Published: October 08, 2008 09:45 pm      

Huskies look to improve to 3-0 in district

With a rocky start in the rearview mirror, things are beginning to click for the Edmond North football team. The Huskies are coming off wins over Lawton Ike and Norman, and looking to carryover that success into tonight's game at Putnam City.

“I always knew we had the talent, it’s just about getting more experience,” North head coach Jeremy Dombek said. “We’re getting to where we thought we’d be now. The kids never lost focus, kept a good attitude and are asking the right questions.”

When the Huskies take the field, they may feel like they’re looking in a mirror. The Pirates, who went 10-2 in 2007, are also adjusting to a number of new faces this season and bring momentum into tonight’s game. Putnam City suffered back-to-back blowout losses to PC North and Mustang, before posting wins the last two weeks against Westmoore and Lawton Ike.

Putnam City has battled inconsistency on the offensive side of the ball. They are scoring only 15 points a game and posted just 14 points in a three-week stretch.

The key to their success hinges on their most dangerous offensive weapon, senior Kieshawn Richardson. While Richardson usually lines up in the backfield, the Pirates utilize the triple threat athlete all over the field. This season he's rushed for 346 yards and three scores.

“Richardson is extremely fast and has the ability to make you miss,” Dombek said. “We need to make the tackles and bring him to the ground.”

Dombek is not expecting anything fancy from the Pirates’ offense, which runs the ball about 80 percent of the time. They have had success moving the ball on the ground with Richardson and a backfield that includes Riwan Jimoh, Arnell Kemp and Doyle Hammons.

The Pirates also keep things basic on the defensive side of the ball, and Dombek believes the Huskies success will hinder on their ability to move the ball on the ground.

“I want to continue to improve our running game, they have a lot of talented players and the more we can move the ball the better,” Dombek said.

Putnam City has a strong linebacking corps led by Josh Ramirez, who has recorded a team-leading 52 tackles. Junior Alex Shannon has 47 tackles and seven sacks this season.

Richardson also sees plenty of time in the defensive secondary where he has made 30 tackles this year. He's joined by Robbie Diamond, who has 45 tackles and one interception.

The Huskies would like to see improvement from their special teams. Last week the North defensive kept Norman out of the end zone, but the Tigers scored 10 points off a punt return and blocked punt for a safety.

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.