OCS, Oak Grove open season at home

Ouachita Christian coach Steven Fitzhugh hopes the Eagles don’t neglect one important aspect of a football game this week as they host the Block Bears Friday at 7 p.m. to open the season – defense.

OCS won a shootout with District 2-2A rival Sterlington 35-28 and the Eagles had their fair share of defensive woes despite the offense putting up big numbers of its own.

“Defense,” Fitzhugh said when asked the biggest area to improve coming out of the jamboree. “Sterlington never punted in the jamboree.”

The OCS defense did not have any turnovers under the direction of first-year quarterback Grant Fitzhugh and the balance the Eagles want was on display throughout the night.

“Having no turnovers was a critical part of it and the offensive line worked well together,” Fitzhugh said. “We just have to go out this week and execute.

OCS has a three-game winning streak in season openers against Block dating back to the 2012 season and the team likes the challenge the Bears present.

“Last year was the first-year that Block didn’t win 3-1A,” Fitzhugh said. “They have size and are very athletic.”

Mangham, Oak Grove not giving up old rivalry

Mangham and Oak Grove have been playing each other annually since before the members of the two teams were even born.

It is one of the hardest fought rivalries, especially among rural schools, in the area. Friday night the teams hit the field again to battle at Oak Grove beginning at 7 p.m.

“It is a good rivalry of local teams,” Oak Grove coach Ryan Gregory said. “It makes us better.”

Oak Grove has a strong core group along the offensive and defensive line that Mangham coach Tommy Tharp has large concerns about.

“If they locked arms side-by-side they would block the interstate,” Tharp quipped. “We have to find a way to stop them from knocking us backward up front first of all. Then we can get into a skill player game and we can match up O.K. with them. They are the same hard nosed Oak Grove football. They are as big as we will play and then they have good skill players behind that.”

Tharp said his team has had moments in practice but the telling sign would come under the lights on Friday night.

“I am not impressed with anyone (at Mangham) yet,” Tharp said. “You have to play two or three games to impress me.”

For the Oak Grove defense, they must contain an explosive Mangham offense predicated on misdirection and option running that has helped the team reach the LHSAA Class 1A state championship game the past two seasons.

“We have to limit big plays,” Gregory said. “You can’t get caught up in the motion stuff and just play assignment football.”

Connect with Cody on Twitter @cfutrellTNS or via e-mail cfutrell@thenewsstar.com