Football

Oxford 29, Elmira Notre Dame 12

ELMIRA – Oxford made marked improvements on offense in one week, and the defense shut Elmira Notre Dame down for 3 1/2 quarters in Friday’s opening-game victory.

The Blackhawks showed no ill-effects of the nearly two-hour drive to Elmira for a non-league game. After recovering a short kickoff from the Crusaders to start the game, Oxford scored its first touchdown of the season in just three plays. On the first play, senior back Bryan Simpson burst up the middle, stiff-armed aside the END safety, and rumbled nearly 20 yards. Quarterback Angelo Gonzalez hit Nick Neer for 22 yards on a screen pass, and Simpson scored from six yards out on the next play. “That first play, Bryan just leveled their safety and kept running,” said Oxford coach Jeff Newton. “That play set the tone for the game.”

Oxford scored on its third possession of the game when Gonzalez hit Kevin Davis from 10 yards out, the first of two TD connections from the two juniors.

Simpson rushed for 133 yards on 19 carries, and added a second TD run in the fourth. In the interim, a bad snap by Elmira led to an Oxford safety, and by the time the backups saw full-time duty, Oxford led 29-6.

“The kids were really excited before and after the game, and they were beside themselves after the win,” Newton said. “They’re starting to believe that discipline and hard work equals success.”