PC North's offense stalls against Union
Aaron Norment couldn't seem to find an open receiver.
Putnam North's quarterback would scramble out of the pocket, using his exhilarating speed to keep the play alive while t rying t o f i nd someone to throw the ball to. The only i ssue was Tulsa Union defenders were constantly draped over his receivers, and he rarely had anyone to throw the ball to.
Cl a s s 6 A- I No. 7 T u l s a Union's defense pestered No. 4 Putnam North's offense in its 31-7 win at Panther Stadium on Friday night. The Redskins f orced t hree t urnovers, al l coming off interceptions, and it caused issues for the Panther offense on the season's first chilly night.
“We didn't play the game
that we're used to playing,” Putnam North coach Ryan Laverty said .“On one of their main touchdown drives, we gave them 30 yards in penalties. And you just can't beat good teams like Tulsa Union and continue to have those mistakes.
Putnam North finished with 11 penalties for 100 yards.
Norment went 15-of-25 for 177 yards and a great 35- yard touchdown pass to Corey Gordon on fourth down in the third quarter, but that was about the only bright spot for Putnam North (5-1,2-1 District 6A-I-2).
Even when Panthers' offense got going, they couldn't finish in the red zone during the first half. On its first trip, penalties backed it up before Norment threw an interception on a pass that seemed to float in the air.
The second series, Norment scrambled while trying to find a receiver down field on fourthand -1. It seemed as if he could have scrambled for a first down or score, but when he made his move, Tulsa Union defenders swarmed and kept him inches short of a goal-togo situation.
In the second half, the red zone woes continued. After a 34-yard pass to get into the red zone, the offense stalled. Nor men twas forced to throw into tight coverage after scrambling to his left and it resulted in his second interception.
“It' s important that our guys and our offense have faith that Aaron can create ,” Laverty said of his quarterback's ability to extend plays.
Tulsa Union quarterback Rovaughn Banks was tremendous, accounting for all four Redskin touchdowns while rushing for 105 yards and passing for 57.
Putnam North started 5-0 for the second consecutive season before falling to Tulsa Union. The Panthers had yet to give up more than 14 points this season before facing the Redskins, and their defense had only allowed 8.8 points per contest in the first five games.