Oakland-Craig blows out Crofton

The Oakland-Craig Football team blew out Crofton 41-7 at home Friday night in what some would probably consider a surprise.

Evan Reinert was 7-7 passing for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

Kobe Benne hauled in 3 passes for 145 yards, and scored twice. Garrett Seagren hauled in 4 balls for 141 yards, including two touchdowns.

Head Coach Joe Anderson says Reinert has been really good, but having two big weapons really helps. "Evan made some really good throws. He has been really consistent lately and we will continue to need that from him. He has some really good weapons to use. He know if he puts the ball close that guys like Kobe and Garrett will go up and make a big play. Kobe and Garrett both had over 140 yards receiving last game."

The Knights had 429 yards of offense, including 295 passing.

Anderson says big plays on offense and a strong defense made the difference in the game. "Defensively we were able to shut down their strong run game early on. And then on offense are kids executed really well. We were able to hit some big plays over the top to get us a big lead early."

Oakland-Craig (3-0) has another tough game Friday night as they travel to Ponca (3-0) to take on the Indians.

Ponca knocked off BRLD 34-14 on the road this past Friday night.

Anderson says defense is the key for his team. "Ponca has 14 seniors and some really good athletes. They are big up front and play physical football. We are going to have to play very physical again and find a way to slow down their potent running game. They have a lot of speed as well and we can not give up the big play."

This is definitely Ponca's year to do something as they are a very good team, but as good as the Indians are I think Oakland-Craig is even better.

Anderson says his kids will be up for this game just like they were Battle Creek. "I think it helped that we already went on the road and played well in a very tough game. Our kids seem to handle the road trips pretty well and are excited to play another ranked opponent."

I feel winning at Battle Creek gives the Knights the confidence and assurance that they can win at Ponca this coming Friday night.

Now if Oakland-Craig jumps out to a big lead like they did against the Braves then they need to put the Indians away, and not let them back into the game.

The Knights did a great job of slamming the door shut against Crofton last week so to speak, and will need to do that again this week.

This should be a very competitive and hard hitting game. Two of the best in Northeast Nebraska going at it.

I like Oakland-Craig to win as long as Reinert, Seagren, and Benne all hookup and connect for big plays and chunk yardage.

The Knights have to create big plays and not give up big plays to be successful, in my opinion.

If Oakland-Craig can force Ponca to drive the length of the field and earn their points then they should be in good shape.

The Knights have to keep the foot on the gas pedal though and cannot let up. Oakland-Craig is coming off two very huge wins, but there's a long ways to go and the work is not done yet.

With that said, if the Knights are able to get by the Indians they should have a chance to go undefeated in the regular season.

I see Fremont Bergan and Logan View challenging Oakland-Craig in District Play and perhaps having something to say about that though.