Zach Ojile was the last player off the Cooper High School football field Wednesday, a player in demand after leading Spring Lake Park to an exhausting 57-39 victory over the Hawks.
The senior quarterback led the Panthers (8-0) to their craziest victory of the season, deftly directing their veer option offense to its biggest offensive output of the season. He rushed 18 times for 271 yards and had touchdown runs of 73 and 75 yards, both of which came when Cooper had seemed on the verge of seizing momentum.
Like any good field general, however, Ojile deflected any personal plaudits, preferring to give kudos to his team.
"This was a good way to end the regular season. A good team victory," he said and, in truth, he was half-right. The Panthers offense rolled up more than 500 total yards, all on the ground.
But, at the same time, the normally stout Spring Lake Park defense was gouged repeatedly by Cooper, whether by the legs of running back C.J. Adams or the arm of quarterback Cameron King. Both played splendidly, as did King's cadre of receivers. But the Hawks just couldn't overcome the relentless Panthers.
"They scored 20 points on us in the first half," Spring Lake Park coach Jeff Schlieff said. "I went in at halftime and told the team, 'That isn't Panther football.' And then we went back out and they scored 19 more. They've got a lot of weapons."
Spring Lake Park clinched the championship of the Suburban Red subdistrict and the top seed in Section 5 of Class 5A. Cooper (7-1) will get the No. 2 seed in the section.
Jim Paulsen
