By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
Hired in January following the completion of his seventh and final season in the National Football League, the Zach Line era kicked off on Friday, September 18, representing the first time someone other than Bud Rowley coached the Oxford Wildcats since 1981.
Hosting the Macomb Area Conference’s (MAC) L’Anse Creuse North Crusaders, the Wildcats delivered a crisp, spirited showing, cruising to a 34-0 victory.
Initially, Oxford was slated to open their campaign at Lake Orion High School against the rival Dragons, but in the wee hours of Thursday, September 17, less than 24 hours before the scheduled kick, Lake Orion’s Director of Athletics Chris Bell announced the school would have to back out due to two confirmed positive coronavirus (COVID-19) tests within their program.
This news left Oxford scrambling for an opponent, but, fortunately, L’Anse Creuse North was available after their scheduled foe, the Detroit Country Day Yellowjackets, was forced to cancel for the same reason as the Dragons.
Jordan Ackerman, the Wildcats’ Director of Athletics, deserves the lion’s share of credit for securing the replacement opponent and allowing the 55 young men on the roster to begin their season on the originally scheduled date.
Having this brief of a preparation period for an opponent could have presented some problems, but Line and his staff have instilled a “ready for anything” attitude in this group, and that hard work behind the scenes came in handy in the season-opener.
“That’s the old-school mentality we have here, we’ll play anyone, anywhere,” Line said.
“We were just happy to have a game. When it (the Lake Orion game) got pulled, I know those guys were hurting for a second, it was about 40 minutes without a game, but then it was on to game plan mode.
“It was a whole different game plan, we had a quick walkthrough after school, thought they did well.”
Although attendance was limited to just two guests per student-athlete, meaning the crowd was mostly parents and few students, Oxford played as if they were feeding off the energy of a packed house.
The defense, headed by co-coordinators Matt Call and Ryan Clark, set the tone from the beginning, forcing a punt on the game’s opening drive. Led by junior John Asciutto, who posted three-and-a-half tackles, and sophomore Tate Myre and senior John Valvo, who each tallied three, the Wildcats held the Crusaders to just 89 yards of total offense on 44 snaps, an average of barely two yards per play.
Junior Brady Carpenter drew the start at quarterback and had an excellent night, completing 12-of-16 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, both to Tate Myre, including a 50-yarder for the game’s first points with 5:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Carpenter, who started six games at the position as a sophomore, looked calm and confident playing in the most pass-happy offense of his career. Patient in the pocket and comfortable throwing while rolling to his right, his style of play drew comparisons to former Oklahoma Sooner Baker Mayfield in the press box and was also a factor in the rushing game, totaling 23 yards on four carries.
“I thought Brady did a good job,” Line shared. “The biggest message I had for him was to just manage the game.
“He didn’t throw any interceptions, we have to keep working on our mechanics of getting the plays in, obviously, but for his first time in actual game action with a wristband, he did a great job.”
Oxford totaled 370 yards of offense, nearly 300 more than L’Anse Creuse North, and led, 27-0, at the halftime break.
One of the most telling statistics coaches like to point to is time of possession, and the Wildcats had the significant edge here, controlling the football for over 28 minutes of the 48-minute contest.
Myre finished the night with four touchdowns and registered 128 total yards (85 receiving, 43 rushing). The 43 yards on the ground led the team but junior Sal Vackaro was right on his heels, ending up with 42 yards on eight carries, good for a 5.3 average.
Myre and Vackaro, who scored the other touchdown on a two-yard run with 1:35 left in the first half, have the makings of a dependable duo out of the backfield and junior scatback Levi Garcia performed well, too, running for 27 yards on seven attempts.
“I think (junior) Gavin Green at center did a good job, I think the offensive line for the most part did a really good job, we had a lot of time back there,” Line pointed out.
“Brady did a good job with his decision-making, and, obviously, 42 (Myre) is a good player. He’s a sophomore, so, he has a while here, he’s one of those guys that comes to work, doesn’t take a rep off in practice and it shows in the game.
“We have some players on this team, the defense played phenomenal, turnover after turnover, you can’t ask for anything more than that. The biggest stat, other than the final score, was turnovers.”
The Crusaders turned the football over five times, fumbling on four occasions and throwing an interception, which was recorded by senior Jake Dawood.
One of these fumbles came on a kick return in the first quarter, recovered by another senior, Tommy Rineer, who scooped up two loose footballs on the night, and set the Oxford offense up with field position in plus-territory.
“We spend about three periods every practice on special teams,” Line said of this third of the game.
“That’s just one of those things, I made a living on special teams and at fullback, you don’t make an NFL team by not playing special teams. So, for me, if we can steal a couple of possessions, or pin them deep on a punt, or a fumble on a kickoff, that’s huge.”
There are a couple of areas the Wildcats need to clean up, such as the three lost fumbles of their own, but, as far as debuts go, this went about as well as the coaching staff and fans could have hoped.
Already matching their win total from a year ago, Oxford will need to build on the positives from this season-opener as the schedule begins to pick up.
This Friday, Sept. 25, the Wildcats will hit the road for the first time this year and battle the Clarkston Wolves in their first Oakland Activities Association (OAA) Red Division game.
The Wolves topped Oxford at Wildcat Stadium, 33-28, on September 27, 2019, and were ranked No. 13 in MLive’s Preseason Top-50. Clarkston defeated another OAA Red school, the Southfield A&T Warriors, 24-17, on the road in their season-opener last Friday.

  Brady Carpenter