Pick your preposition — over, through, around — to describe what the Oak Harbor High School ground game did to the Kamiak defense in the Wildcats’ 55-21 win Thursday, Sept. 8, at Frank Goddard Stadium.
Oak Harbor, always noted for its strong rushing attack, was particularly effective on the ground Thursday, piling up 624 yards. The Wildcats recorded only one negative rush and had runs of 80, 30, 26, 17 and 9 yards erased because of penalties.
The Wildcats never punted. Two fumbles and the halftime clock were the only things that stopped Oak Harbor drives.
So, back to the prepositions. Here are a few:
“Over”: Princeton Lollar ran atop (“atop,” that’s also a preposition) the Knight defenders for 275 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. The 240-pound back now has 2,541 career rushing yards, just 77 shy of the school record set by Chris Isaacson (2,618, 1980-82). Lollar left the game with 10 minutes remaining, 27 yards short of Maurice Perigo’s single-game record of 302 yards in 1993.
“Through”: Taeson Hardin slalomed between (yep, also a preposition) Kamiak defenders for 124 yards and three scores on nine carries despite having TD runs of 80 (the first play of the second half) and 30 yards nullified because of penalties.
“Among”: TJ Hollins-Passmore weaved his way between (preposition) the Knights for 119 yards on nine rushes, including a 45-yard scoring scamper.
“Outside”: Ty Eck, in his only carry, zipped around (ditto) the right end for a 78-yard run and the game’s final TD.
Things started well for Oak Harbor and, for the most part, just got better from there. On the first play of the game, Mac Carr intercepted Kamiak QB Matt Merk. (Carr had another pick later in the game.) Two plays later, Lollar rumbled 50 yards for a score, Eck kicked the PAT and the stampede was on.
While Oak Harbor relied on the run, Kamiak (1-1) tried to counter with an air attack. Two Knight quarterbacks combined to hit 20 of 41 passes for 178 yards, resulting in three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kamiak ran for 108 yards on 33 carries.
Oak Harbor quarterback Jordan Bell threw only four passes, completing one for 7 yards.
“The kids competed well,” Oak Harbor coach Jay Turner said. “I am obviously pleased with our No. 1’s, but I am really pleased with our 2’s and 3’s.”
The Oak Harbor reserves held their own. Kamiak played its offensive starters, except a change at quarterback, the entire game and only went to its defensive reserves the last possession.
In regard to the running game, Turner said, “We put a big emphasis on improving our blocking this week in practice.”
Oak Harbor (2-0) begins Wesco North play at 7 p.m. next Friday, Sept. 16, when Stanwood visits Wildcat Memorial Stadium. The Spartans lost their opener 54-8 to Lake Stevens and plays Newport Friday, Sept. 9.
For those who zoned out during freshman English class, a preposition is just about any word that would fit into the following blank: The Oak Harbor rushing attack ran ____ the Kamiak defense.
===================
Michael Fisken helps take down Kamiak’s Raul Zarate.
