By Jeff Johncox
By all accounts, this has been a disappointing season for Norman North.
First, the Timberwolves didn't even get to finish their game against Muskogee in what's now one of the better pre-district east-west rivalries in the state. They led 10-0 after a quarter, and looked poised for a big victory.
Then, after a 4-0 start, North traveled to Mustang. Tied at halftime, a rough third quarter turned the T-Wolves' entire season around.
They've lost four straight and are out of the playoffs with a 2-4 District 6A-1 record.
So, what's left for them to play for tonight in Lawton?
"We're fighting for pride and to end the season right," senior running back Richard Peoples said. "We want to remember our last game as a win."
It's been a rough few weeks for North.
Coach Lance Manning was the first to admit how disappointing things have gotten for the T-Wolves, and he was also the first to say he didn't know exactly where things went wrong.
"I think there's probably a lot of reasons," Manning said. "Maybe we weren't as good as everybody thought we were early on. Look who we started playing. Playing tougher opponents has everything to do with it. it's how deep our district is."
North ran through Norman High, Moore, Putnam City North and Westmoore.
But even Manning admits the team lost confidence at Mustang. The T-Wolves haven't been able to get that confidence back.
"I think some of us lost our swagger a little bit after Mustang," Peoples said. "Hopefully we can get some of it back (tonight), put together a complete game like we did at P.C. North. That's a two-hour ride down to Lawton and a two-hour ride back. We want to make it a happy ride back, at least."
The North seniors, like Peoples, are on a mission. They want to finish their careers with a victory.
A win tonight over the Wolverines would do a lot to erase the four-game losing streak that kept the T-Wolves out of the playoffs for the first time in three years.
"They want to go down there, play hard and play well," Manning said. "It's the last game of the season. We want to go out with some class.
"Our guys understand, don't get on the bus unless you're ready to play a football game."
Manning would also like to see some of his underclassmen step up here in the final week, providing a springboard into offseason workouts.
"They need to show some improvement, and that's something we haven't shown the past few weeks," Manning said.
Oh, and there's one more thing the T-Wolves are pumped about: Ending Lawton's season and keeping the Wolverines out of the playoffs, too.
It's always fun to play spoiler.
"It'd be nice to keep somebody else out of the playoffs," Peoples said. "It's a shame we weren't able to go, but keeping somebody else out would be nice. If we could spoil someone else's season since ours has been spoiled, that's great, take away something they've worked hard for."
Jeff Johncox 366-3535 jjohncox@normantranscript.com
