on the 3 yard line saving a 2point play. A gritty play that showed the complete character of this ball team. With over 10 minutes left in the game this Xtra point block gave the BearKats a lot of hope to win the contest as they we’re down by just 6 points. The defensive coaches for Oak must have really challenged their players as they hit yet another gear. After the ensuing kick, Klein took over at their 20 yard line and a little momentum based on results from their last drive. This time they would not be as fortunate. They immediately went to the air to strike quickly and Palmer was all over the receiver and the ball feel incomplete. Corcoran then nailed the running back for another 2 yard loss then it was Gilliam’s turn as he caught the ball carrier trying to turn the corner. The D held and the ball was turned back over the Oak offense. The Oak offense did their job on this drive as they held the ball with good ground control for over 3.5 minutes. Cook and Wilson doing the damage on the ground with Benditz, Coleman and Forsch leading the charge up front. Payne and Stewart’s turn to step up on D as they both accounted for tackles in the backfield that stymied the next two possessions for Klein. Stewart actually knocked the ball loose from the QB on a nice blitz from the left side. Eventually left in a desperate situation, they went to the air and cover man Shankle was there to ensure the game was under control. Overall a gritty win by our Panther’s who never gave up and always believed. Not every game is pretty but good teams win those types of ball games. A great overall team effort on both sides of the ball. Klein Oak Panthers 23, Klein BearKats 17 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Klein BearKats 0 10 0 7 -- 17 Klein Oak Panthers 7 10 0 6 -- 23 Individual Stats Offense RUSHING –Ossam Cook 24-160, 1 TD; Andy Wilson 16-255, 1 TD; John Michael Cook 2-2 PASSING –Wilson 4-10 for 48 yards RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 2-21, Jeremy Mayweather 1-14, Tory Waites, 1-13 BRAD BENDITZ - OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense Kevin Williams: 11 total tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pressure Demetrich Gilliam: 10 total tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a lose, 1 pressure Brian Corcoran: 9 total tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 pressure Craig Palmer, 9 total tackles, 3 broken passes Cody Davis: 7 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pressure Nathan Hughes: 6 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pressure Antwoine Stewart: 5 total tackles, 2 sacks, 5 pressures, 2 QB hits, 1 caused fumble Blake Washington, 5 tackles, 3pressures, 3 QB hits Luke Muncie, 5 total tackles Kevin Williams - DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special Teams Luke Munci - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Tomball October 10, 2008
Homecoming Blowout Panther offense completely dominating in route over Tomball If our offense can perform at this pace and our defense show up like they did against Forest wow they’d give the Texans a run. Oak scored on 5 of their first 6 possessions rolling up 56 points in an outright dominating performance. The Panther offensive machine lead by QB Andy Wilson accounted for 4 touchdowns (2 passes and 2 rushes) and 300 total yards along with Ossam Cook’s 3 touchdowns (2 rushes, 1 pass) and 158 yards and John Michael Cook who ran for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 4 carries. All of this not possible had it not been for big men Kevin Forsch, Clint Naron, Brad Benditz, Zack Coleman, Greg Flores and TE Jordan Najvar who absolutely humiliated the defensive line and linebackers as they hammered them into the backfield all night long. 1^st Half: The Panther’s offense opened up and shocked Tomball as they came out with a naked backfield and 5 potential receivers. Wilson orchestrated a beautiful 9 play drive that ended in a perfect 40 yard strike to sophomore wide-out Tory Waites. Along with the touchdown pass, big plays on the drive included Ossam running for 52 yards on two carries and a nice 11 yard pass from Wilson to Najvar. Oak 7 - TB 0 The Cougars struck right back with a decent drive of their own. The Panther D-line and linebacking core stuffed the 1^st two running attempts and put Tomball in a 3^rd and long. Tomball having one of the best, if not the best wide out in the Houston area, went directly to him for a 20 yard post play that gave them a first down. 4 plays later they did it again, this time with him streaking down the middle of the field for 35 yard pitch and catch. Nice tackles on the drive linebackers Kevin Williams and Demetrich Gilliam were impressive. A super hustle play by Blake Washington blocked the extra point and Oak held a slight lead 7 to 6. Oak’s offense clearly could care less what Tomball did offensively, stayed with their game plan which must have included our offensive line annihilating their defensive opponents. Brad Benditz, Greg Flores, Texas A&M commit Clint Naron, Houston commit Kevin Forsch and the ever impressive Zack Coleman continued to hammer and demoralize their opponents as Wilson again led a 10 play scoring drive. Wilson, Cook and Sr. Flanker Jeremy Mayweather took turns carrying the ball with Ossam getting the last carry, a 5 yard touchdown run. Mayweather was very impressive in this contest as he would have had a lot more yards but yellow flags seemed to fly when he touched the ball. Oak 14 – TB 6 KO tried the ole pooch kick which was unsuccessful and gave the Cougars great field position at their own 40 yard line. Defensive player of the game Brian Corcoran immediately made an impact and stuffed the ball carrier for a one yard loss. Another Panthers penalty (and there was a lot of them) gave Tomball another first down after it looked like they would hold. With the Cougars driving Gilliam came up and made another stop then Safety Luke Muncie, Corcoran and Williams gang tackled the ball carrier and forced a Tomball kick. The kick appeared to be wide left however an off-sides penalty against the D gave the Cougars a 1^st and goal. The Cougar QB eventually would sneak it over for the score. Kick was good and the score KO 14 – TB 13. Believe it or not, Oak’s next possession would end up in a punt. Then the Panther D would hold and force a horrible Cougar kick which gave the ball back to the Panthers at the Cougar 27 yard line. The Panther machine would only need one play from there as senior running back John Michael Cook took the ball up the middle cut to his right and was gone. Outstanding blocking by Benditz, Flores and Naron made it a little easier for Cook but his vision and speed we’re very impressive. Oak 21 – TB 13. Tomball fumbled the ensuing kick and again gave the Panthers excellent field position at the 30 yard line. A perfect 22 yard strike to Najvar streaking down the middle of the field gave the Panthers a quick 1^st down. Two plays later, Wilson threw a swing pass to Ossam and he did the rest as he weaved his way for an 8 yard touchdown reception. KO Panthers 28 – TB 13. Another penalty on the Panther’s defense along with a nice run by the QB on a broken play put the ball on the one yard line. Super hustle on the broken play by Gilliam, Williams, Cody Davis and Corcoran stopped the ball carrier at the 1 yard line. That eventually led to another Tomball score. KO Panthers 28 – TB 19. Sophomore Corey Waites returned the next kick to the 25 yard line. Based on how this game was going, 3 minutes left in the half was plenty of time for Oak to hit pay dirt. Mayweather opened the drive up with a super 20 yard burst and gave way to Mr. O. Cook who did the rest of the work as he darted around the block of Naron and Forsch for a 55 yard touchdown jaunt. Thankfully that ended the scoring for the half. – Klein Oak Panthers 35 – Tomball Cougars 19. Special recognition and congratulations to our own Devin Dickerson who was voted Homecoming King along with the lovely Hanna Farris as Queen. Great job by Special Team’s MVP Leonard Bell as he made great plays and had numerous tackles on kick offs. 2^nd Half: The Cougars quickly jumped back into this game with two quick scores totaling 10 points on their two first drives of the half. Again penalties were an aid to the Cougars as a sideline penalty on the Panthers opened the half and gave the Coug’s some breathing room. Some good pass defense by both corners Jacobe Shankle and Tray Payne we’re not enough to hold down their top receiver as he caught a beautiful 45 yard touchdown reception with just 3:59 left in the 3^rd quarter. Big hits on the drive by super safety Luke Muncie along with outside linebackers Washington and Antwoine Stewart were key to stopping the run but they Tomball offense continued to find success with the passing game. Cody Davis also made a key stop on the drive however a defensive penalty gave them new life. No matter as our offense was in high gear all evening and did not slow down. Wilson then put together a well executed 8 play drive that ate up a bunch of clock and eventually culminated JM Cook touchdown. Offensive MVP JM Cook was practically untouched as Benditz blasted the Cougar linemen into the linebacker and John Michael did the rest, a 31 yard gallop to the end zone which brought the score to OAK 42 – TB 29. Oak’s defensive backfield finally got sick and tired of watching #9 make circus catches as they totally shut him down the rest of the game. Outstanding coverage by Payne, Shankle, Muncie and Palmer were key. Stewart, Washington and Corcoran then took it to the Cougar QB and forced a fumble deep in Cougar territory with Corcoran picking it up and running it in for what appeared to be another Panther TD. The refs had other ideas and said that his knee hit the ground and called it dead at the 5 yard line. With the turn-over it took Wilson just 3 plays to score. JM Cook actually made another incredible run but yet another penalty on the Panthers