PHOTOS: Oilers with Knox crush Grape Pickers in playoffs

11/4/2023

The symbolism of Oil City's 51-14 trouncing of North East Friday night shouldn't be lost on anyone. Back in week three North East visited Oil City in a Class 3A showdown and shutout the Oilers 35-0.

In that game Oil City's star running back Ethen Knox walked out for the coin toss in street clothes. Chatter on social media from up north centered around the idea it wouldn't have mattered if he played or not.

At times the commentary was brutal.

Also in that game, Oiler Hayden Wilson was knocked unconscious. The game was a week after Karns City's, Mason Martin was sent to the hospital and continued to lay unconscious. Wilson was life-flighted to Pittsburgh but the extend of his injuries were not life threatening.

North East is a very good football team. Their 8-2 record was good enough to win Region 5. They and their fans could boast all they wanted believing their team could back it up.

And they earned the right to test that as the Region 5 champion and number four seed in the eight-team District 10 playoffs. Oil City was the fifth seed.

So on Friday Knox wasn't in street clothes, he was fresh off a 355 yard season finale game and Hayden Wilson was healthy and ready to go.

Wilson had two catches and was a part of the blocking contingency that pushed the Grapepickers all over the field creating slivers of daylight for Knox, Jon Hardenrader, Kevin Pearsall, Sean Alexander and Cole Findlay who combined for over 500 yards rushing.

Findlay added another 50 plus yards through the air, 44 of them to Wilson.

Add four turnovers, North East unraveling on a couple drives with costly penalties and solid defense, it really wasn't a contest score-wise.

Knox, who had a hip and leg injury early in the season hasn't racked up the same stats he had in 2022, but ended the season strong despite not being 100%.

Friday he got the ball and broke free from his own 41 but had several Grape Pickers on his tail. He crossed the 50, then the 40 and it looked like he was about to be caught from behind when he accelerated to another level leaving the would-be tacklers in his dust.

He looked like the Knox of old at that moment and kept up that next level speed the rest of the game.
He ended with over 350 yards rushing and five touchdowns including a 79-yarder in the second half.

The Oiler had seven touchdowns on the night including a 39-yarder from Hargenrader and a 31-yarder by Alexander.

They also added nine points just in four two-point conversions and a kick.

The Oilers will face Sharon in the district semi-finals at a site and time to be determined.

See more photos from the game at https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p1058000541