Coach saw encouraging signs

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Coach saw encouraging signs

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:45
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Despite Friday’s 19-17 loss to Enid, Ponca City Wildcat Coach Scott Harmon saw some encouraging signs.

“We started seven sophomores,” Harmon said. “We have only three people playing at the same spot they were last year on offense and five at the same position on defense. We knew we were young and were going to play like a young team. But we played well enough to win even though we were really young. We had a chance to win the game.” Not only did the Wildcats

Not only did the Wildcats have a chance to win the game, but presumably would have if a field goal attempt at the end of the first half had been successful. The kick by Wildcat senior Spencer Ball went through the uprights, but the game officials ruled that time had expired before the ball was snapped. A successful kick would have given the Wildcats a 20-13 lead at the half and enough to surpass the 19 that Enid was to score in the game.

Harmon and his staff believed that there was at least .2 seconds on the clock when the ball was snapped, but the officials saw the situation differently.

“We aren’t going to dwell on that situation, make excuses and blame the referees,” Harmon said. “We want to move on and get ready for our next game.” One thing that pleased the

One thing that pleased the coaching staff was how the Wildcats were able to move the ball.

“We had 16 or 17 first downs, which means we were able to move the football,” Harmon said. “We weren’t too displeased with that. We got better as the game went along. We weren’t too displeased with the overall effort. But we needed to have scored more points.”

The loss came at the hands of traditional rival Enid, which made it a little harder to swallow. But the games with Enid have been close and low-scoring in Harmon’s three-years as Wildcat coach and Ponca City scored more this year than the other two, another pleasing element.

“We had a young quarterback (Grant Harmon) who was getting his first real start. He got more at ease as the game went along,” Coach Harmon said. I was pleased with our blocking. There was only one sack during the game .”

Overall, Harmon expressed pleasure with the Wildcats’ defensive effort. “We gave up a big play early, and they caught us with another in the second half., but for the most part the defense played well,” Harmon said.

Enid scored on a 63-yard pass play on the fourth play of the game. It was a screen play in which the receiver was able to thread his way through the Wildcat defense. The second-half touchdown pass was a deep route connection between the quarterback and receiver.

The Wildcats will be getting ready this week to travel to Tulsa McLain on Friday. McLain lost a 27-2 decision Friday to Tahlequah.

“We will working on shoring up some things and we will round out who will be doing what,” Harmon said. He also pointed out that there will be a junior varsity game at Hominy against Hominy’s varsity Thursday night. “That will played in a great atmosphere, different than other JV games. It is a great opportunity for our kids.”

“We are pleased with our young players,” Harmon said. “The more experience they get the better they will be.”