nullified that touchdown and moved the Panthers all they way back to the 19 yard line. No big deal as Wilson did his own impression of JM Cook and darted his way for a 19 yard QB draw over Forsch and Coleman. That ended the scoring with Klein Oak winning over Tomball 56 to 29. Overall an outstanding job by the entire offense, especially the big studs up front. JM Cook and Mayweather were huge along with the normal big play of Wilson and Ossam. Tory Waites also came up big with a couple of nice grabs with one a touchdown. Great job by the KO offense. Klein Oak Panthers 56, Tomball Cougars 29 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Tomball Cougars 6 13 10 0 -- 29 Klein Oak Panthers 14 21 7 14 -- 56 Individual Stats Offense RUSHING –Ossam Cook 13-158, 2 TD; Andy Wilson 13-113, 2 TD; John Michael Cook 4-66, 2 TD; Jeremy Mayweather, 5-40; Brandon McClain, 4-12 PASSING –Wilson 13-18 for 187 yards, 2 TD RECEIVING –Tory Waites, 4-92, 1 TD, Jordan Najvar 5-50, Jeremy Mayweather 2-25 John Michael Cook – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense Kevin Williams: 13 tackles Demetrich Gilliam: 12 tackles Brian Corcoran: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB pressures, 1 fumble recovery Cody Davis, 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss Luke Muncie, 6 tackles Kelby Diaz Jackson, 4 tackles Blake Washington, 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 caused fumble Antwoine Stewert, 2 tackles, 2 QB pressures Tray Payne, 7 tackles, 1 broken pass Jacobe Shankle, 6 tackles, 1 broken pass Craig Palmer, 5 tackles, 1 broken pass Brian Corcoran - DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams Leonard Bell, 6 tackles; Leonard Bell - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Klein Collins October 17, 2008
Panthers lose a close one in a defensive showdown Dominating defenses give Collins the edge 14 - 7 This was a game pitting Oak’s high powered offense against Collin’s tough defense. This night however belonged to the KC Tigers as they got the best of the Panthers shutting them down and giving up just 7 points. The Oak defense played a pretty darn good game themselves, giving up just 2 scores. This was a tough game for the Panthers to swallow especially on the defensive side of the ball as Collins had just two big plays in the game. One was on a blocked punt that gave the Tigers the ball inside the 30 yard line and the other an uncharacteristic big pass that ended with the Collins receiver at the 2 yard line. Both led to Tiger scores. Oak’s defense gave up just 253 yard in total offense in the game however they gave up one too many first downs in the 2^nd half when our offense really needed it back. A bend but not break deal for a while but you have to give credit where credit is due. Collins played well in the win and deserved the victory. Collins won the toss and deferred to the Panther’s offense to start the game. Oak came out strong and moved the ball into Tiger territory with sophomore receiver Tory Waites grabbing a nice 25 yard pass reception from junior signal caller Andy Wilson. After another reception of 6 yards to Sr. TE Jordan Najvar and a couple of runs by senior RB Ossam Cook, Oak was left with 3rd and 9. The pass fell incomplete and Oak decided to attempt a field goal. Oak’s normally very consistent kicker, Michael Shroble booted one and it veered a bit left and missed. Now it was the Panther D to show its teeth and that’s exactly what they did. Collins quickly went 3 and out with super tackles by seniors Kevin Williams (MLB), Craig Palmer (safety) and Jacobe Shankle (corner) leading that series. Oaks’s offense did not fair any better on their next possession as they also went 3 and out. With Collins taking over on their own 42 yard line the Oak defense bent a bit this time but did not break. Collins put together a 10 play drive that was ultimately shut down on a 4th and 10 which they went for and did not come close. Safety Luke Muncie, outside backers Blake Washington and Antwonie Stewart and junior linebacker Demetrich Gilliam made it very difficult for the Tigers to run the ball with Shankle and junior corner Tray Payne shutting down the pass. This fired up the Panther offense and put them into a gear they could have and should have kept up all night long. The Panther O-line consisting of center Brad Benditz, Kevin Forsch, Clint Naron, Greg Flores and Zack Coleman looked great on this drive as they blew open huge holes for RB O. Cook and QB Wilson as they combined for 48 yards on the ground and a nice pass reception to sophomore wide out Cory Waites. The drive ended with Ossam going right over Benditz and Flores for a super 15 yard touch down run that gave the Panthers a 7 point lead. Again the Panther defense shut down the Tigers with the 3 man defensive line of seniors Brian Corcoran, Cody Davis and Jordan Najvar. Muncie, Gilliam and Williams were an excellent compliment giving the Tigers no ground at all. With the ball back in the hands of the Panthers offense, this is where the game turned. After 3 plays that accounted for 8 yards, Oak was left with a 4th and 2 and decided to punt. With the ball around the 50 yard line the punt was not a bad idea as we had a 7 point lead and our defense was playing lights out. However a break down somewhere on the left side of the line allowed the Collins wingman to block the punt. This gave the Tigers excellent field position which led to a score and the game was all knotted up at 7. That ended the scoring in the half as KO had two additional possessions and KC one more that all ended up in punts. Clearly good defense was being played by both teams as no one could really mount any momentum. The Panther D-line really came to play as they turned in 39 tackles between them with 10 of them for loses in the contest. Ethan Condiff played outstanding on special teams as he was awarded special team’s player of the game for his outright hustle and attitude. Moving into the 3^rd quarter, Collins started out on offense. Stewart and Williams combined to tackle the Tiger RB on 1^st down but not after he picked up a first down. Corcoran and Davis then made a stop on the next play and the Collins QB attempted to go to the air. Williams on a hard rush smashed the QB just after he released the ball and it fell incomplete. Very good coverage by Palmer, Payne and Muncie on the play. Faced with a 3rd and long, the Tiger QB went back to pass could not find anyone open but found room to run and picked up a very key first down for the Tigers. With momentum now building for Collins, Corcoran decided to put a stop to that and slammed the Tiger ball carrier in the ground for a 4 yard loss. Muncie then made a jarring tackle on 2^nd down and the Panthers looked as if they would stop them again. This time a break down in the secondary allowed the Collins receiver to get free and almost scored on the play. Super hustle by Palmer saved the touchdown as he made the stop at the 2 or 3 yard line; the Panther D did their best to stop them with a great effort by Najvar and big man Cody Davis really showed some grit. However on their 3rd attempt the fullback found the end zone. That gave Klein Collins a 7 point advantage. The Collins defense and their fans clearly pumped up with the possibility of beating the unbeaten Panthers stepped up again and stopped the Panthers on their next drive leading to another punt. However this Panther team never gives up and everyone on the sideline believed. Down by 7 the Panther defense continued to play hard. Senior linebacker Mike Anderson made a super tackle in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. Then nice coverage again by Shankle left Collins in a 3^rd and long situation. With the lead, the Tigers really wanted to take their time as they kept the ball on the ground and snapped it at the 5 second mark (play clock).. Again with 3^rd and long, they tried the reverse and Corcoran was there to snuff it out. The ball came loose and the ever present Davis jumped on it. He might have scored on the play but was tripped by his own team mate who was also hustling hard for the ball. The Panther offense, with good field position, mounted a decent drive that left them in a 4th and too much. Oak decided to attempt another field goal and again this one sailed a bit left outside of the goal posts. Clearly this pumped up the Collins side. This is where the Collins offense did a good job as they beat down the clock with 3 1^st downs on the ground. The Panther defense showing a bit of strain and slowing down a bit knew they needed to get the ball back to the offense. After 9 consecutive running plays Mike Anderson had had enough and he stripped the ball from the Tiger QB and Palmer jumped on the pigskin for Oak’s second turnover in the contest. Down by 7 a turnover was exactly what the Panthers needed. Oak took over and again began to move the ball. A nice Wilson to Tory Waites reception got it going but lasted only 5 plays as Collins forced another punt. Oak’s defense then gave Collins 5 plays and forced them to punt. Time was running out on the Panthers…. One last shot for the Panthers and they gave it all they had. With the clock running down, Wilson found Waites for a beautiful 25 yard reception. A circus catch by Tory as he was double covered and still came down with the ball. Outstanding play by the youngster. After that a quick spike to shut down the clock. Two incompletes in a row left the Panthers with 4^th a long. Najvar came up huge as he kept his concentration on a tipped pass that gave the Panthers another set of downs. However that was all the theatrics we could muster and the game came to an end. Collins 14 – Oak 7 Klein Oak Panthers 7, Klein Collins Tigers 14 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Klein Collins Tigers 0 7 7 0 -- 14 Klein Oak Panthers 7 0 0 0 -- 7 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Ossam Cook 14-91, 1 TD; Andy Wilson 4-20; John Michael Cook 1-3 PASSING –Wilson 10-19 for 151 yards RECEIVING –Tory Waites, 5-85, Jordan Najvar 3-35, Jeremy Mayweather 1-19, Cory Waites, 1-12 Tory Waites – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Kevin Williams: 15 tackles, 2 QB pressures Brian Corcoran: 13 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 3 QB pressures, 1 caused fumble Cody Davis, 13 tackles, 2 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 2 pressures, 1 recovered fumble Jordan Najvar, 10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 5 QB pressures Demetrich Gilliam: 10 tackles, 1 QB pressure Craig Palmer, 10 tackles, 1 broken pass Luke Muncie, 9 tackles, 1 broken pass Tray Payne, 8 tackles, 1 broken pass Mike Anderson, 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 pressures, 1 caused fumble. Antwoine Stewert, 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 QB pressures, 1 QB hit Jacobe Shankle, 4tackles Blake Washington, 3 tackles Jordan Najvar – DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Ethan Condiff - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Spring October 25, 2008
