North gaining respect

Scott Moore
The Norman Transcript

September 27, 2007 12:24 am

— After a week 2 showdown loss to Muskogee, Norman North is back where many expected it to be.
According to preseason polls, the Timberwolves were the best team on this side of the state with only east powers Jenks, Union and Muskogee ahead of them. This week’s Associated Press poll has the T-Wolves ranked fifth, the highest ranked team in the west. Those three east powers, plus Owasso, are in the lead.
Two straight big road wins have put North back atop the west. Last week, the T-Wolves beat Edmond Santa Fe. The week before, they blew out then fourth-ranked Westmoore.
North has a good shot to go 2-0 in Class 6A-1 as it hosts 1-3 Putnam City West Friday.
“We have a great tailback and we’re good up front,” North coach Lance Manning said. “We’re efficient throwing the ball. We’re good on defense.
“We’re excited about where we are.”
The trick now is to stay there.
So far, the T-Wolves have dominated every west side team they’ve played, but some tough tests are still looming. North will play at Mustang next week, will host Putnam City North after that and then travel to Lawton Oct. 27th. And teams from the east are a different breed.
But the T-Wolves feel they have not peaked.
“We’re pleased, but there is so much work to do,” Manning said. “I’m very honest about that.”
Manning pointed to two things his team needs to continue to work on: Winning the kicking game and taking care of the football.
North allowed a 96-yard kickoff return in a week one win over Norman High and missed the only field goal it tried. Against Muskogee, Bryce Easley hit two field goals, but another was partially blocked. The Timberwolves also had a punt blocked and another nearly blocked.
Against Westmoore, Easley hit two more field goals, but an extra-point was botched on a bad snap. Punter Josh Norton was sacked for a 17-yard loss due to a bad snap.
Easley was 1-for-3 on field goals against Santa Fe. There were no punting miscues.
In the first two weeks of the season, North had a combined six turnovers, but have committed just two the last two weeks.
“We did not win the kicking game in week one or two,” Manning said. “Week three and four, we did. We were not taking care of the ball the first two weeks. We had one turnover last week and one the week before, so we’ve definitely improved.
“If we want to be as good as we want to be, we have to win the kicking game each week and continue to take care of the football.”
The Timberwolves have never been in this situation. When North started the season at No. 4, it was the highest it had ever been ranked. Excitement around the program is also the highest it’s ever been.
“It is exciting,” Linebacker Nick Canavan said. “The locker room is great and we’re really picking it up at practice.
“People come up to you and say, ‘Good job,’ but we try and keep a level head about it. We know we still have a ton to improve on. There’s no telling how good we can be.”