Mason James

Sophomore wide receiver Mason James during the game against Westmoore on Oct. 27.

 Sutton Spinner/OU Daily

Editor's note: This article was updated on Oct. 30 at 9:27 a.m. to reflect the proper spelling of Isaac Morgan's name.

Norman North (7-2, 4-2 6A-I District 1) defeated Westmoore (5-4, 4-2) 30-14 on Friday evening at Harve Collins Field. The win puts the Timberwolves in a tie for third place in the 6A-I District 1 with the Jaguars, with Norman North now holding a head-to-head tiebreaker over them.

Sophomore wide receiver Mason James scored three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing, with both of his receiving scores being over 40 yards. Junior quarterback Owen Eshelman threw another receiving touchdown to senior tight end Luke Freeland, bringing him to three against the Jaguars.

On defense, senior defensive lineman Isaac Morgan and junior defensive lineman Garrison Utley. Norman North's special teams also made an impact as senior outside linebacker Carver Rogers blocked a punt in the first quarter.

Here are highlights and takeaways from Norman North's win:

Takeaways

James' three touchdowns drives Timberwolves

James continued his breakout season against Westmoore, increasing his touchdown total to 10. 

He first scored with 3:55 in the first quarter, taking a short Eshelman pass for a 38-yard score. James scored his second on another long pass from Eshelman, this time from 36 yards out with 4:14 in the second quarter.

Later with 1:37 in the fourth quarter, James sealed Norman North's win with a four-yard rushing touchdown.

James credited his third multi-touchdown game of the season to his agility and Norman North's offensive gameplan.

"I think I ran pretty good routes throughout the game," James said. "My teammates got me open, and (Eshelman) was throwing me good passes, which lead to touchdowns. I knew I had to punch those in, so I gave it all I had."

Jones praises Norman North's "complete" performance

Norman North coach Justin Jones believes his team played the best game they've played all season.

That's because he thinks the Timberwolves played to their level on offense, defense and special teams. He specifically highlighted Norman North's first half shutout and special teams play, where the Timberwolves blocked a punt and didn't allow a Westmoore kickoff return over 20 yards.

"I felt like we finally put four quarters together," Jones said. "We played complementary football on all three phases... and we played a really clean football game. That's been the challenge, and we responded in a big way."

Jones also mentioned Norman North's first drive of the second half, which lasted 11 plays and ended in a touchdown after Westmoore scored one of its own, as another key moment in the game.

"That was huge for us," Jones said. "We were exceptional in the way we responded there. That might be our best performance of the year."

Luke Freeland

Senior tight end Luke Freeland during the game against Westmoore on Oct. 27.

Norman North honors seniors in final home game

Friday evening was Norman North's senior night, and it spent all of pregame acknowledging its seniors.

After recognizing each senior one by one, the Timberwolves lined up all of them on the field during the coin toss, with all four of their captains being seniors.

Against the Jaguars, several seniors made key plays. Alongside Rogers' blocked punt, Morgan recorded a sack, and Freeland caught his second touchdown of the season from nine yards out with 5:31 in the third quarter.

Jones spoke highly of his seniors, thanking them for helping build Norman North's program into a perennial playoff team.

"This is always a special night," Jones said. "They were a part of this whole thing in the last three years to help us get this program turned around. That's a credit to them, because they're all really good football players."

The Timberwolves will close out their regular season against Enid (3-6, 2-4) on the road next Friday at 7 p.m.

Scoring plays

Norman North 30, Westmoore 14 (1:37 4th)

Sophomore wide receiver Mason James scores his third touchdown of the game with a four-yard rush.

Norman North 23, Westmoore 14 (2:48 3rd)

After an interception from senior linebacker Connor Cavnar, senior quarterback M.J. Graham Jr. scores a three-yard rushing touchdown on the next play.

Norman North 23, Westmoore 7 (5:31 3rd)

Junior quarterback Owen Eshelman finds senior tight end Luke Freeland for a nine-yard passing touchdown.

Norman North 16, Westmoore 7 (8:20 3rd)

Senior quarterback M.J. Graham finds senior tight end Zane Zielny for a 10-yard passing touchdown.

Norman North 16, Westmoore 0 (4:14 2nd)

Junior quarterback Owen Eshelman and sophomore wide receiver Mason James link up again, this time for a 36-yard passing touchdown.

Norman North 9, Westmoore 0 (11:57 2nd)

Junior kicker Reece Crandall hits a 21-yard field goal. The play came after Rogers blocked a punt that was returned by Utley to the Westmoore five-yard line. 

Norman North 6, Westmoore 0 (3:55 1st)

Junior quarterback Owen Eshelman finds sophomore wide receiver Mason James for a 38-yard passing touchdown. The extra point was blocked.

Further Reading

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