Line shatters school marks in Oxford’s 49-26 win over Southfield

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

OXFORD — In his 30-plus years of coaching, bud Rowley had never seen such an effort as he did Friday.

The veteran Oxford football coach watched as senior running back Prescott Line ran rampant on visiting Southfield in a 49-26, come-from-behind OAA White Division victory.

Line shattered the school record for rushing against the Bluejays, rushing for 391 yards on 45 carries and scored six touchdowns. The Southern Methodist recruit scored on runs of 4, 15, 2, 18, 35 and 4 yards in leading the Wildcats (5-2, 4-2) into a second-place tie in the OAA-White.

Oxford will play either Clarkston or Troy Athens in the OAA White-Red crossover next week.

ROLLNG OUT: OXford freshman quarterback Glacier Wallington looks for an open reciever during Friday's OAA White Division win over Southfield. Photo by Kirk Bearse, www.catsdenphoto.com

“I never seen anything like that, but it was a team effort,” reminded Rowley, who has coached numerous all-state backs in his storied career. “The (offensive) line was blocking their butts off. They did a great job opening up the gaps. Prescott did the running. That was a team effort.”

Line broke the single-game school record of 328 rushing yards set in 2001 by Jason Eldridge in a playoff win over Romeo.

Not to be outdone on the offensive side of the ball, Line added 16 tackles for good measure to aid the Wildcats’ defensive effort. Offensively, Line now has 1,797 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion for Oxford.

“This is a huge win for us,” reminded Rowley, whose team can gain a playoff spot with a road win next week in the OAA crossover game or at home against Oak Park in Week 9.

Southfield built a 20-14 lead at the half and led by the same score entering the fourth quarter. That’s when the Wildcats erupted with five touchdowns to turn a deficit into a 23-point route.

Oxford, which is now one win away from its first postseason berth since 2008, also picked up 62 yards on four carries for 62 yards from freshman quarterback Glacier Wellington. The speedy Wellington scored the final touchdown, picking off a pass four yards deep into the end zone and returning it more than 100 yards the opposite direction for paydirt.

Brandon Watkins finished with 190 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns for Southfield (5-2, 4-2).Watkins scored on runs of 58 and 32 yards, both in the first half.

Justin Danzy was 20-for-31 passing for 188 yards for Southfield. Ron Thompson caught a 10-yard toss and Thomas Kolleh added a12-yard TD reception from Danzy.

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Category: High School