Playing With No Fear and Nothing to Lose Can Be The Most Dangerous.

Written Saturday October 30th at 10:00 AM

A team with no fear and nothing to lose can be the most dangerous.

Especially in the postseason with a team that has been through it all and believing they have nothing to lose.

When you have nothing to lose and everything to gain that makes you fearless.

This is what describes Oxford football.

The Wildcats started the season with the most brutal schedule in my nearly 20 years I have ever seen. They started out 0-3 with losses to Romeo, Adams, and West Bloomfield. It looked like it was going to be a very long year at Oxford.

Then everything changed.

The Wildcats went with that nothing to lose mindset when they went into Lake Orion and put up 51 on the Dragons on their home field winning the Double O Trophy from them.

That changed everything and the belief they can win.

They also went on the road and knocked off Stoney Creek and Southfield Arts and Tech as well along with huge home wins over Rochester and then the big one when they beat perennial Macomb Area Conference Red powerhouse Chippewa Valley by one point.

Probably the biggest proof that the Wildcats have arrived was when they played Clarkston. The Wolves had beaten Oxford three times in the last two years including the playoffs. These two teams played on Oxford’s homecoming but the Wildcats fell in a tight one 20-17.

Come to Friday night, the Wildcats had nothing to lose and everything to gain went into Clarkston and out toughed them in the trenches. They pulled off to what many experts said was a huge upset 38-28.

To the minds of the Oxford players it wasn’t an upset.

They knew they could do this.

They were prepared for this.

This was a team that was built for Clarkston.

The Wildcats are senior heavy and veteran laden team. Oxford has a gritty and talented quarterback in Brady Carpenter, although not like his brother Drew, Brady has taken major strides and has really improved as a passer and runner. The Wildcats are known for their pound the rock scheme under former and legendary coach Bud Rowley.  What always helps is that you need a proven running back and they have a proven running back in Sal Valcaro. Valcaro had his best game of his career going for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Wolves. Oxford has a pretty solid wide receiving group for Carpenter to throw too in Jon Aschusto, Mitchell Vivano, and Alec Brown. They also converted junior Tate Myre from running back to tight end which has paid dividends. Also the offensive line has given Valcaro the huge chunk plays along with protection for Carpenter with Kewone Burton and Landon Severn. They have been huge along with the rest of the rest of the offensive line. It also helps when you have a kicker in sophomore Jay Cady who is also a soccer player can kick you a 47 yard field goal like he did against Clarkston.

The defense is still an issue though. This is something that the Wildcats need to address if they want to go far in the postseason.

I give credit to the Wildcats coaching staff led by Coach Zach Line. Line played under Rowley at Oxford but learned some things at SMU in college and in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.

When Line took over the program, Oxford changed their helmets from blue to yellow, and has changed the mindset of the program.

The players have bought in especially the senior class.

When a team has nothing to lose like the Wildcats are, that’s what makes them the most dangerous.