Klein Oak Crushes Spring and does it with Class Kein Oak hit on “almost” all cylinders in this ball game and outclassed Spring to the tune of 44 to 17. Burdened with a myriad of penalties, some just, some not, along with a somewhat hostile Spring team, the Panther’s kept their composure throughout the evening and absolutely dominated the Lions from start to finish. Klein Oak never trailed in the game and ended it with 20 unanswered points. This was one game where all three facets of the game (Offense, Defense and Special Teams) played pretty darn good but left some room for improvement. The win sets up a showdown with Westfield and district title implications as they clash Thursday night. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net. Ossam Cook had another huge night as he ran for 260 yards on 19 carries. Believe it or not, his stats could have been much bigger had huge gains not have been called back because of penalties. All told he could have had close to 400 yards on the ground. Andy Wilson too had a big game as he 110 yards on the ground and threw for another 112. Andy was this week’s offensive player of the game. The highly touted offensive line played an outstanding game and played in sync all evening, blasting the Spring defense backwards most of the night. Center Brad Benditz, guards Clint Naron and Kevin Forsch, tackles Zack Coleman and Ryan Koch and tight end Jordan Najvar played like a cohesive group that appeared to be a bit on edge throughout the game. Defensively another solid performance as the Panther D held the Lions to just 103 yards on the ground and 191 in the air. Junior linebacker Demetrich Gilliam was all over the field and earned defensive player of the game as he totaled 14 tackles in the contest. Spring opened up on offense and began to move the ball. 1^st play from scrimmage was a pass that was complete for 9 yards. Kevin Williams from his post at MLB made the stop along with corner Jacobe Shankle. Then an inside hand off to their flanker right up the middle was enough for a first down but junior safety Luke Muncie made them think twice about that as he blasted the Lion ball carrier. Nose guard Cody Davis made the stop on 1^st down but an inside draw play on 2^nd was enough for another Lion first down. With the ball at the Lion 45 yard line and a little momentum they tried to go to the Panther strong side. Defensive end Brian Corcoran fought off his block and ran down the Spring tailback for just a two yard gain. Back to the air and Muncie with great pass defense created the incomplete. On 3^rd and 8 the Lion QB was sacked by Gilliam as he blasted off the weak side. On the Lion punt, sophomore punt returner Tory Waites made a great return of over 20 yards but a flag nullified the play. Oak with the ball on their own 27 yard line needed just two plays to hit pay dirt. With Andy under center and Ossam deep in the backfield they went to work. First play right over Forsch and Benditiz for a 12 yard gain. Next play, this time over Naron and Benditz and Ossam did the rest for a 61 yard TD. Great downfield blocking by Coleman who pancaked his man and Waites certainly helped the cause. Oak 7 – Spring 0 as the extra point was good by sophomore kicker Michael Shroble. Special team player of the game Blake Washington made the stop with the help of Kilraine Jones on the ensuing kick off and the Panther defense went back to work. Corcoran opened this series with tackle in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. The Lions with a 2^nd and 14 went to the air and the ball was overthrown as Muncie again had super pass coverage. Davis was there to snuff the next play as he dropped the ball carrier for another 2 yard loss. Another penalty on the punt pushed the Panthers back to their own 46 yard line to start the next drive. Oak moved the ball again, this time in a more methodical way chewing up the clock with a variety of passes and runs. Waites caught a nice 6 yard strike from Wilson and Ossam put together runs of 9 yards on 3 attempts. Oak went to the air and good pass coverage by the Lions forced the Panthers into a 43 yard field goal attempt that missed wide left. Spring took over at the 26 yard line. A great pass rush by outside linebacker Antownie Stewart got things going good again as he forced an errant pass out of bounce. Then the Lions found a little success around our defensive right side and got a couple of 1^st downs. A big pass interference on one of our DB’s gave them a little life, Corner Tray Payne made a D1 defensive back play as the Lions went deep but Tray was there to knock the ball down at the 4 yard line. But it was big sophomore D-End Nathan Hughes that really thwarted this drive as he disrupted the pitch from the QB to the RB and “Johnny on the spot” Gilliam was there for the turnover, recovering the fumbled ball on the 45 yard line. Oak took over at their own 45 yard line and Wilson, Cook and the offensive line did the rest with this series ending in a 6 yard flair-out pass to Cook that he took in untouched for the score. Again the O-line humiliated the Lions on this drive as every play outside of the touchdown was a running play that accounted for a minimum of 5 yards per carry. Oak 14 – Spring 0 On the next offensive series for Spring, the Oak defense had them in a 3^rd and mile but yet another pass interference penalty gave them new life. The Lions went to a little trickery which was all they could muster up and caught the Panther D off guard. The Lions QB rolled right and threw back to the left side and found a receiver standing all by himself and he made a nice run into the end zone that got them on the board. Kick missed and it was Oak 14 – Spring 6. What appeared to be a super return by Craig Palmer ended up being a fumble with the Lions recovering it the Oak 45 yard line. Spring having just scored and now with a big turnover was showing some life. A quick burst right up the middle gave them a quick 1^st down as Palmer made the stop at the 36 yard line. A quick pass down the line of scrimmage to their wide receiver was caught and Palmer feeling a bit ticked off got in his face, Palmer and Mike Anderson created all kinds of mischief and waited for help. The ball came loose and with a huge battle for the ball, Corcoran was last to get up off the pile and the ball was in his hands. A super play by Craig and the rest of his colleagues. That stopped the Spring momentum and Oak had a chance to pile on more early points. Two runs by Ossam totaling 28 yards, of course another Oak penalty and a pass completion to Najvar set up Andy for a 8 yard roll out for another Panther touchdown. Oak 21 – Spring 6. Spring then put together their only successful drive of the contest, an 11 play drive that ended in a 13 yard touch down run by the Lion tailback. There were some nice defensive plays on the drive however: Washington, Gilliam, Anderson, Muncie, Davis and Williams made some key stops and Corcoran had another tackle for a loss. Oak 21 – 14 as the two point play was good. The Panthers had time for one more possession before the half and made it count. Wilson put together his own 11 play drive that ended in a Shroble field goal that was good. This drive was almost all passing as Wilson hit big TE Najvar 3 times for 34 yards along with one big run by Andy himself. Oak 24 – Spring 14 That ended the half. The second half belonged to the Klein Oak Panthers as they put it into overdrive and really controlled the ball game. The Oak coaching staff also showed a tremendous amount of class as they could have easily poured points on the scoreboard late in the contest but decided the integrity of the game was more important. Oak’s first possession did not go as planned as Spring came out a bit fired up and forced a punt. Another Panther penalty on the drive certainly did not help. Oak back on D seemed to continue it’s dominance as Muncie came up big with some big hits along with Williams, Davis, Anderson and Hughes. On a 2^nd down play the combination of a Corcoran rush and Payne’s coverage forced an incomplete which left them in a 3^rd and long. Again the Lions went back to the air. The QB running for his life and outstanding coverage by our DB’s forced another incomplete pass but Gilliam hustling like there was no tomorrow hit the QB as he was throwing and was flagged. That gave them a new set of downs and super field position which they only turned into 3 points. Oak 24 – Spring 17 At this point in the contest it seemed like a fairly close game so the Oak offensive machine went to work and put that notion to bed. 20 unanswered points were next on the docket. Payne returned the next kick to the 21 yard line and it took just 3 plays to score. A 6 yard pass to Najvar then a 36 yard scamper by Ossam then Wilson capped the drive with a 33 yard run himself to make the score 31 -17 and all but drown the hopes of the Lions. Outstanding blocking by the entire team including