Norman North (6-2, 3-2 6A-I District 1) defeated Moore (4-4, 1-4) 29-26 on the road Thursday evening, clinching a playoff berth by assuring itself of a top-6 district finish.
Moore raced out to a 13-0 lead with two touchdown passes in the first quarter from junior quarterback Malikai Miller to junior wide receiver C.J. Simon. The Timberwolves would close out the first with a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown from senior defensive back Curtis Miller and a two-point conversion to make the score 13-8. Miller would follow it up with a second interception in the second quarter.
A 70-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Owen Eshelman to senior wide receiver Zain Prater gave Norman North the a 15-13 lead with 6:12 in the second quarter, but a 29-yard rush from Malikai Miller gave Moore a 19-15 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Timberwolves took a 29-19 lead with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Eshelman to sophomore wide receiver Mason James and a six-yard touchdown rush from junior running back Will Lundquist.
Norman North QB Owen Eshelman (@OwenEsh) finds Zain Prater (@ZainPrater) for 70 yards to put the T-Wolves on top 15-13🐺 @NNFootball pic.twitter.com/2jJTf2bonV
— KREFSportsTV (@KREFsportsTV) October 20, 2023
The Lions would answer with a one-yard touchdown pass from Miller to junior wide receiver Makai Crenshaw with 5:07 in the third quarter. But, Norman North held Moore scoreless for the final 17:07 to seal its victory.
Next, the Timberwolves face Westmoore (5-2, 4-0) at home at 7 p.m. next Friday.