NORTH TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS AGAINST SOUTHMOORE

It didn’t take long for Norman North to ensure its matchup with Southmoore would not be overlooked. And it was more than the T-Wolves scoring on the first drive of the game, too. It was also the SaberCats’ three-and-out on their opening drive, only to recover the subsequent muffed punt well inside North territory, only to then have that recovery called back due to a referee’s errant whistle. By rule, North (4-1, 2-0) was handed the ball — already inside Southmoore territory — and a few plays later the lead had doubled. No opportunity was wasted in the T-Wolves' 49-13 victory. “Our guys really came focussed to play,” head coach Brent Barnes said. It’s not really about the opponent. It’s about us doing our job and taking care of things we can control, and I felt like they really did that tonight.” It’s also not so surprising considering Southmoore is still winless (0-6, 0-3) and sinking in an already tough district. North’s dominance was just what head coach Brent Barnes ordered ahead of next week’s big-time clash with Union in Tulsa. “You never can [overlook opponents] in 6AI,” Barnes said. “Each week, you better show up to play, or you’ll be in a dogfight. We learned early in the season that if we don’t play our best, we’ll get beat.” Barnes is referring to Yukon, who surprised the T-Wolves with a 38-31 win in Week 2. It’s something wide receiver Isaac Stoops said this North team has learned from and will take with them into their next few big games. “After losing to Yukon like we did, coming out flat all game and not playing to our potential, we know we’ve got to come out every game, play to your ability,” wide receiver Isaac Stoops said. “We’re going to just have a sharp week of practice. It’s nice that we’re rolling with wins. But Union, they’re number one in the state. There’s nothing like it. “If you need momentum or hype to get ready for that game, you need to check your blood pressure.” The North offense had its pick. Ryan Peoples finished the first half with four touchdown passes and one touchdown run — the 45 yard one on the opening drive — and racked up 173 yards by completing 8 of 15 passes all in the first half. All four of those touchdowns were caught by a Stoops. Isaac and twin brother Drake were too much for the SaberCats secondary to handle, combining for 10 catches and 193 yards. Then there was Daylan Alexander’s 64 yards on 10 carries. No matter what Southmoore tried, its defense couldn’t manufacture a stop. North did, a lot. They held the SaberCats to about 150 yards of total offense, barely letting them into T-Wolves territory and nowhere near the red zone for the first three quarters at least. It let Peoples and the offense get the job done in the first half. First it was his 45 yard run, then a 32 yard pass to Isaac Stoops, followed soon after by a 13 yarder to Drake Stoops. In the second quarter it was to Drake again, then Isaac again later. In between that, Sincere Jackson threw in a four-yard touchdown run for good measure. It didn’t help that Southmoore kept giving North short fields. For the T-Wolves’ third touchdown, the snap for a SaberCats punt hit the shin of one of the blockers standing in the second row, causing punter Brian Shomali to scramble and fall on the ball. Something similar happened later in the third quarter, setting Jackson up for his short four yard run. The mistakes piled up for Southmoore. Another punting mistake is how North got its final touchdown. Another bad snap led to a scrambling kick attempt that fell right to Van Holden's feet, who returned it the remaining 20 yards or so to the end zone early in the fourth quarter. North gave its starters a rest in the second half. Jacob Switzer stepped in at quarterback, going 5 for 6 passing. Cameron Jones took a few snaps at running back, racking up 15 yards on the ground. Southmoore added two touchdowns late, with quarterback Jaedyn Scott capping the visitors’ first real drive with a 2-yard score. Scott later found running back Rae’Quan wicks for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

NORTH TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS AGAINST SOUTHMOORE

Photo Credit: Kyle Phillips

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