big wide out Max Stevenson, two-way player Jeremy Mayweather and of course our hoss’s upfront. The next 3 possessions ended in punts as the Panther defense was too much for the Lions. Big plays included a sack by Gilliam big tackles by Davis, Muncie, Mike Anderson and Mr. Consistent Williams. With Oak taking over at their own 35 yard line Wilson got things moving again. Ossam was stopped at the line of scrimmage on play one then Wilson found the ever present Mayweather for a strike over the middle which left them with a 3 and 1. Thinking a sneek was in order, Wilson handed the ball to Ossam and he blasted over Koch (great to have Ryan back) and sprinted 54 yards to pay dirt. A super back-side block by Benditz who drove his guy into the ground and a nice kick out by Forsch opened the hole. Oak 38 – Spring 17. Enter Jeremy Mayweather back to the defensive backfield and he immediately made an impact. Jeremy along with Muncie, Palmer and Payne we’re all over the Lions receivers as they had to go to the air to get back in the contest. No chance as our defenders we’re all over them, especially Mayweaher as he knocked two balls down himself. Oak’s Jr. back-up QB / Receiver Brandon McClain took over from Andy and did a nice job of running the offense. Ossam took a well deserved seat on the bench and Jacobe Shankle took his spot at running back. If there we’re no numbers on their jerseys you might not have noticed the difference. Shankle did his best Ossam impersonation and weaved his way to a 38 yard TD with great blocking from Donovan West, James Sloan, Greg Flores, Marcus Montanye, Chris Kline and Geoffrey Hartnup along with wide-outs Ethan Condiff and Patrick Morgan during the series. Oak 44 – Spring 17 Backup linebackers Michael Ward, Leonard Bell, Patrick Bailey, Demarcus Robertson, DB’s Marcelo Barbazo, Jorge Alveraz and Jerrell Livingston stepped up and did a super job as did D-linemen Ryan Taylor, Nick Cooke and Mr. Hustle Andy Ortiz and of course big man Kelby Diaz-Jackson. Now it was little man Kevin Mitchell’s turn. Kevin would be a starter for a number of teams in Texas as he has superior speed and toughness. Kevin made the entire Spring team miss him around mid field and darted his way all the way down to the 5 yard line. A very impressive run for any back in the state of Texas. This is where the Oak coaches showed tremendous class as they asked McClain to take a knee and that was all she wrote. Klein Oak Panthers 44 – Spring Lions 17 Klein Oak Panthers 44, Spring Lions 17 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Spring Lions 0 14 3 0 -- 17 Klein Oak Panthers 7 17 7 13 -- 44 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Ossam Cook 19-260, 2 TD; Andy Wilson 9-110, 2 TD; Jacobe Shankle 5 -43, 1TB; Kevin Mitchell 1-33 PASSING –Wilson 12-17 for 112 yards, 1 TD RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 7-79; Tory Waites 3-21; Jeremy Mayweather 1-10, Ossam Cook, 1-11, 1TD Andy Wilson – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Demetrich Gilliam: 14 tackles, 1 Sack, 2 QB pressure, 1 recovered fumble Kevin Williams: 12 tackles, 1 QB pressure Cody Davis, 11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 4 QB pressures Brian Corcoran: 9 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 5 QB pressures, 1 recovered fumble Mike Anderson, 7 tackles, 1 tackles for a loss, 2 QB pressures, 1 caused fumble. Nathan Hughes, 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 QB pressures, 1 caused fumble Blake Washington, 7 tackles Luke Muncie, 6 tackles Craig Palmer, 6 tackles Tray Payne, 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 broken passes Michael Ward, 4 tackles Leonard Bell, 4 tackles Jerrell Livingston, 1 tackle Demetrich Gilliam – DEFENISIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Blake Washington - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Westfield October 31, 2008
12 months ago - different story this go around Klein Oak routes Westfield on both sides of the ball as a “District Title is next” The Klein Oak Panthers clearly inspired by a pre-game speech by long time fan and flag runner Chance Arellano came out of the tunnel and never looked back. The Panthers absolutely dominated cross-town rival and perennial power-house Westfield Mustangs from start to finish. With this key win the Panthers have set the table for their first district title in over a decade. 12 months ago, Westfield had their way with the Panthers and this team had this game marked on the calendar. All that stands in the way of a district title is Dekaney and the Panthers will deal with them next Saturday at George stadium. This was a great ball game initially led by the fast and furious Panther defense as they again helped the cause with the first two scores of the contest. This game was eerily similar to the Forest ball game as the defense started out strong but the big difference was how the Panther offense showed its teeth. On Westfield’s second possession, The Panther’s D-end Brian Corcoran got up and blocked a Westfield pass and it ricocheted into the arms of outside backer Blake Washington as he sprinted 80 yards for the first score. Westfield must have been scratching their head as Washington kept his distance all the way to the end-zone with one of Westfield super fast receivers chasing him to no avail. Then it was our other outside backers turn, Michael Anderson. Anderson rushing from the weak side delivered a full force blow into the Westfield QB, forced a fumble at the 5 yard line then picked it up and jogged in for the score. Before Westfield new what him them they we’re down by 14 points facing a very fired up and aggressive Panther defense. Junior safety Luke Muncie made another touchdown- saving tackle and sophomore D-End Nathan Hughes with some help from Corcoran got a huge 4^th down sack on the series. Hughes with 9 tackles in the game along with 7 QB pressures was named defensive MVP in the contest.. After the score the Panther D had to go back out there again. Fatigue would not be a problem with all the adrenalin flowing along with the district title on the line. Krimildo Shirute made the stop on the ensuing kick-off but a Panther penalty gave the Mustangs better field position. Hughes made first the stop of the drive and the teams switched sides as the 1^st quarter came to a close. Once play resumed it was the other D-ends turn as Corcoran stopped the Mustang ball carrier for a 1 yard loss. Oak using a 3 man rotation at outside linebacker (Washington, Anderson and Stewart) continued to keep the Mustangs off guard. This time Junior Antwoine Stewart along with some help from senior D-end Jordan Najvar sacked the Mustang QB for a huge 11 yard loss. Not to be out done, the Klein Oak offense finally got back on the field. Just their 3^rd possession of the contest as Westfield knows how to play defense themselves. This time would be different though. Junior QB Andy Wilson brought his team back on the field and immediately went to money-man Ossam Cook. Cook took the first two carries of the series for a total of 14 yards then Andy hit sophomore wide out Tory Waites for a pretty 7 yard strike. With Ossam getting all the press the Panther’s brought in the “dual” Cook backfield and this time gave it to senior RB John Michael Cook who broke an early tackle and then used his great speed to blast into the end-zone for a 34 yard touchdown. Center Brad Benditz hammered the defensive right guard, offensive MVP Clint Naron pulled and got the left guard and right tackle Zack Coleman scrapped down and sealed the linebacker. Impressive play by our big men and even more impressive from John Michael as he used his eyes and feet. Klein Oak 21 – Westfield 0. After a big return by the Westfield kick returner the Panther D went back to work at their own 27 yard line. Clearly some momentum for the Mustangs after the return but the Panther D shut that down quickly. Anderson then made back to back tackles for loses, both 2 yards each and then Hughes had a sack for a 2 yard loss himself. Faced with a 4^th and long the Mustangs went for it. Going for it on 4^th down was a common theme, not sure they had a punter which was an indicator that they respected the potent Panther offense. Again on the 4^th down senior corner Craig Palmer made a nice tackle on a screen pass that almost picked up the first down. Turn-over on downs and it was back to the Klein Oak offense. Oak took over and put together a nice 9 play drive that methodically moved the ball down the field. Nice runs by Ossam and a couple of nice catches, one by Waites and the other by 6’5 sophomore wide-out Max Stevenson helped the Panthers. However on 3^rd and long Andy slightly overthrew our receiver and it fell in the arms of a Mustang defender. That all but ended the half as Oak held a big 21 point lead. Moving into the 3^rd Qtr, Oak kicked off as senior Ethan Condiff made the stop at the Mustang 20 yard line. Safety Jeremy Mayweather made a nice hit on 1^st down then successive tackles by Washington, Corcoran, Cody Davis and Mayweather. At this point Oak had 5 sacks on the evening. Mayweather then pummeled the Mustang WR out of bounce with a jarring hit. Westfield began to move the ball as they just picked up their 1^st 3^rd down conversion on a slant over the middle. Then they went for it all and super defense by Trey Payne as he knocked the ball down in the end zone. On 2^nd down, senior linebacker Kevin Williams steps up and made a nice tackle. Then another slant by the Mustangs for 10 yards picked up another 1^st down. After the QB fell down on 1^st down, Davis got up high in the air and blocked another Westfield pass at the line of scrimmage. On 3^rd and long they went deep again and Palmer made a big play knocking down the ball at the one yard line. Now 4^th and 14… this time the bomb works and Westfield gets on the board. Panthers 21 – Mustangs 7. Another Panther penalty on special teams moved the ball back to the 8 yard line and that’s where the Panthers