Woodland looks to keep momentum alive against Oakdale
Posted on Thursday, September 28, 2006
Woodland’s offense caught up to its defense last week and the two proved unstoppable.
Woodland didn’t just knock off first-place Springdale Southwest, it annihilated the Cougars, 28-0. Woodland (3-1, 2-1 NWAC ) is now tied with Southwest and today’s opponent, Rogers Oakdale (3-1, 2-1 ), for first place in conference.
The Cowboys offense had sputtered, scoring only 20 points in its first three games, one of which was a shut-out. But the defense was allowing an average of 5. 3 points per game heading into last Thursday’s bout with Southwest.
Woodland coach Bobby Crockett said he didn’t change many of the plays but modified several formations. The result was a second-half explosion in which the Cowboys put up all 28 of their points after heading to the break tied at 0-0.
“ We changed some things offensively and it helped us become more consistent, ” Crockett said. “ We changed the way we lined up and ran the plays. We took a big step forward on the offensive line and at fullback; they stepped up and showed the capabilities that we had seen but they hadn’t produced in a game yet. ”
Woodland accumulated 358 yards of total offense. Running back Michael Heintzman paved the way with 199 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, two of which went for 52 and 69 yards. Quarterback J. T. McCormick had struggled offensively but found a groove with a 5-for-6 passing night and 133 yards. An 88-yard touchdown pass to Reid Murry was the highlight. “ Any time you beat Southwest it’s big, ” Crockett said. “ At the half, we were thinking we’re right where we want to be: In a close game with a chance to win. They haven’t had to play from behind and once we got two touchdowns, I think they were in a little bit of shock and things just snowballed and went our way. ”
Woodland’s offensive struggles before last Thursday were attributed to breakdowns near the end of promising drives. Crockett’s offensive modifications may just be the spark that turns the season in a new direction.
“ I would like to think so, ” Crockett said. “ We’ve made some adjustments as coaches that have helped us. Every game we’ve played, we moved the ball inside the 15 and bad things would happen. I think finally we’re playing to our team’s strengths and we’re learning how to finish. They played really well as a group and we’ve got to have that again. ”
Add the newfound offensive firepower to a defense that has only allowed 16 points all season and Crockett just might have the complete package.
“ Our defense is just making the big plays right now, ” Crockett said. “ We did a good job in the secondary in our pass coverage [against Southwest ]. They had a couple of dropped balls but they had a good night rushing. We let them get to the 15-yard line a couple of times but we cinched up our belts and did a good job. We bent but we never broke. ”
Woodland’s defense will be stretched again today against Oakdale, which beat Ramay last Thursday, 23-6.
Crockett’s bunch will pinpoint their focus on running back Brandon Austin and quarterback Caleb Ramsey. Austin rushed for 107 yards last week against Ramay. Ramsey threw for 110 yards and ran for 49 more.
“ Oakdale poses a lot of problems with their size and they’ve got a very good quarterback, ” Crockett said. “ They’ve got a running back who can take it the distance any time he touches it and their quarterback can run it and throw it, too. ”
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
