By Cody Wright – Football Correspondent

Oxford lost its undefeated status Friday in a close road game against the West Bloomfield Lakers.

Although the night ended with Oxford swallowing their first loss of the season, 31-24, the Wildcats continued to showcase a team character that is well-suited to take them far this season.

Oxford put up the first points of the night a little under halfway through the first with senior Trent Myre running the ball in, proving he’s a dominant force in the backfield.

West Bloomfield came back, capitalizing on a Wildcat fumble and tying the game at 7.

Once the Lakers opened up that gate, they continued to put points on the board for the rest of the first half.

Kicker Jake Ward gave the Lakers their first lead of the night, kicking a 20-yard field goal, and Harris Mosley advanced the lead to 10 before the half expired, with a 15-yard touchdown.

The second half looked much better for the Wildcats, the third quarter certainly going to the blue and gold.

The Wildcats tied the game at 17 late in the third quarter with Joseph Vackaro blocking a Lakers’ punt and Caleb Tabert recovering the ball in the end zone.

The Wildcats also came up with a second blocked punt, late in the fourth quarter, which resulted in a 17-yard touchdown from quarterback Drew Carpenter.

Down by a touchdown with time running short, the Wildcats took one more shot with an onside kick in an attempt to gain possession for one more run.

The ball, however, went out of bounds before anyone was able to get to it, and it was over for the Wildcats.

Both teams played well and had their moments, Oxford was just unable to finish the night with more points.

Both teams now hold overall records of 2-1, and both 1-1 in the red division. Oxford is set to take on Southfield A&T at home on Friday, the second home game of the season.

The Wildcats still hold a winning record, and overall have played three good games so far. Only three games into a nine-game regular season, the Cats have thus far showed themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.