start their next drive. O. Cook over the block of seniors Kevin Forsch, Ryan Koch and Benditz slammed up the middle for 8 quick yards. Then Wilson carried two times for 9 yards then 12 more for Ossam. There was some outstanding blocking by the entire O-line that really moved the Mustang defense backwards. On first down from the Mustang 46 yard line, Wilson faked the handoff to Ossam moving right then cut back left and straight up the middle. Wilson fighting off would be tacklers lost the handle on the ball as it kicked backwards then forwards off a Westfield defender right into the hands of WR Waites who did the rest. Andy was good for 22 yards on the carry and Waites good for 32 on the fumble recovery and a touchdown. Weird play but we will take it. Oak 28 – Westfield 7 Westfield then put together a 7 play drive that end in a Mustang touchdown . Nice tackles and coverage via Muncie from his post in the secondary along with good help from Payne and Palmer and a big hit from Davis. Special teams MVP Kevin Williams broke thru the middle of the line and blocked the PAT. Westfield running out of time and down by 21 points went for the on-sides kick. Junior Brandon McClain made an all world effort as he took one for the team going up and getting blasted but hung on to the ball. Super effort by McClain. His effort was certainly rewarded as Ossam took a handoff from Wilson on 1^st down and made an unbelievable run for a 67 yard touchdown. This was one of the best runs in KO history as he used his blockers, eyes and speed along with cutback instincts all the way to pay dirt. Ossam is as good as they come, better than advertised. Westfield back on its heals and needing to do something big, went to the air and found some success. They put together an 11 play drive only to be thwarted by a Jordan Najvar sack and a Cody Davis fumble recovery. Our DBs were bending and not breaking as they kept the explosive Mustang receivers in front of them the entire time. Oak took over and with such a big lead, smartly went a bit conservative with 4 straight running plays along with a penalty that ended in a KO punt. The Panthers back on D played a bit of prevent while at the same time being aggressive upfront. This combination turned into a Mayweather interception which was the final nail in the coffin. Big plays by senior Davis and Williams we’re big along with Washington and Anderson adding fuel to the fire. Mayweather took his turn at tailback and looked like he’d been running all year long. Jeremy was extremely explosive as he picked up 32 yards on just 3 carries. That about did it as Westfield had one more try that went nowhere as the Panther D was not about to let down till the final bell rang. This night belonged to the Panthers. A great win against a very good football team. Klein Oak Panthers 35, Westfield Mustangs 13 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Westfield Mustangs 0 0 13 0 -- 13 Klein Oak Panthers 14 7 14 0 -- 35 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Ossam Cook 16-161, 1 TD; Andy Wilson 12-62; John Michael Cook 3 -50, 1TD; Jeremy Mayweather 3-32; Tory Waites, 2 30, 1TD PASSING –Wilson 5-8 for 50 yards, 1 Int RECEIVING –; Tory Waites 2-21; Max Stevenson, 2-18; Jordan Najvar 1-11 Clint Naron – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Cody Davis: 11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 QB pressures, 2 broken passes, 1 fumble recovery Nathan Hughes: 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 7 QB pressures, 1 broken pass Brian Corcoran: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 QB pressures, 1 broken pass Kevin Williams: 9 tackles, 3 QB pressure Craig Palmer: 8 tackles, 1 broken pass Demetrich Gilliam: 7 tackles, 1 QB pressure Mike Anderson: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 4 QB pressures, 1 QB hit, 1 broken pass, 1 caused fumble , 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD. Luke Muncie: 6 tackles, 1 broken pass Trry Payne: 5 tackles, 3 broken passes Jeremy Mayweather: 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 INT Blake Washington: 3 tackles, 1 sack, 3 QB pressures, 1 INT, 1TD Jordan Najvar: 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 QB pressures, 1 caused fumble Antwoine Stewart: 1 tackle, 1 sack Nathan Hughes – DEFENISIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Kevin Williams - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Dekaney November 8, 2008
District Champions Klein Oak defeats Dekaney to capture first title in a decade You have to go way back to 1996 to see Klein Oak’s name on the district trophy but it was finally held high in the air after the Panthers clinched the title as the district’s best. It was awesome to bring that long drought to an end. On an uncharacteristically warm Saturday afternoon at Leonard George Stadium, the visiting Panthers clad in all white uniforms dismantled the less experienced Dekaney Wildcats 44 to 6 in a game that was more of a formality of sorts. The real championship game came last week when Klein Oak defeated the Westfield Mustangs in what was supposed to be a close game but turned into a Panther route. This was a great win that catapulted the Panthers into the Division II 2008 State Playoffs as the top seed out of district 13-5A, Congratulations to Coach David Smith and his coaching staff: Coach’s Jeff Poth, Bryan Gorka, Randy Thibodeaux, James Clancy, Rodney Fuhrman, Ken Vale, Ron Lynch, Claude Brumfield, Darby Young, Kevin Pettigrew along with Freshmen coaches Royce Kennedy, Bo Hernandez and John Penn. What a way to end the regular season especially for our seniors as they put a ton of pressure on their shoulders and handled it with determination. Congrats to seniors Leonard Bell, Jeremy Mayweather, Ethan Condiff, Jerrell Livingston, Devin Dickerson, Krimildo Shirute, Jordan Najvar, Jorge Alvarez, Marcelo Barboza, David Ramirez –Isidora, Ossam Cook, Kevin Mitchell, Kilrain Jones, Jacobe Shankle, Sterling Coleman, Brian Corcoran, Blake Washington, Kevin Williams, Michael Anderson, Patrick Morgan, Kelby Diaz-Jackson, Cameron Parks, John Michael Cook, Craig Palmer, Michael Ward, Nick Cooke, Ryan Koch, Pat Bailey, Demarcus Robertson, Donovan West, James Sloan, Marcus Montanye, Dennis Caldwell, Geoffrey Hartnup, Brad Benditz, Andy Ortiz, Kevin Forsch, Clint Naron, Zach Coleman, Clemente Rodriquez, Bryant Joseph, Cody Davis, and Ryan Taylor. A lot of these boys have been playing ball together ever since the Oilers, Texans or Bronco days then off to Hildebrandt and Doerre then of course Klein Oak. I’m confident the underclassmen will give the same effort and hopefully with the same results. With great senior leaders to be like Andy Wilson, Luke Muncie, Demetrich Gilliam, Tray Payne, Brandon McClain and Antwoine Stewart we are in good hands next year. In terms of this game, you got to give the Dekaney team some credit; they are a brand new school with their first season in varsity football. They played hard but Oak did what they had to do against a less experienced squad and controlled the game from start to finish. In just the first half, Ossam Cook got all of his 176 yards on just 8 carries and scored 2 of Oaks 6 touchdowns. Oak’s passing game was also in high gear as Junior QB Andy Wilson completed 6 of 11 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Andy’s first touchdown pass was to big TE Jordan Najvar (game offensive MVP) and the other to junior flanker Michael Starr. Starr was pretty darn impressive as this was his first look at varsity football and made a dazzling 42 yard run after catch for the score. Sophomore kicker Michael Schroble also added to the first half scoring as he booted a 22 yard field goal. Overall a very impressive half as Oak kept most of their starters in the entire half. A super job by the big studs up front; Kevin Forsch, Brad Benditz, Zach Coleman, Greg Flores and Ryan Koch. Receivers Tory Waites, Max Stevenson, Ethan Condiff along with RB John Michael Cook did an excellent job of blocking for Ossam, Wilson, Najvar and Starr. The defense did their job as well forcing 4 punts and an interception during the half. Defensive player of the game, junior safety Luke Muncie, came up with the interception and also added some big blows from his post in the secondary. An extremely solid performance from Luke. Senior Kevin Williams and sophomore Nathan Hughes were all over the field as was Jeremy Mayweather from his spot at safety. Juniors Demetrich Gilliam and Tray Payne also made nice plays. Overall the half-time score was Klein Oak 31 and Dekaney Wildcats 0. Moving into the 2^nd half the coaches asked most of the starters to take a seat on the bench as this was a great time to give most everyone some varsity football experience. If you took the numbers off the jersey you might not have known this was the second and third units. They did an incredible job and played with some outstanding intensity. Oak got the ball to start the half as JM Cook and Jacobe Shankle took turns carrying the ball. It took just 7 plays to score as Cook busted up the middle and split the defenders for a 22 yard TD run. Nice run blocking on the drive by Marcus Montanye, James Sloan, Chris Kline, Donovan West and Geoffrey Hartnup and sophomore TE Arthur Fatu. These big fella's did a great job of playing smash-mouth football as the Wildcats defenders thought they might have a bit of a break, Sorry Dekaney but these guys can play. KO 38 – Dekaney 0.. After the Panther D forced another 3 and out the Panther O went back to work. This time a combination of runs by junior QB Brandon McClain and Starr did most of the work as they chewed up time and yardage. Shankle however got the last carry, a one yard TD run. That put the score at 44 to zip as the extra point was blocked. The Panther coaching staff then made the defensive starters take a rest as the second team went in and did their magic. Again, great work by second team as they all but shut out the Wildcats for the remainder of the game. A