2008 SCHEDULE
Aug. 29 Muskegon Heights(2-6) W 31-8
Oakridge totaled 209 rushing yards and sophomore quarterback Jamie Potts was 4-of-5 passing for 93 yards. Matt Eacker finished with 74 yards on 13 carries.
Thanks to an 8-minute drive to open the game for the Tigers that produced no points, Oakridge finally got its first possession of the season with 4:34 left in the opening quarter.
Flashing that potent running attack, the Eagles drove 80 yards in 14 plays, culminating in a 14-yard run by Luke Cole. Cole played a pivotal role in the Eagles' next scoring drive by hauling in a 43-yard pass down the right sideline that set up Michael Shoop's 4-yard TD run. It gave Oakridge a 14-0 halftime lead. Cole finished with two catches for 79 yards, while anchoring the Eagles' secondary from his safety position. Oakridge eventually built a 31-0 lead on Eacker's 4-yard scoring run and Potts, who kicked a 28-yard field goal, hit a wide open Thomas Schoonbeck in the back of the end zone for the Eagles' final score. The Eagles outgained Muskegon Heights 295-275 and nearly pitched a shutout on defense until the Tigers' Derrick Johnson broke off a 65-yard TD run late in the final quarter. Oakridge forced the only turnover in the game as Charlie Horn intercepted a pass. Horn and Schoonbeck led the Eagles in tackles with seven apiece.
Sept. 05 North Muskegon(1-7) W 56-6
Matt Eacker's effort quite possibly set a record for Oakridge. Eacker scored two touchdowns in the first 20 seconds of the game on a 59-yard run and a 20-yard interception.
Eacker continued his offensive effort in the first quarter, adding another rushing touchdown and an interception return, finishing with five touchdowns and 143 yards rushing in the game. Michael Shoop's 12-yard touchdown run gave Oakridge a 35-0 lead just after five minutes of play in the first quarter.
Sept. 12 Ravenna(6-2) W 39-7
Oakridge dominated Ravenna up front and then unleashed its four-headed monster in the backfield in a 39-7 win Friday in front of more than 3,000 fans at Citizen's Field in Ravenna. The Eagles took charge early, racing to a 33-0 halftime lead and getting the game to a running clock, before the hosts got on the board late in the fourth quarter. The front seven controlled the game, making things easy for Oakridge offensive coordinator Mark Jalovec, who simply split up the carries between Michael Shoop (142 yards), Matt Eacker (83 yards), sophomore quarterback Jamie Potts (64 yards) and Luke Cole (38 yards). "Whoever gets the ball is going to run hard," said Shoop, who set the tone of the game by breaking myriad tackles on a pair of long first-quarter TD runs, from 43 yards and 56 yards. The scary thing is that Oakridge rolled up 402 total offensive yards despite staying in its full-house T formation in the backfield all night long. Oakridge was simply a much better team on Friday and proved it is for real and certainly worthy of its No. 1 ranking in Division 5.
Sept. 19 Whitehall(4-4) W 42-7
The Eagles scored 42 unanswered points against Whitehall en route to a 42-7 homecoming victory Friday. Whitehall jumped out 7-0 after Scott Nowak blocked a field goal and Jordan Seeger picked up the loose ball and returned it 60 yards for the touchdown. Matt Eacker provided a major response for the Eagles. He scoredtwo rushing TDs in the second quarter and later added a 29-yard TD reception. Oakridge quarterback Jamie Potts rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Eacker led the Eagles with 126 yards rushing. Thomas Schoonbeck and Kyle Pascavis had 11 tackes apiece.
Sept. 26 Shelby(4-4) W 50-7
At Shelby, the Eagle defense led the way, holding the Tigers to -17 yards rushing and 34 total yards. Austin Stordahl recorded six tackles for loss and Thomas Schoonbeck and Joe Kieft also had six tackles and Michael Shoop recorded an interception. Offensively, Matt Eacker ran eight times for 126 yards and three touchdowns for top-ranked Oakridge. Shoop scored twice and carried for 46 yards, quarterback Jamie Potts completed 4-of-6 passes for 59 yards, including a 21-yard TD pass to Stordahl, and added 55 yards rushing and a score for Oakridge, which amassed 345 yards. Charlie Horn finished the Eagles' scoring with a 2-yard TD run. Brandon Bennett scored a late rushing TD for Shelby.
