Photo Credit: Riley McCabe/PrepsKC 
Halfway through the regular season, Oak Park produced its most complete performance yet this year – setting the stage for an exciting final stretch.
The Northmen dominated Fort Osage from start to finish during a 34-0 victory, which featured a breakout performance from sophomore quarterback Antonio Johnson – who threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to seal the impressive win.
A longtime defensive standout, Oak Park senior Donovan Ross hauled in his first career touchdown pass on offense and said the resounding win could be a turning point for the Northmen (3-2).
“I feel like it’s a lot of momentum, especially bouncing back from last week,” Ross said. “We come out, and we play a game like this. I feel like it gives us a lot of momentum going into the rest of the regular season and all of the conference games we have coming up.”
On paper, the contest looked to be a marquee matchup between two returning all-state running backs — Travon Pankey of Oak Park and Fort Osage’s Ryver Peppers. But Peppers missed the contest because of an injury, and Pankey was bottled up for much of the contest by a stout Fort Osage (2-3) defense.
But it didn’t take Oak Park long to find a different route to the end zone.
The Northmen forced a turnover on downs on the first possession of the game, and on the very next play from scrimmage, Johnson aired it out to Emanuel Kok for a quick-strike touchdown that gave Oak Park the lead for good.
A dynamic, dual-threat quarterback, Johnson would eventually throw touchdown passes to Ross and Kok to extend Oak Park’s lead to 21-0. But those scores might have signaled a significant shift for the Northmen’s offense.
You see, Kok and Ross have made plenty of plays in recent years as defensive backs, racking up several interceptions on defense. But both of them have recently started playing offense, and Oak Park coach Ken Clemens has been pleased with the results of the experiment.
“We’re proud of our kids for bouncing back and proud of these two receivers for learning in two practices how to play a little bit of receiver,” Clemens said, jokingly.
Indeed, Ross continues to be part of a standout secondary full of veterans – also including Gidion Gakmar – that makes passing difficult for any opposing quarterback. But he said making the move to offense hasn’t been as steep of a learning curve as he thought.
“I think it’s a little learning, … but once the ball is hiked, I feel like it’s just playing making instincts,” Ross said.
Despite some early struggles, the Indians put together a handful of lengthy drives during the second half but ultimately couldn’t get on the scoreboard against a stingy Oak Park defense that forced seven punts and three turnovers-on-downs.
“We’ve got a really good defense,” Clemens said. “I think we’ve been underachieving for four weeks on both sides of the ball. We’re hoping tonight is the night we’re becoming who we want to be.”
Oak Park’s Chris Friends tacked on a touchdown late in the third quarter, and Johnson capped the scoring with a nifty, 15-yard touchdown scamper that showcased his elusiveness and play-making ability.
“He’s young, so he’s inconsistent,” Clemens said. “But tonight, he was great, and we hope to see more of that out of him.”
Despite not reaching the end zone, Pankey still reeled off multiple spectacular runs and helped the Northmen score more than 30 points for the second time this season.
Fresh off the victory, Oak Park faces key clashes against St. Joseph Central and North Kansas City during the next two weeks, while Fort Osage travels to Ruskin with a chance to get back to .500.