defensive pass interference call at the start of the 4^th quarter gave the Wildcats some great field position and they capitalized on it with a nice 12 yard strike in the southwest corner of the end-zone. KO 44 – Dekaney 6. PAT no good. Great defensive plays from Andy Ortiz who had a tackle for a loss. Michael Ward with 6 tackles at LB and special teams (special team MVP) along with Nick Cook, David Ramirez-isidoro, Dennis Caldwell and Kilrain Jones who also were on numerous plays. Jones made a big stop for a loss down near the goal line. a great play by Kilrain. Jorge Alvarez also made some big hits from his spot in the secondary and big man Ryan Taylor stuffed the center, QB and RB for a loss. Senior corner Marcelo Barboza did an outstanding job of covering the Wildcats receivers downfield as he shielded them to perfection. Klein Oak Panthers 44, Dekaney Wildcats 6 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Dekaney Wildcats 0 0 0 6 -- 6 Klein Oak Panthers 10 21 13 0 -- 44 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Ossam Cook 8-176, 2 TD; Andy Wilson 4-41; John Michael Cook, 4-46, 1TD; Jacobe Shankle 7 -44, 1TD; Brandon McClain, 2-20; Michael Starr, K3-17; Krimildo Shirute, 2-5; Kevin Mitchell 1-2 PASSING –Wilson 6-11 for 133 yards, 2 TD RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 4-76, 1TD; Michael Starr, 1-42 1TD; John Michael Cook 1-15 Jordan Najvar – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Demetrich Gilliam: 12 tackles, 1 QB pressure Kevin Williams: 11 tackles, 1 QB pressure Brian Corcoran: 10 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 QB pressure Nathan Hughes, 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 QB pressures Cody Davis, 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss Luke Muncie, 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 INT Michael Ward, 6 tackles Jorge Alvarez, 5 tackles Kilrain Jones, 5 tackles Nick Cook, 4 tackles Dennis Caldwell, 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss Leonard Bell, 3 tackles Jerrell Livingston, 2 tackles Luke Muncie – DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Michael Ward - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Oak Ridge (Playoffs) November 14, 2008
Klein Oak Wins Round One – Closer Than Anticipated. Panthers on top of Oak Ridge 28 – 21 This was a closer game than planned but a victory is a victory. Anything can happen in the playoffs and Klein Oak accomplished what they set out to do; win their first round game. Its winner move on and loser go home and we live to play another day. Oak Ridge played a decent game albeit a bit dirty from my perspective but tough. Klein Oak clearly had more talent on the field but allowed the War Eagles to hang around to the point where we forced our defense to shut down their offense on the last drive of the game so as to not force a potential overtime. In any event, we held and that’s what matters. Oak started on defense as they quickly shut them down on 3 quick plays which forced an Oak Ridge punt. Great defense was hindered by a roughing the punter penalty which gave them a new set of downs. No matter, 3 more plays and they punted again as this time we sort of side stepped the punter. Oak’s powerful offense took over and took just 3 plays to hit pay dirt. The big play on the drive was an Andy Wilson to Jordan Najvar pass completion for a 60 yard gain. Jordan’s longest pass reception of the year so far. One play later, Ossam Cook did his thing and scooted through the right side of the line for a 10 yard touch down, Oak 7 – OR 0 as kicker extraordinaire Michael Shroble’s PAT was good. Great smash-mouth blocking by center Brad Benditz, guard Kevin Forsch and tackle Ryan Koch (offensive player of the game) certainly helped. Down field blocking by flanker Michael Starr and Tory Waites were key to Najvar’s big catch and run. Back on defense and 3 plays later another punt. Oak’s defense moved the War Eagles backwards on this possession which forced Oak Ridge to punt out of their end zone. Oak’s sophomore sensation Tory Waites caught it at the War Eagle 45 yard line and took it to the house. A super play by Tory as he was awarded special team’s player of the week. That gave the Panthers a 14 point lead and it appeared that a route might be on. Next two possessions ended in punts for both squads. Good defense on the series by linebackers Demetrich Gilliam and defensive player of the game Kevin Williams along with the defensive line of Cody Davis, Nathan Hughes and Brian Corcoran who had 46 tackles between the 3 of them (not sure if that’s good or not). Also good coverage in the secondary by seniors Craig Palmer and Jeremy Mayweather along with juniors Luke Muncie and Trey Payne. Oak Ridge getting the ball back with good field position along with some help from the zebras (two defensive penalties on the drive) put together a 43 yard drive in 14 plays that culminated in a field goal. Nice job by the defense to force the field goal. On Oak’s next drive an uncharacteristic fumble by Ossam who jumped on the ball for about a 6 yard loss forced the Panthers to punt deep in their own end zone. This time with fantastic field position the War Eagles were in striking distance again. However stiff defense led by Mayweather, Muncie, Blake Washington and Antwonie Stewart along with a big tackle in the backfield by Corcoran forced yet another field goal. That all but ended the action in the first half and the Klein Oak Panthers led 14 to 6 The Panther opened the 2^nd half on offense and took just 3 plays to score. A big 25 yard run on 2^nd down by Cook led to a 6 yard touchdown scamper by QB Andy Wilson. Big blocks by Senior linemen Zack Coleman and Clint Naron helped both Wilson and Cook get it done. This is where the War Eagles put together their best drive of the evening, a 10 play drive that ended in a 13 yard touchdown. This gave Oak Ridge some life and momentum as they closed the scoring gap to 21 -12. Their 2 point conversation was stopped. Craig Palmer returned the ensuing kick-off about 25 yards to the 50 yard line and the Panthers went back to work with super field position. A big pass and catch from Wilson to Najvar opened the door for Ossam to do his stuff. Ossam bursted right over the back of Benditz (who completely layed out his man), darted up the middle then hurdled the would-be tackler for a 24 yard TD run. Great down field blocking by Najvar, Waites and Condiff. On the next possession, Oak Ridge still with hope and not giving up found an open receiver down the east side line for a 60 yard touchdown reception. An apparent broken coverage by the Panthers allowed the War Eagle receiver to catch the ball with no one in sight. Good hustle by Mike Anderson who ran from the opposite side of the field almost caught him at the goal line. KO 28 – OR 18. Oak’s offense hit a low gear and sputtered a bit and we’re forced to punt on their next possession after only 6 plays. Another holding penalty didn’t help matters ether. Down by just 10 points with ½ a quarter left in the contest the War Eagles went to the air. It worked as they completed a long 35 yard pass reception. The Panther D stiffened with big hits by Gilliam, Williams, Davis, Antwonie Stewart and a 3 yard tackle in the backfield by Corcoran forced the War Eagles into their third field goal of the game. It was good and the lead cut to 7 points. Oak 28 – Oak Ridge 21. The Panthers took over deep in their own territory and clearly wanted to run the ball, pick up first downs and eat up the clock. After two unsuccessful running plays, the Panthers we’re faced with a 3^rd and 11. With the wind squarely in their face they desperately need a first down or the War Eagles would get the ball back somewhere around mid field or better as Ray Guy would have had trouble punting under those conditions. Not to worry as Mr. Wilson took care of that issue as he made probably the biggest run of his season, a 60 yarder that clearly got the Panthers out of trouble. With a new set of downs to work with and the ball on the Panther 30 yard line another yellow flag it the field and moved the Panthers back again. Eventually faced with a 4 and 7, Klein Oak went for it and Cook came up one yard shy. Turn over on downs and the War Eagles had one more chance and about 2 minutes or so in the contest. The Panther defense came through again and forced a turnover on downs of their own. A big combination sack by the entire D line and great coverage by Muncie, Trey Payne and Palmer were key. Then Wilson ran out the clock and the game was over. Moving on to round two and the Cy Creek Cougars. Klein Oak Panthers 28, Oak Ridge War Eagles 21 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Oak Ridge War Eagles 0 6 6 9 -- 21 Klein Oak Panthers 14 0 14 0 -- 28 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Ossam Cook 16-151, 2 TD; Andy Wilson 9-81, 1TD PASSING –Wilson 7-10 for 138 yards RECEIVING –Tory Waites, 3-42, Jordan Najvar 3-87, Michael Starr, 1-9 Ryan Koch – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Cody Davis, 18 tackles, 2 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks Brian Corcoran: 15 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 4 QB pressures Nathan Hughes, 13 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 5 QB pressures Demetrich Gilliam: 12 tackles Kevin Williams: 11 tackles Luke Muncie, 11 tackles Mike Anderson, 9 tackles Craig Palmer, 7 tackles, 3 broken pass Blake Washington, 6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss Antwoine Stewart, 5 tackles Jeremy Mayweather, 4 tackles Tray Payne, 2 tackles Jacobe Shankle, 2 tackles Kevin Williams – DEFENISIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Tory Waites - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Cy Creek (Playoffs) November 22, 2008
