With at least five more games left in his high school career, Oxford senior running back Paul Wonka is on pace to become Chenango County’s all-time leading rusher.

But first things first. Wonka is eyeing the Oxford all-time rushing mark, and needs just 148 more yards to pass Mike Chrystie’s all-time mark of 3,341 yards, set during a Section IV Hall of Fame career over a decade ago. Wonka drew closer to Chrystie’s total last weekend with the type of performance that has come to define his career.

Facing state-ranked Groton on the road, Wonka carried the workload on the ground, and it was a heavy workload at that. He finished with 217 yards on 37 carries to go with three rushing touchdowns. Wonka, running behind a strong, veteran line, allowed Oxford to maintain control of the ball, and set the pace against a team that rarely loses on its home field.

“Our offensive philosophy is the get our best players the ball in the best possible situations,” said Oxford second-year coach Ray Dayton.

Wonka is clearly the mainstay in a one-back offense where he gets at least 80 to 85 percent of the rushing touches, and he is our mainstay this week as Matthews Ford/Planet Preowned Norwich Athlete of the Week.