Owen Eshelman looked down a 19-7 deficit heading into halftime during the first round of the Oklahoma Class 6A-I football playoffs on Saturday.
However, the Norman North quarterback is used to having to fight his way back into the game.
“Moore put together a really good plan,” Eshelman said after Norman North’s postseason win on Saturday . “We made critical mistakes in the first half. We talked about it and in the second half we wanted to come out swinging.”
After starting the season 0-6, Norman North has figured out how to respond, winning the last 4 of 5 games. Despite being down after the second quarter on Saturday, Norman North (4-7) was able to come back against Moore (6-5).
Receiving the ball to open the second half, Eshelman scrambled for a 31-yard touchdown to cut Moore’s lead to 19-14. On the next drive, Norman North’s defense forced a critical fumble, elevating the energy and shifting the momentum in favor of the Tigers.
“Everyone knows football is a huge momentum sport,” Eshelman said of Norman North’s response. “We knew we had to capitalize on our second drive and cut the deficit little by little and make the most of the opportunities we had.”
Wide receiver Mason James, who has led the team the entire season, also acknowledged how pivotal the Tigers’ second half response was.
“We were waiting for that,” James said when asked about the fumble and the momentum. “We just had to use that energy for the good and push the ball down their throats.”
The Tigers were able to score 23 unanswered points out of halftime and won the game 30-19. However, heading into the second round of the post season, James knows Norman North will have to start quicker to be able to compete.
“A good week of practice and coming into the game with a lot more energy,” James said when asked about what is needed heading into the second round.“Not just coming out of halftime, but the whole game and offense and defense needs to be on all 10 as well.”
Norman North next opponent will be Bixby (8-2) at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 at Spartan Stadium. The Spartan’s, who received a first round bye, will pose as a challenge for Norman North. However, it is one Eshelman knows the Tigers are ready for it.
“We have to be focused on recovering, getting back healthy and executing the coach’s plan,” Eshelman said.“Bixby is a heck of a football team, and I’m excited to step up to the challenge.”
This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings.
