Blackhawks lock up second consecutive winning season
OXFORD – The once struggling Oxford Blackhawk varsity football team seems to be a thing of the past, after the Blackhawk boys and Head Coach Jeff Newton have now strung together two back-to-back winning seasons, following their most recent win over Deposit-Hancock by a score of 50-22.
“It is nice to know that Oxford has now had two consecutive winning seasons. It is very important for a growing program to come away with a couple winning seasons in a row. Last year was first time in 10 years Oxford has had a winning season, so back-to-back says a lot about our coaching staff and the kids,” said coach Newton. “I am proud of how the kids responded at the end of the season. They came back and we got a winning season for the second straight year, I don’t know when the last time was Oxford did that.”
The blowout in front of their hometown crowd on Oct. 28, featured an always run heavy approach to the game, as coach Newton employed his lead back, sophomore Xavier Cruz often in the early parts of the game. This game-plan softened up Deposit-Hancock allowing other runners in the later parts to find some running room.
However, despite the heavy workload for Cruz on the day – 26 rushes for 297 yards and two offensive touchdowns – the score remained still a contest in the first half, as Oxford led 24-14. Oxford's first half touchdowns came from a three yard run by quarterback Chris Martin, 33 yard run by Cruz – in the first quarter – followed by another Cruz touchdown from 20 yards out for the final score in the half.
The scoring for Oxford continued in the second half of play – with a three yard run by Jon Heggie and a two run from Rece Camadine following a Camadine 46 yard grab to set himself up for the score. Seniors' Heggie and Camadine were joined by lineman senior Phil Smith in the scoring frenzy in the second half, as Smith punched a final third quarter score in from one yard out, taking the lead to 44-14 at the end of the third.
“They had no yardage in the third quarter before our second team came out. Everyone was doing their job. There wasn’t really standouts. You had Jon Heggie with an a interception, and he led the team with six tackles, Xavier had four tackles and the fumble recovery, Jake Ingraham had six tackles, Phil Smith had five, Mickerson Clune had five. No real big standouts, everyone was just doing their job,” said coach Newton. “One of the things I tell my team during the week is 'defense do your job, and offense execute. If that happens nine times out of ten you’re going to win a game. That is one of the big things I strived to tell the kids this year, and in this game our defense did their job and our offense executed.”
Despite the reduced workload for Cruz in the second half of play – due to a lopsided score – Newton couldn’t hold back his stud athlete from finding the end zone one final time on the season. With a scoop and score situation, Cruz managed to find a fumble and run it all the way back for the final score in the contest for a 45 yard fumble recovery, taking the final score to 50-14. Impressively, Cruz finishes with 1,503 yards on the ground for 2016.
With the completion of the 2016 season for the Oxford Blackhawks (5-4 overall) they will be saying goodbye to their six seniors: Dustin Mack, Jon Heggie, Phil Smith, Stephen Ehly, Rece Camadine, and John Walker.
“Our seniors helped out a lot this year as far as their knowledge. They helped out some of the younger kids, we had a young team. We are losing a few seniors, but our returning guys are a core group of kids, which hopefully they learn from this year and this year's seniors. We want them to take to the off-season and do workouts,” said coach Newton.
And with this final group of seniors in 2016, Oxford defensive coordinator and longtime Chenango County coach Mick James will finally be hanging up his cleats after 46 years of coaching in the county.
Coach James announced his departure in a Facebook post on Oct. 25, saying, “Tonight I announced to the team that Friday night will be my last game coaching football. After 46 years it's time for my wife and I to find out what else there is to do in the fall and watch the grandkids in their sports. What a great time it has been - met so many great kids, coached with great coaches and met a lot of great parents. Thanks everyone for all of it.”
Coach Newton commented on the departure of his mentor and coach saying, “Mickey told me – I was hemming and hawing about taking the Oxford coaching job – he told me that if I went down to Oxford he he would be my defensive coordinator. That was like the all-of-all, to think 'hey there is a legend that is going to take you under his wing as a head coach.' He is the person who got me into coaching and I am the last person he is coaching with, so that is an awesome feeling. After the game all the kids were pretty emotional about him leaving. It's a great game to end with and once again I am proud of the kids on how they finished out the season, they didn’t hang it up, they stuck it out even to the last practice we were running sprints in the mud and rain.”
O: 16 8 20 6– 50
D: 8 6 0 8– 22
Passing:
Chris Martin 1-46 yards
Receiving:
Camadine 1-46 yard catching
Rushing:
Xavier Cruz 26-297 two td, and four two point conversions, Jon Heggie 10-84 and one td, Jake Smith 5-15, Chris Martin 5-40 and one td, Phil Smith 3-12 and one td, Darren Law 1-8, Dakota Friedel 3-13.
