Wildcats head to Grand Blanc on Friday
By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
DAVISON — The Oxford varsity football team beat the Davison Cardinals 21-14 on Friday in the first round of district play at Davison High School.
The Wildcats (7-3) now head to Grand Blanc (8-2) on Friday to take on the Bobcats in the district final game. Game time is 7 p.m. at Grand Bland High School Stadium, 12500 Holly Rd.
Entering the game on Friday, Davison was 7-2 overall and looked to capitalize on their home field advantage. The Cardinals only defeat in the Saginaw Valley League Red division was a 55-49 loss to Grand Blanc on Oct. 18.
Oxford head coach Zach Line credited his team’s work ethic and perseverance for the win.
“This team is incredibly special. I look back at our 2021 team and how they bought in (to our game plan). This team is very similar to that team. I haven’t been coaching a long time but you get a couple of special groups along the way and this team is, fortunately, very senior heavy. It’s just a testament to their work ethic,” Line said. “By the time we hit game time they’re ready to roll.”
The Oxford defense Davison on their opening drive, forcing the Cardinals to punt less than three minutes into the game. The Wildcats then took over possession of the ball on their own 24-yard line. The Wildcats moved the ball up field on runs from senior running back Luke Johnson, but quarterback Jack Hendrix’s pass to Ayden Seybert put Oxford in scoring position on the 11-yard line with 4:23 to go in the first quarter.
Johnson then powered through the Davison defense with an 11-yard rush into the endzone, giving the Wildcats the lead with 4:11 to go. The point after touchdown (PAT) kick was good, and Oxford went up 7-0.
Davison answered with 8:52 left in the first half. On third down with four yards to go, the Cardinals rushed into the endzone for their first touchdown of the game. The PAT was good and the game was tied at 7.
Oxford was forced to punt on its next drive, giving the ball back to Davison on their own 35-yard line with 7:10 left in the half. After driving down the field, the Cardinals capitalized on a 35-yard pass at 4:52 to take the lead, 14-7 after the PAT.
The Wildcats put up a valiant drive late in the first half, but after a couple of penalties, they found themselves at 4th and 25 on the 46-yard line with 12.3 seconds left and were forced to punt. The Davison quarterback took a knee and the first half ended with the Cardinals up a touchdown.
Line said there weren’t any major game plan adjustments at half time; he just told his team that they had to be mentally prepared for the second half.
“It was more of a mental adjustment. Just telling them that they’re battle-tested, and they’ve been through the gauntlet with our schedule. (Davison) is a great team, but I believe we are a better team and so did our guys,” Line said.
Oxford could not initially get past the Davison defense to start the second half and turned the ball over. The Oxford defense held and forced Davison to give the ball back with 6:31 left in the third quarter.
“I thought we were fortunate to be down only 7 at the half. I thought Davison moved the ball pretty well in the first half. We had some big stops along the way but I thought our offense was sputtering a little bit. We didn’t go back to the drawing board…but we knew we had to get 42 (Johnson) going a little bit in the run game. I think our guys did a good job of coming out and doing that,” Line said.
On their ensuing drive, Oxford started at their own 43-yard line and marched down the field. Hendrix passed the ball to wide receiver Calvin Martz, who ran for a touchdown at 5:25 of the quarter. The PAT was good and Oxford tied the game at 14-14.
With 9:04 left in the game, Johnson had a long run to get Oxford to the 1-yard line. On the next play he ran for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats the 21-14 after the PAT.
With 2:08 left in the game, the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs, and Davison took over possession on the 46-yard line, looking to tie the game and force overtime.
It was then that the Oxford defense stepped up and showed their grit, forcing incomplete pass attempts and stopping the Cardinals running game.
With 1:20 on the clock and 4th and 1 yard to go on the Oxford 44-yard line, the Cardinals ran a quarterback sneak to try and gain the yard and the first down. The Oxford defense held the rush at the line of scrimmage and Davison turned the ball over on downs.
With 1:12 left in the game, Hendrix twice took a knee to run out the clock and secure the 21-14 victory for the Wildcats.
Line also credited the fans for their support throughout the game, and the season.
“Look at our stands. They showed up in big numbers, they’re loud. We get a third down and they’re louder than the home crowd,” Line said. “It’s just a town that I’m so proud to be a part of.”
As for the upcoming game against Grand Blanc, Line said the Wildcats will be prepared for anything the Bobcats throw at them.
“The journey is not over for this team,” Line said. “There’s no secret formula. Football is not a pretty sport. We’re fortunate to come out of this game injury free, and we’ll get right back to work.”