The Oxford Wildcats finished their football season Friday night with a 49-42 loss to North Farmington, ending with an uncharacteristic 3-6 record, but also discovered a few diamonds on the way that are expected to shine in the coming seasons.
The team began the season with only one starter returning on defense, a new quarterback and a new offensive backfield.
By season’s end, the Wildcats seemingly have found a future quarterback, sophomore Parker Fleming, a running back, junior Ethan Williams who rushed for 290 yards and two touchdowns Friday and an excellent kicker and punter, sophomore Matthew Mielnicki, who also returned a kickoff for a 91-yard TD on Friday.
Coach Bud Rowley was obviously disappointed that the team allowed 49 points to North Farmington but acknowledged that there are some bright spots in the coming seasons.
‘You give up 49 points and it’s a bummer but there are positive signs (for the future). We will be okay,? Rowley said.
Oxford and North Farmington were evenly matched in the OAA divisional crossover game. In three of the four quarters on Friday, each team scored 14 points. The difference in the game were the seven points the Raiders scored in the second quarter while holding the Wildcats scoreless.
Three Wildcat fumbles also led to 21 points by the Raiders.
One of the fumble recoveries resulted in a 59-yard touchdown run for North Farmington’s first score.
Williams had touchdown runs of 46 and 66 yards in the best rushing performance of the season by an Oxford running back.
Wyatt Harden also scored two TDs for Oxford.
The Wildcats trailed by 21 points in the fourth quarter, 49-28 but scored twice in the final 4:25 to cut the gap to seven points.
After the first TD in the fourth quarter, on a five-yard run by Joshua Hall, the Wildcats recovered an onside kick and quickly scored again, on an 11-yard run by Wyatt Harden with 2:05 left.
The Wildcats could not recover the ensuing onside kick and the Raiders ran out the clock to secure their win.
Drake Berry, Michael Abbott, Garrett Tyrell and Jermaine Etchens led the defense for the Wildcats.
Fleming threw for 61 yards on five-of-13 completions. Brenden Lewis had two catches for 37 yards.