Oakman’s Christian Hubbard (6) confronts a Curry defender during Friday night’s game at Hosea Collins Field. The Wildcats won their season opener 32-12 over the Yellow Jackets.
DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE - JASON CLARK
OAKMAN — Though the final score may not properly represent the dominance Oakman displayed Friday night, the game still resulted in an easy 32-12 win over the Curry Yellow Jackets.
Senior running back Christian Hubbard could not be stopped once the lights came on at Hosea Collins Field Friday despite Curry’s best efforts. Hubbard kicked off his night with a 22-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Malachi Bridges before rushing for two more.
By the end of the night, Hubbard racked up 158 yards on just 18 touches, an 8.7 yards per carry average. Still, Hubbard was not the only rusher making noise in the backfield. Junior John O’Rear found a score of his own on a 22-yard run in the first quarter, followed by a 3-yard carry by fellow junior Cristian Lopez for an addition six points.
The crowd in Oakman became familiar with Bridges as well, as the efficient quarterback threw for 191 yards and a score in the prevailing win.
On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker Colton Harper led the defense with five tackles. Additional support was provided by sophomore defensive end Antwan Odom, who came up with a big 9-yard sack early in the game.
As rousing as the game was for Oakman, it was equally testing for Curry, who failed to find the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. However, the Yellow Jackets still had some shining moments of their own. One of the most impressive came after a big defensive stop deep in the red zone. After forcing the Wildcats into a 20-yard field goal attempt, Curry came up big with a much-needed block. Freshman Collin Paige came down with the ball and ran it back for a thrilling 92-yards to finally get the Yellow Jackets on the board.
With a little over two minutes remaining, Curry blocked a punt to take over on Oakman’s 7-yard line. Senior Nate South made use of this opportunity by trucking 5-yards for an additional score, capped off with an extra point kicked by senior quarterback Andrew Stewart.
Stewart had a difficult night in Oakman, completing just 9 of 24 passes. The completions were effective though, as he totaled 88-yards through the air, an admirable average of 9.7-yards per catch.
Curry’s defense got a lot of work from Oakman’s strong rushing attack, with South and senior defensive back Dylan Kelley each racking up six tackles. Linebackers Ethan Farley and Caden Riley followed closely behind with five a piece, with the latter also sacking Bridges for a 4-yard loss.
When the clock expired, Oakman and Curry had learned a lot about their teams. Leaders for both the Wildcats and Yellow Jackets emerged, and both have plenty of room to improve moving forward. For Oakman, there is room to progress on special teams as both of Curry’s only touchdowns resulted from mistakes on this side of the ball. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets must work to improve their offense and find ways to move the ball more effectively.
From here, Oakman will prepare to take on region-opponent Holt at home next Friday night. As for Curry, the Yellow Jackets will return home to regroup and host Oak Grove following an off week.
This article was originally published in the Daily Mountain Eagle.
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