Oct. 03 Hart(2-6) W 70-20
Micheal Shoop led the way carrying 15 time for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a 70-20 win. Luke Cole also hit paydirt three more times while rushing for 75 yards in 10 carries. The Eagles rushed for 457 total yards. Charlie Horn and Jordan Walker led the defensive efforts with seven tackles each.
Oct. 10 Montague(7-1) W 28-21
The story of the game likely was Oakridge's power T-formation ground attack in the second half. The Eagles finished with 369 yards on the ground, including 269 in the second half.
Michael Shoop and Eacker led the way with 108 and 97 yards rushing, respectively. Potts chipped in with 97 on six carries. Cole led the Eagles with 12 tackles, followed by Thomas Schoonbeck with 10 and Eacker with eight. Joe Kieft also recovered a fumble. The game started with three turnovers in the first two minutes.
Oct. 17 Mason County Central(2-6) W 63-13
The Spartans controlled the ball with the run and were tied with the Eagles at 7-7. But then came the second quarter. That is when the Eagles, unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in Division 5, busted loose for five long, scoring strikes to take a 42-7 halftime lead. With the clock running in the second half, Oakridge cruised to a 63-13 West Michigan Conference win over the Spartans. The Eagles were led by sophomore quarterback Jamie Potts, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. His scoring passes covered 26, 34, and 40 yards and his TD run was for 57 yards. Potts got help from senior halfback Matt Eacker, who rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries. Eacker's runs were for 47, 38 and 68 yards. Oakridge finished with 491 yards of total offense. On the ground, they gained 345. Through the air, the Eagles picked up 146 more. Oakridge would score five touchdowns with a total of 11 offensive plays in the second half.
Oct. 24 Muskegon Orchard View(7-1)
Stats through Week 8
Passing:
Jamie Potts 25-39 486 yards 8 TD's
Rushing:
Matt Eacker 73 carries 806 yards 11.0 avg. 15 TD's
Michael Shoop 76 carries 701 yards 9.2 avg. 11 TD's
Jamie Potts 27 carries 365 yards 13.5 avg. 6 TD's
Recieving:
Luke Cole 4 rec., 111 yards., 27.8 avg. 0 TD's
Michael Shoop 5 rec., 145 yards., 29.0 avg. 3TD
Who to watch for:
QB/DB Soph. Jamie Potts-- Highly touted athlete ever since youth football. All around good athlete. Great scrambling ability from the QB position with strong arm and good size at 6'3. Also a hard hitting safety on the other side of the ball. Great kicker, making it from 40+ yards since Middle School. If he lives up to the hype, he could be one of the best athletes to ever come through Oakridge.
RB/DB Sr. Matt Eacker-- Good running back with very good vision and balance. Also a shutdown corner on defense. He'll most likely be the single back in the spread formation. Runs well in space. Last year: 886 yards, 15 TD's
RB/WR/DB Jr. Micheal Shoop-- Has great speed but is vastly undersized. Very hard runner when placed in the backfield and can beat you deep at the wideout position. Last year: 105 carries, 570 yards
RB/DB Sr. Luke Cole-- Another RB in this stable of good RB's. More of a speed back than anything, but can move the pile if needed to. Wont see as many carries but might get split out to catch some passes with Shoop. Last year: 535 yards, 10 TD's
TE/LB Sr. Thomas Schoonbeck-- Very good receiving TE, but could get split out if Oakridge moves to the spread. Very aggressive, hard hitting linebacker. Will more than likely lead the team in tackles this year, if he remains healthy. Last year: 14 rec., 231 yards, 5 TD's
LB Sr. Brandon Pirkola-- Among the team leaders in tackles last year at the inside backer position. Last year: 88 tackles
C/DL Jr. Cody Moore-- The only lineman I can think of that will be an impact player this season. He's a force on the defensive side of the ball and will be the most solid offensive lineman as well.
Key Losses:
QB Corey Phelps-- Played well in his career at Oakridge, but I think this is one position that Oakridge will not have a problem filling this year.
WR/DB Kyle Huck-- The last brother in a family full of athletes. 3 year starter, key player on the '05 championship team. His special teams play and speed will definitely be missed, but Shoop should do well filling his shoes.
TE/LB Kyle Short-- Hard hitting linebacker and a good run blocker. Led the team in tackles and will be replaced by Schoonbeck on both sides.
OL/DL Josh Wahr-- 3 year starter at DT. Missed most of his junior year with a broken leg. Led team in sacks in '05 as a Soph.
Team Website:
http://www.eteamz.com/oakridgefootball/
