Photos by Bethany McCullough | CatchMark
MUSKEGON — You’ll find no better measuring stick for West Michigan Conference football toughness than Oakridge.
Conference newcomer Ludington came to Oakridge’s Russell A. Erickson Stadium and battled hard, but the Eagles emerged with a 30-18 victory over the Orioles Friday night.
Oakridge junior Trever Jones carried the load, finishing with 36 carries for a game-high 227 yards and two touchdowns.
Here are notables and other details from the game:
- Oakridge improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the WMC Lakes Division. Ludington suffers its first loss, moving to 3-1 and 1-1, respectively.
- Oakridge took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before Ludington chipped away in the second and third quarters to pull within 14-12. The Eagles led 30-12 with 2:22 left, then the Orioles scored with about a minute remaining for the final margin.
- Jones opened the game’s scoring with a 20-yard TD run with 8:29 left in the first quarter. His 2-yard TD run with 2:22 left in the game capped the Eagles’ scoring. Jones also had a pair of two-point conversion runs in the fourth quarter.
- Oakridge senior Matt Danicek was 6-of-12 passing for 72 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown toss to Evan Miller.
- Danicek also averaged 35.5 yards on two punts.
- Brian Elizondo and Brody Jennings led Oakridge defensively with six tackles apiece. Elizondo recorded a sack for a loss of 12 yards.
- In addition to his big game running the football, Jones made plays on defense. He finished with five tackles, including one sack for a loss of 17 yards and three tackles behind the line of scrimmage totaling 20 yards.
- Ludington senior quarterback Chase Hackert completed 10 of 24 passes for 188 yards with two TDs and one interception. He also ran 10 times for a team-high 48 yards.
- Ludington’s Aidan Gilchrist caught five passes for 95 yards and a TD. Levin Laman also caught a scoring pass.
- Ludington’s Trey Forfinski paced his team defensively with 8.5 tackles, including one for lost yardage.
- Ludington’s Gage Jones made seven stops, while Laman and Aidan Gilchrist had 5.5 tackles apiece.
- Oakridge outgained Ludington in total offense, 342-290, including 270-101 on the ground.
- Oakridge dominated in time of possession, holding the ball for 32:31 compared to only 15:21 for Ludington.
- Next Friday, Oakridge hosts Fremont (3-1, 0-1 WMC Lakes), while Ludington welcomes Montague (2-2, 1-1 WMC Lakes).