Klein Oak destroys Cy Creek in Rematch Panther Offense and Defense too much for the Coug’s to handle The KO Panthers came to the Berry Center knowing full well the once beaten Cy Creek Cougars had plenty of reason to be up for this ball game. Creek went undefeated during the regular season in district 14- 5A and also handled Cedar Park in the first round of the playoffs. That meant that their only loss came at the hands of our Panthers way back in September and clearly wanted some revenge. The Panther’s were more than ready as they clearly have bigger and better aspirations than just beating Creek. A State Championship with a “one game at a time” attitude. Oak opened up on offense and just like the first contest gave the ball to the district 13-5A leading rusher Ossam Cook on the games first play. Ossam went up the middle off the block of Clint Naron and Brad Benditz, cut to his left and then left the Cougars in his rear view mirror for an undeliverable 70 TD run. A super down field block by TE Jordan Najvar enabled Ossam to scoot to the left side line and it was all over. KO 7 – CC 0 Nice way to open a ball game and it appeared to get even better. After a great opening 3 and out series by the Panther’s D on Creek’s first possession, the Cougar center snapped the ball over the punters head who the fell on it around the 13 yard line. Oak looking to take a huge 14 point lead after just minutes of play was stalled by a big penalty after Ossam ran the ball to the 3 yard line. The Cougar defense eventually held the potent Panther offense on 4^th and 2 and forced the turn over. A great 3^rd down tackle by junior safety Luke Muncie was big as he came up strong and blasted the elusive Cougar receiver for a one yard gain that was key to Oak’s defensive possession. Cy Creek was clearly no slouch on offense this year as they rolled up an avg. of over 40 points a game during the year. With the Cougars taking over at their own 20 yard line they went to work. A quick 35 yard run by their tailback with corner Trey Payne running him down around the 45 yard line. Brian Corcoran made the next stop after just a 2 yard gain and then the Creek QB found his favorite target open down the middle for a huge pass reception ending around the 13 yard line. Two plays later a pitch to their tailback and it was all tied up 7 – 7. The ball carrier actually fumbled at the goal line but the ref called it good, however the replay would say something different. The refs won that battle and the TD was good. The next possession by each team ended in punts. Sophomore linemen Nathan Hughes came up huge in this game as he made stop after stop with 17 total tackles in the contest, his high for the season. Nathan was awarded defensive player of the game for his effort. With Ossam twisting an ankle, Oak turned to all everything Jeremy Mayweather to handle the majority of the rushing. He along with John Michael Cook were more than enough to get the job done. Jeremy had a fantastic game with 154 yards rushing in the contest. Mayweather really leaning on his huge and nasty offensive line consisting of Kevin Forsch, Naron, Benditz, Zack Coleman, Ryan Koch along with Najvar and sophomore stand out Arthur Fatu we’re just too much for the Creek defense to handle. Fatu playing TE and in the slot at times continued to flatten the Creek linemen and backers all evening long. On the first play of the 2^nd QTR, QB Andy Wilson got hit from behind and fumbled the ball as a Creek LB fell on it. However the Panther D would return the favor as senior LB Blake Washington forced a Creek fumble of his own. Could not tell who from the Panther’s fell on it but it was KO Ball. Mayweather went back to work as he found an opening and made a big 43 yard run that set up a FG try. This one would just barely miss and the game remained tied. Creek then put together an impressive 13 play drive that looked as if would end in points. KO nose guard Cody Davis had other things in mind as he read the middle screen play perfectly and picked off yet another pass. This is Cody 3^rd pick of the year, pretty impressive for a nose guard. Huge tackles on the drive by linebacker Mike Anderson along with Kevin Williams, Muncie and Hughes were key to stopping the potent Creek attack. Wilson and the Panther offense then took over around the 20 yard line. After a first down rushing play that ended in a one yard loss, Wilson’s number was called and he dazzled the Creek defense for a big 28 yard gain then two more plays of 5 yards. Impressive blocks by Forsch and Koch we’re noticeable as Creek defenders we’re laying on their backs. On a 3^rd an 5, Andy went to the air and found his favorite target, TE Najvar who hauled in a 9 yard 1^st down reception to keep the drive rolling. Ossam then gave his ankle another go and he looked good, good enough for 12 yards on two carries. Back to Najvar for a 14 yard strike and Oak was definitely rolling. Andy had all day to throw as the animals up front; led by Fatu and Benditz we’re doing a fantastic job of pass blocking. Back to Ossam for another 5 yards and the ball was on the 2 yard line. Andy was stopped on a sneak and the Oak coaching staff gave it to Ossam again and he blasted over the right side for a 1 yard TD run. Oak 14 – CCC 7. Hughes got back in the action and stopped the Creek ball carrier on their first play after the score. After an incomplete pass, Blake Washington came up huge as he smashed the Creek QB forcing a fumble with junior LB Demetrich Gilliam falling on it for their 3^rd turnover in the game. Back to the passing game as Andy hit Najvar on two throws for a total of 38 yards to set up a one yard QB sneak and the Panthers scored with seconds on the clock. At the half: KO Panthers 21 – Cy Creek Cougars 7. With a 14 point lead at the half the Oak fans and the team felt good but not good enough. Most everyone in the stadium was well aware that the Cougars can score in bunches. Corcoran made the opening play as he stopped the ball carrier for a one yard loss on the 1^st play of the 2^nd half, then an incomplete pass via super coverage by Payne. Gilliam and Williams ensured that a punt was in order as they hammered the tailback on 3^rd. It took Wilson and company just nine plays to create an impressive 21 point advantage. Mayweather and Wilson did the bulk of the running on this series but the real work was done by the studs up front; Naron, Forsch, Benditz, Koch, Coleman, Fatu and Najvar. That’s about 1875 pounds of horse power. On the series’ scoring play, Wilson hit Najvar with a spectacular 40 yard scoring strike as Jordan made the smaller corner look silly trying to guard him. Oak 28 - 7 Muncie, Hughes, Gilliam, Palmer, Stewart, Mike Anderson and Washington ensured another punt was in order as Creek could not find too many holes in the Panther D. The Panthers however faltered on their next drive with Wilson running 6 yards on 4^th down and they needed 7. Turnover to the Coug’s and they took advantage, a nice 70 yard strike to their little speedster as it barely went over the outstretched hands of one of our defenders. This clearly pumped up the entire Cy Creek side including the fans, players and coaches as there was plenty of time especially with a potent offense. Things started to unravel a bit for the Panthers as the kick off ended in the Cougars favor as Oak began their drive on their own 6 yard line. A Panther penalty certainly didn’t help things and they we’re forced to punt into the wind deep in their own territory. Creek then took over with super field position as the ball was laying on the 37 yard line. The Panther D did their best but after 7 plays the Cougars found the end zone and their stands went berserk. KO Panthers 28 – Cy Creek Cougars 21 At this point the KO Panthers had had enough of this comeback and stuck it to em. The Panthers took over at their own 23 yard line and went to work. Things got even scarier as QB Wilson went down with what appeared to be cramps in his legs. Now with Ossam and Wilson on the bench the Panthers went to Jr QB Brandon McClain. McClain and Mayweather looked like seasoned veterans as they quickly got Oak back on the scoreboard. A beautiful 70 yard run on 3^rd down was nothing more than HUGE. McClain did the rest as he weaved his way thru the Cougar defense for a nice 5 yard TD run. OAK 35 – Creek 21 Oak then forced the 5^th turnover in the game as Cody Davis landed on a fumbled ball on the 8 yard line after a big hit by Washington, his 2^nd caused fumble in the contest. Two plays later and the comeback was officially done. Mayweather with a 1 yard TD run over the block of Fatu and the lead grew to an insurmountable 21 points.. KO Panthers 42 – Cy Creek Cougars 21. McClain continued to harass the Cougar defense as he piled up yardage after yardage until the final bell. With just over 2 minutes in the game, McClain found the end-zone once again for 12 yard TD that was mere icing on the cake. Again great job in relief by both Mayweather and McClain as they really stepped up and played in a dominate fashion. Mayweather was awarded the offensive player of the game for his effort both by the coaching staff and the radio announcers. Final score Klein Oak Panthers 49 – Cy Creek Cougars 21 Kicker Michael Shroble was perfect on all PATS – 6 for 6.. Nice job Michael. Klein Oak Panthers 42, Cy Creek Cougars 21 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Cy Creek Cougars 7 0 7 7 -- 21 Klein Oak Panthers 7 14 7 21 -- 49 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Jeremy Mayweather, 13-154, 1TD; Andy Wilson 21-125, 1TD; Ossam Cook 9-103, 1 TD; Brandon McClain 11-76, 2 TD PASSING –Wilson 10-18 for 164 yards, 1TD; Brandon McClain 0-1 RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 7-137, 1TD; Tory Waites, 2-18, Michael Starr, 1-9 Jeremy Mayweather – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Nathan Hughes, 17 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 4 QB pressures Kevin Williams: 17 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss Demetrich Gilliam: 15 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack Cody Davis, 9 tackles, 1 sack, 3 pressures, 1 INT, 1 caused fumble, 1 fumble recovery Brian Corcoran: 8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 4 QB pressures Jacobe Shankle, 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss Mike Anderson, 7 tackles Luke Muncie, 6 tackles, 1 INT Antwoine Stewart, 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB pressure Blake Washington, 5 tackles, 2 QB pressures, 2 caused fumbles Craig Palmer, 3 tackles, 1 broken pass Tray Payne, 2 tackles, 2 broken pass Jeremy Mayweather, 2 tackles Nathan Hughes – DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Kevin Williams - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME
