'We gotta win to get in:' Oakmont football treating rest of regular schedule like playoffs

Football teams are focused on these last few weeks of regular season to help boost their seeding going into the playoffs. The Oakmont Regional football team, however, is treating every game like it's a playoff contest.

The mindset of playing each game like it's their last is what is rallying the Spartans, especially in a bounce-back 47-8 victory against Groton-Dunstable Friday night.

Last week, they suffered a 48-14 loss against Mid-Wach powerhouse Hudson and wanted to reset their morale. This is what they needed.

"We gotta win to get in," head coach David Kaizer said of his team, now 4-2 and ranked 17th in Division 6. "The way we are playing next week is round two of the playoffs, we have to beat Maynard and then we have round 3."

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Oakmont blasted into the end zone almost immediately in this much-needed victory against Groton-Dunstable. Junior David Roy worked the ball down the field with QB keeps throughout the game, showing the strength of the Spartans' run game.

Another major part of this offense is running back James Hamilton III, who scored three touchdowns. The senior also scored both of Oakmont's touchdowns in last week's game against Hudson.

"It's not just me, its everybody on the team... its [about everyone] stepping into a position that needs to be filled," Hamilton said of the teamwork he has noticed from the Spartans.

The loss last week against Hudson could have been the defining moment, giving Oakmont the wake-up call it needed to dig deep the rest of the season.

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"After last week, taking a loss like that we kind of see who we are as men, right? So coming out here (against Groton-Dunstable), we knew we were the better team but at the end of the day, you have to come out and play that way," Kaizer said.

Darious Legere was another big contributor, scoring twice against Groton-Dunstable and Nahuel Suarez went 5-for-7 on extra-point kicks.

"It was a great team win, and everybody played their part," Roy said.

Next week will be Week 8 of the football season, but for Oakmont, look out for Week 2 of "playoffs."

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: 'We gotta win to get in:' Oakmont football treating rest of regular schedule like playoffs