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If you listened to Genoa football fans after their team’s15-7 win over Oak Harbor, there was concern over how
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| Rocket's Jake Scott |
good the Comets were going to be.
Not anymore.
If Genoa fans consider the 34-7 spanking Oak Harbor (2-1) gave Eastwood (1-2) the following week, they now believe that the Rockets have a good football team.
Oak Harbor coach Mike May became aware of it when his team opened with a 21-12 over a Springfield team expected to finish in the upper division of the Northern Lakes League. The close battle with Genoa only confirmed it.
“I was proud of our kids against Genoa,” Oak Harbor coach Mike May said. “I thought we came out and got after them. I think our kids are very confident right now and they are enjoying playing football. The key for us is to keep getting better.”
Genoa coach Mike Vicars can look back and say his Comets played a good football team, too, even though his team retired the Celestial Ball trophy for only the second time in school history that night.
“I think when this season is over we are gonna look back at the Oak Harbor game and truly appreciate the win we had over them,” Vicars wrote in an e-mail to The Press. “They were physical, well-coached, and we believe they are a very good team.
“They have some big games ahead of them, but we believe they can run the table and win the SBC if they can stay healthy. They could be scary by season’s end. One thing, too, will always stick out to me regarding Oak Harbor. Very Classy Team!” Vicars wrote.
“It was a war, it is a rivalry, but after the game they prayed with our kids. Two groups of kids united in a moment after that game. It was a special moment that will last forever in my mind, and as coaches we had nothing to do with it. Kids never fail to surprise me.”
Against Eastwood, Oak Harbor outgained the Eagles in total yardage 357 to 183, including a 257 to 135 advantage in rushing. The Rockets had 66 offensive plays to Eastwood's 39, and Oak Harbor had 31 minutes and 26 seconds of offensive possession to the Eagle's 16:34.
The Rockets four touchdown win even surprised Oak Harbor running back Jake Scott, who rushed for a total of 217 yards on 36 carries and scored all five touchdowns.
“I didn’t think it would turn out like that,” Scott said. “Our main goal is to win the league this year, and if we keep playing well it’s not out of the cards.”
Against Genoa, Scott had just 31 net yards rushing on 12 attempts, but Vicars saw something in the Oak Harbor back.
“Jake is a wonderful tailback. He plays with great passion and is very scary as a running back because he just runs so hard,” Vicars said. “He is the focus of that offense and you better be prepared to handle a great back when you see Oak Harbor. What he did last week versus Eastwood was not a fluke. He truly is a nice running back and a great leader for that team as well.”
Scott has the luxury of a powerful offensive line, which resulted in Eastwood’s secondary seeing more action than expected.
The returning starters on the offensive line are Jake Grzymkowski (6-2, 215) and John Bergman (6-4, 220) and junior lineman Allen Boss (5-11, 180).
“They did a really good job, actually. Every play, there were holes every single time,” Scott said. “They worked hard the whole game, too. Our goal at the beginning of the game was to be able to run the ball on them, and we obviously accomplished that. It was real easy when the line makes holes like that to make cuts like that into the secondary. Kyle Mincheff, our fullback, he blocks very well, too.”
That offensive line has seen its share of injuries. Filling in the gaps have been senior Dale Grau (6-3, 255), junior Cody Stout (6-2, 240), and senior Josh Thorbahn (5-9, 160).
“Our offensive line is really doing a nice job, and we’ve had some injuries up there and we’ve had some kids step in those spots and they’ve just done a tremendous job,” Coach May said. “The kids are excited and things are going well.”
The Rockets win over Eastwood came with starting quarterback Steve Young being replaced by junior Brian Mallernee. Young was expected to return in last Friday’s game against SBC opponent Perkins, but with Mallernee behind center Oak Harbor did not miss a beat.
Against Eastwood, Mallernee completed 7-of-12 passes for 100 yards, including a 35-yard pass to senior wide receiver Zach Priesman.
“He’s a tough kid,” May said about Mallernee “They’re both very capable quarterbacks and pretty similar in their athletic abilities, so we’re confident with either kid.”
The only thing May believes he does not have to worry about his team getting over confident as they head into SBC action.
“Our seniors do a good job of keeping us grounded. They’ve been through a lot the last two years, and they are ready to win again. They are keeping us pretty level-headed,” May said.
“We’ve played pretty steady here the first three weeks and for the kids, I think it’s a reflection on how hard they’ve worked in the offseason and also our senior leadership. We have a really good group of seniors this year. We’re just looking at it one at a time. You know, in the SBC there is no off weeks. You’ve got to be ready to play every week,” May continued.
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