Klein Oak vs Lake Highlands (Playoffs) November 29, 2008
Regional Champions Panther’s steamroll Lake Highlands 34 – 10 …move on to round 4 Klein Oak had one thing on its mind; get after Lake Highlands and continue its run in the state finals. Mission accomplished as the Panthers used a swarming defense and a very efficient 2^nd half offense to blow out the highly regarded Wildcats out of Dallas area. Klein Oak’s defense set the tone early as they harassed the high powered Wildcats running game all game long. Only a defensive pass interference penalty (that was suspect) late in the 1^st quarter hurt the Panthers as it gave the ball to Lake Highlands on the Panther 15 yard line. 4 plays later and the Wildcats got on the board and took and early 7 to 0 lead. In looking at the season statistics that was the first time Oak was behind at the beginning of a contest. KO kept their composure, continued their stout defense throughout the half and waited for the potent Panther offense to get rolling. Oak’s offense was tested early as their top playmaker, Ossam Cook, was still hobbling with a sore ankle. Lake Highlands, well aware of Cooks injury stuffed 8 and 9 defenders in the box to shut down the run. There we’re too many defenders to run-block so Oak proved without a doubt that they are a multi-dimensional team and went to their passing game. 1^st Half Mr. Hustle Senior Ethan Condiff was everywhere on special teams as he made tackle after tackle, block after block and was awarded special teams player of the game. Ethan’s heart and desire is as good as it gets and pound for pound he is as tough as they come. With QB Andy Wilson throwing the ball and receivers like senior Jordan Najvar and underclassmen Michael Starr along with Tory Waites making catches, the Wildcats found their strategy in jeopardy. Late in the 2^nd Quarter, Wilson hit Starr in the left flat and Starr used his speed to outrun the defense for a super 31 yard gain. Starr was awarded offensive player of the game for his break out plays, pretty good for a kid that played JV all season long. One play later Wilson hit Najvar who made an incredible acrobatic catch for a 26 yard reception that gave Oak the ball at the 3 yard line. Two plays later Wilson used his super strength over the block of center Brad Benditz who pushed two defenders into the end zone and that tied it up 7 to 7. Lake Highlands with a record of 11 wins to just one loss coming into the regional final game won the coin toss and wanted the ball to start the game. Sophomore kicker Michael Stroble kicking with the wind at his back made sure there was no return. LH, starting at their own 20 yard line handed the ball to their leading rusher and was abruptly stopped by senior D-End Brian Corcoran for no gain. Corcoran making plays and stuffing blockers all over the field was given defensive player of the game by the coaching staff for his efforts. `Then Senior linebacker Michael Anderson stuffed the 2^nd down play and Demetrich Gilliam blitzing from his post at MLB created all kinds of havoc forcing a key 3^rd down. Thats when 6”3 safety Luke Muncie made his presence known as he came down-hill strong and stopped the ball carrier forcing a Wildcat punt. That defensive series was indicative of how the Panthers would play all afternoon long. Defenders Jacobe Shankle, Nathan Hughes, Kevin Williams, Trey Payne, Craig Palmer, Antwonie Stewart, Blake Washington and of course big nose tackle Cody Davis along with Gilliam, Muncie, Anderson and Corcoran made life miserable for the Wildcats. They had been scoring an avg of over 40 points a game and this swarming tenacious Bryan Gorka- led defense held them to a measly 10 points, with just 3 points in the 2^nd half. Gorka is the Panther’s defensive coordinator. He along with his defensive staff has done a super job with this defense. Offensively in the 1^st half there we’re big plays by RB senior John Michael Cook who had a 55 yard carry and 6’5 sophomore receiver Max Stevenson who made a nice catch in traffic for a big Panther first down. In this particular ball game the 1^st half belonged to the Oak defense however the 2^nd half would bring a much needed change. The Oak coaching staff must have made some high powered speeches in the locker room at half because the offense looked like a different team altogether. 2^nd Half Oak started the half with the ball and immediately went to work. A penalty on the kick-off helped the Panthers with field position. Up man Michael Anderson returned the kick to all the way to the LH 43 yard line. A super 20 yard reception to sophomore receive Max Stevenson put Oak in striking distance quickly. On 3^rd and 10, Wilson went up top to Starr as caught a go-route for a spectacular key 23 yard touchdown. Oak 14 – LH 7. Again the offense looked like a new ball club as the starting O-Line of Zack Coleman, Clint Naron, Kevin Forsch, Ryan Koch and Brad Benditz we’re absolutely dominating the entire half. Every time I turned around, a poor linebacker was getting hammered by Coleman or Koch as they seemed a bit on edge. Oak defense forced another punt after just 4 plays and gave the offense good field position again. Andy put together a super drive with highlight catches by Najvar and Waites that culminated in a total of 49 yards. With Oak knocking on the door again, a miscue in the backfield resulted in an unfortunate fumble and the Wildcats took over at their own 7 yard line. Two plays later the Panther D returned the favor as they caused a fumble of their own and an unidentified Panther defender fell on the loose pigskin. This is where Tory Waites makes probably the best catch of the year as he hauled in a one handed grab that he had no business catching and again put the Panthers at the 3 yard line. 3 plays later and Andy was over the goal line again for another TD. Oak 20 – LH 7 Shankle, Payne, Gilliam, Williams, Stewart, Palmer and Washington continued hammer the Wildcat offense as they forced another Wildcat fumble, picked up by Blake but he fumbled right back to LH on the same play. A super 4 yard tackle for loss by Corcoran with the help of his pal Cody Davis forced LH to try some trickery. LH gave the ball to their fullback who turned around and tossed it back to the QB who in turn threw it down field to what he thought was an open receiver. Safety Luke Muncie has seen that one before and stepped back into coverage and intercepted the pass. A great play by a great player. Mr. Versatile Jeremy Mayweather got in the action and took his turn running through the Wildcat defense for 11 yards on two carries. Then Najvar looked like a scat back as he took a pass at the line of scrimmage and juked his way for a special 35 yard gain. Great blocking by Forsch, Benditz and Naron helped Jordan on his way. The Najvar catch set up John Michael Cook’s 32 yard touchdown run as he took the ball over the left side of the line and cut back right and outran the entire Wildcat team. Najvar’s seal block on the linebacker was as good as it gets. On the next Oak kick off, the Panther went for a mid-field kick directly over the middle line of the Wildcats. However no one on the LH squad wanted to recover it so sophomore Cory Waites fell on it and the Wildcats were all but done. Two plays later, Wilson ran for his 3^rd TD of the day as he blasted 16 yards to end zone. That brought the score to 34 to 7 in Oak’s favor. The Wildcats finally got a second half score as they decided on a field goal with at least 4 minutes left in the contest. Air Force commit Corcoran made a nice 3^rd down stop as he went from one side of the field to the other jumping over would-be blockers and tackled the ball carrier 4 yards shy of a 1^st down. For whatever reason the Wildcat coaching staff went for a FG as opposed for trying for a 1^st down and going from there. KO Panthers 34 – Lake Highlands 10 That was the end of the scoring. A complete game by the Panthers as the offense showed they have all kinds of weapons and the defense is swarming like there is no tomorrow. Up next is the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs in Corsicana. This is a 4^th round ¼ final game for a chance to play in the states semi finals. Klein Oak Panthers 34, Lake Highlands 10 Score by quarters 1 2 3 4 Lake Highlands Wildcats 0 7 7 3 -- 10 Klein Oak Panthers 0 7 13 14 -- 34 Individual Stats Offense: RUSHING –Jeremy Mayweather, 12-76; Andy Wilson 16-66, 3TD; Ossam Cook 5-12; John Michael Cook 9-7102, 1 TD PASSING –Wilson 12-14 for 269 yards, 1TD RECEIVING –Jordan Najvar 4-74; Tory Waites, 2-74, Michael Starr, 4-84, 1TD, Max Stevenson, 2-37 Michael Starr – OFFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Defense: Demetrich Gilliam: 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 QB pressure, 1 caused fumble Kevin Williams: 9 tackles, 1 caused fumble Brian Corcoran: 8 tackles, 1 tackles for a loss Cody Davis, 7 tackles, 4 pressures, caused fumble Mike Anderson, 7 tackles Blake Washington, 5 tackles, 1 sack, 3 QB pressures, 1 fumble recovery Nathan Hughes, 5 tackles Jacobe Shankle, 4 tackles Tray Payne, 4 tackles, 1 broken pass Luke Muncie, 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 broken pass Antwoine Stewart, 3 tackles Craig Palmer, 2 tackles, 1 broken pass Ethan Condiff, 2 tackles Brian Corcoran – DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the GAME Special teams: Ethan Condiff - SPECIAL TEAM PLAYER of the GAME