OSHKOSH – Oshkosh West came out firing in its first football game of the season against Green Bay Preble.
The Wildcats got started in good field position and converted on a fake punt, but missed a field goal to cap off the drive. It was one of two field goals missed by the Wildcats.
It was that kind of night for Oshkosh West, which was unable to make the plays when it mattered most as Green Bay Preble won 10-3 on Friday, Aug. 22.
“I thought our defense played well. We knew that’s going to be our strength,” Oshkosh West head coach Joey Ray said. “The thing we talked about is we just can’t beat ourselves and I think we did tonight.”
The first half was stagnant as both defenses dug in and didn’t allow big plays.
The Preble defense also helped guide the Hornets to the first points of the game. Oshkosh West got the ball with 55 seconds left in the first half thanks to a fumble recovery by Luke Huechert. Four plays later, however, quarterback Zander Crook was intercepted and the pick was returned to the 29-yard line.
As time expired Preble kicker Jack Thomas made a 37-yard field goal.
The Hornets scored on their first drive of the second half and kept the lead the rest of the way.
Next up for Oshkosh West is Oshkosh North, with the Harold J. Schumerth Traveling Cup on the line.
Couple plays away
In the third quarter, Oshkosh West junior Ethan Bowman intercepted Preble quarterback Harrison Selk in the red zone. He took it all the way back for a touchdown but there was holding on the play and instead West had to settle for a field goal.
It was the story of the game for the Wildcats.
“They ran that play earlier and it was open. We talked about it at halftime. I think it’s a testament to our kids. That’s one of their greatest strengths, is they’re very coachable,” Ray said. “Short field, we got to score.”
The Wildcats had a chance to tie the game up when they got the ball back with 2:46 left. They were unable to convert, as four passes from Crook hit the ground and fell incomplete. Of the four, three made contact with the receivers’ hands.
Crook completed 10 of his 24 attempts for 103 yards and had two interceptions.
“We missed a couple of curls, we love our pro-flat concept, and it was there a lot, but we had to rush the throw a few times,” Ray said. “There was a few times we had the wheel to Joey (Ware) on the side here, just a little bit out of reach. And again, when we have opportunities to make plays we got to make them.”
New faces at quarterback
Oshkosh West used a two-quarterback system with Crook and sophomore Drew Abitz.
Neither of them played quarterback at the varsity level in 2024, so it was a first look at how they’d do under the Friday night lights.
“Zander is a really good commander. He’s a captain, throws really good, quick gain routes, makes really good decisions with the football and he could scramble a little bit,” Ray said. “Drew is such a good athlete and we just used Drew as a wide receiver, quarterback, different way.”
To go along with his 103 passing yards, Crook ran for 28 yards. Abitz went 2-for-2 with his passing attempts for 26 yards and ran for 11 yards.
Wildcats hang tough on defense
Oshkosh West’s defense was the bright spot.
It gave up just 10 points, and in the first half the longest play it gave up was 13 yards.
“We were fitting the run and we were tackling well and then they found a formation they liked, and we were not lined up correctly and they kind of exploited it out of halftime,” Ray said. “Once we fixed it, we went back to, I thought doing pretty good.”
For junior linebacker Melvin Byes, he said that the defense is connected.
“I think we just have great chemistry, high energy. We play with pursuit,” Byes said. “All week at practice we just have the highest energy. That’s our goal every time, be the most physical team, be the fastest team and pursue the ball.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Ben Schultz at BSchultz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @benschultz52.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: After Week 1 loss, Oshkosh West football will rely on defense as young offense figures itself out
Reporting by Ben Schultz, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
