Fort Osage football coach Ryan Schartz felt fortunate after Friday night’s 28-10 win over Oak Park.
Based on Fort Osage’s performance, Schartz suggested it was miraculous the Indians escaped Staley High School with a win, let alone an 18-point one. The Indians still have “got a lot of work to do yet,” he said after the non-conference victory.
“We’re not even close to being the team we can be,” Schartz said.
Specifically, Schartz feels that Fort Osage (2-0) is having technique problems.
“I really feel like we need to get back to the basics and work our technique and executing that technique,” he commented. “I thought at times tonight we had them outnumbered at certain spots and we didn’t execute our technique. And as a result, we didn’t have very good plays.”
“The game of football’s very simple – and it usually comes down to blocking and tackling,” Schartz added. “And we’re not doing that very well.”
Fort Osage running back Jaleel Gordon and quarterback Steven McBee agreed with Schartz. Gordon, who rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, said the Indians “need to execute more.”
“Our inexperience really showed tonight,” said McBee, a sophomore, who contributed a rushing touchdown.
On the other hand, Schartz credited Oak Park (1-1) for battling to the final second.
“We had them down 14-0 first quarter – and those suckers came back with a passion in the second half and hit us pretty hard,” Schartz said.
Fort Osage staked its 14-point first quarter lead on Gordon’s 1- and 4-yard TD runs and extra-point kicks from Billy Vigil.
Oak Park recovered a fumble to set up Andrew Fishel’s 31-yard field goal, which cut it to 14-3 with 6:13 left in the second quarter. Gordon’s 45-yard run set up Ezra Vaoifi’s 6-yard TD run and Vigil’s extra point with 4:42 left in the quarter.
The Northmen showed signs of coming back during the third quarter, when they drove from their 46-yard line to the Fort Osage 3. But the four-play drive ended when the Northmen fumbled away the ball for the third of their four turnovers.
Oak Park then launched an eight-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters and took the Northmen from their 30 to the Fort Osage 26. But the Northmen lost the ball on downs.
On their next possession, however, Oak Park launched a four-play, 47-yard scoring drive, capped by Nick Elmore’s 34-yard TD with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter.
