The Oak Hill Golden Eagles’ 2019 football season for was a tale of two halves.
Despite a strong offseason, Oak Hill stumbled out of the gate, going 1-5 in their first six games, five of which were big losses.
However, after some self-reflection and some determination, the Golden Eagles rebounded nicely, closing out the regular season with three straight wins before losing a competitive game to Peru in the first game of the sectional.
“The majority of our starters are back from last year,” Oak Hill Head Coach Bud Ozmun said. “We’ve got something to prove. We’ve had back-to-back 4-6 records, and that’s not our norm. This senior group, who has been marked since junior high to be very successful, just has not lived up to that billing. It’s not completely their fault, but they’ve got something to prove.”
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Golden Eagles were not fazed, making it a priority throughout the shutdown and the offseason to hone their skills and increase their finesse or competitive edge. Players and coaches met once or twice a week via Zoom to keep football fresh, while Oak Hill’s senior class took the younger players under their wing, leading by example.
When the team group reunited on July 6, it was evident that the Golden Eagles meant business.
“They were ready to go. They were excited to be back out there,” Ozmun said. “They were excited to work even though they were coming off a three, three-and-a-half-month layoff with very little physical activity. They embraced it and went after it. Our July was really good. It was fun, and it was also productive.”
Throughout the month, the Golden Eagles worked on conditioning and heat acclimation, while implementing their offensive, defensive, and special team sets. Once practice officially started on August 3, they began ramping up their team football workouts, running seven-on-seven and other various drills.
Ozmun is pleased with the progress that his team has made.
“Our first [few] days [of practice] have been extremely productive, extremely focused, and fun,” Ozmun said. “I’m hoping that they got the message. We are going to go out swinging every game.”
Unlike many of the other teams in Grant County, Oak Hill returns a handful of starters at key positions, including quarterback, where Clay McCorkle looks to bounce back from an inconsistent season.
However, throughout the offseason, Ozmun has seen growth from his senior signal caller, and believes that a bounce back season is on the horizon.
“He is going into his third year as the starting quarterback,” Ozmun said. “He has learned a lot over that time, and he is off to a good start. He is throwing the ball well. His decision making is better. He is that calming presence. The guys are confident with him under center. We are looking for good things from him.”
McCorkle has plenty of options to throw, including leading receiver Kian Hite (32 receptions, 461 yards, three touchdowns, Mason McKinney (21 receptions, 289 yards, one touchdown), and tight end Tristan Hayes (21 receptions, 363 yards, two touchdowns), who made a seamless transition from the offensive line.
“Tristan just gets bigger and stronger and more confident,” Ozmun said. “We moved him from offensive line to tight end, so it took him three or four games to get a feel for it. Now, he is starting in that spot, and he is really comfortable in it. We are looking for him to be a factor.”
Blake Fox will once again lead the running back rotation after a 664-yard, seven touchdown campaign in 2019, while sophomore Kyle Turanchick, after rushing for 341 yards, will look for a bigger role this coming fall.
Oak Hill’s offensive line is also set. Trenton Cornett, Spencer Whitehead, Armando Rademaker, Luke Thompson, and Wyatt Strange have all grown immensely last fall, and Ozmun is happy with how they have grown throughout the offseason.
The Golden Eagles also have a strong core of defenders returning. Hite, who collected two interceptions, will be the team’s unquestioned leader in the secondary, forming a solid trio with returning seniors Braden Wagner and Gabe Anderson. Hayes and Fox are both back at the linebacker position, and the team will have a rotation on the defensive line to keep players fresh.
Coming off back-to-back 4-6 campaigns, Ozmun and the Golden Eagles are hungry for change, and are dedicated to lifting the Oak Hill football program back to its winning ways in 2020.
“The early part of the season is going to tell us a lot,” Ozmun said. “Eastern has a lot of guys back from that 11-1 team. Southwood, they’ve been pointing to this season, and they’ve got a roster that has 14 or 15 seniors that know how to win. But I would like to say that we will be there at the end this year. We will be there in week six, week seven, week eight still competing for the conference title. We have the capability to be in that position.”