Submitted Photo
“It is nice to know that Oxford has now had two consecutive winning seasons. It is very important for a growing program to come away with a couple winning seasons in a row. Last year was first time in 10 years Oxford has had a winning season, so back-to-back says a lot about our coaching staff and the kids,” said coach Newton. “I am proud of how the kids responded at the end of the season. They came back and we got a winning season for the second straight year, I don’t know when the last time was Oxford did that.”
The blowout in front of their hometown crowd on Oct. 28, featured an always run heavy approach to the game, as coach Newton employed his lead back, sophomore Xavier Cruz often in the early parts of the game. This game-plan softened up Deposit-Hancock allowing other runners in the later parts to find some running room.
However, despite the heavy workload for Cruz on the day – 26 rushes for 297 yards and two offensive touchdowns – the score remained still a contest in the first half, as Oxford led 24-14. Oxford's first half touchdowns came from a three yard run by quarterback Chris Martin, 33 yard run by Cruz – in the first quarter – followed by another Cruz touchdown from 20 yards out for the final score in the half.
The scoring for Oxford continued in the second half of play – with a three yard run by Jon Heggie and a two run from Rece Camadine following a Camadine 46 yard grab to set himself up for the score. Seniors' Heggie and Camadine were joined by lineman senior Phil Smith in the scoring frenzy in the second half, as Smith punched a final third quarter score in from one yard out, taking the lead to 44-14 at the end of the third.
“They had no yardage in the third quarter before our second team came out. Everyone was doing their job. There wasn’t really standouts. You had Jon Heggie with an a interception, and he led the team with six tackles, Xavier had four tackles and the fumble recovery, Jake Ingraham had six tackles, Phil Smith had five, Mickerson Clune had five. No real big standouts, everyone was just doing their job,” said coach Newton. “One of the things I tell my team during the week is 'defense do your job, and offense execute. If that happens nine times out of ten you’re going to win a game. That is one of the big things I strived to tell the kids this year, and in this game our defense did their job and our offense executed.”
Despite the reduced workload for Cruz in the second half of play – due to a lopsided score – Newton couldn’t hold back his stud athlete from finding the end zone one final time on the season. With a scoop and score situation, Cruz managed to find a fumble and run it all the way back for the final score in the contest for a 45 yard fumble recovery, taking the final score to 50-14. Impressively, Cruz finishes with 1,503 yards on the ground for 2016.
With the completion of the 2016 season for the Oxford Blackhawks (5-4 overall) they will be saying goodbye to their six seniors: Dustin Mack, Jon Heggie, Phil Smith, Stephen Ehly, Rece Camadine, and John Walker.
“Our seniors helped out a lot this year as far as their knowledge. They helped out some of the younger kids, we had a young team. We are losing a few seniors, but our returning guys are a core group of kids, which hopefully they learn from this year and this year's seniors. We want them to take to the off-season and do workouts,” said coach Newton.
And with this final group of seniors in 2016, Oxford defensive coordinator and longtime Chenango County coach Mick James will finally be hanging up his cleats after 46 years of coaching in the county.
Coach James announced his departure in a Facebook post on Oct. 25, saying, “Tonight I announced to the team that Friday night will be my last game coaching football. After 46 years it's time for my wife and I to find out what else there is to do in the fall and watch the grandkids in their sports. What a great time it has been - met so many great kids, coached with great coaches and met a lot of great parents. Thanks everyone for all of it.”
Coach Newton commented on the departure of his mentor and coach saying, “Mickey told me – I was hemming and hawing about taking the Oxford coaching job – he told me that if I went down to Oxford he he would be my defensive coordinator. That was like the all-of-all, to think 'hey there is a legend that is going to take you under his wing as a head coach.' He is the person who got me into coaching and I am the last person he is coaching with, so that is an awesome feeling. After the game all the kids were pretty emotional about him leaving. It's a great game to end with and once again I am proud of the kids on how they finished out the season, they didn’t hang it up, they stuck it out even to the last practice we were running sprints in the mud and rain.”
O: 16 8 20 6– 50
D: 8 6 0 8– 22
Passing:
Chris Martin 1-46 yards
Receiving:
Camadine 1-46 yard catching
Rushing:
Xavier Cruz 26-297 two td, and four two point conversions, Jon Heggie 10-84 and one td, Jake Smith 5-15, Chris Martin 5-40 and one td, Phil Smith 3-12 and one td, Darren Law 1-8, Dakota Friedel 3-13.
Submitted Photo
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