Oak Ridge football: What to expect in 2017

THE WOODLANDS, Texas-- The 2016 season for Oak Ridge was an unfortunate one to say the least. The War Eagles ended with a 4-6 record and no playoff bid. This marks two consecutive years of Oak Ridge not being a part of the playoff run.

The War Eagles have do have some great news because there is alot of underrated talent on the team that will become key factors to the 2017 season. Head Coach Dereck Rush has to be happy with the returners he has coming back.

First player to come to mind is Quarterback Bishop Durst. Durst is going to make things happen this year after having a impressive year last year when he split time. We will get to see Durst have full time snaps and get to run the offense. In last year's campaign Durst finished the season off with 14 touchdowns and more than 1200 yards through the air. The great thing about Durst is he can become a real dual threat quarterback this season.

Most of the key players on offense are returning and this will be a scary offense for anyone at anytime.

Oak Ridge has a great squad to lead them to a playoff bid but their schedule is a definite challenge for 2017. Here are three games to look out for this year.

9/14 vs Klein Forrest

This Klein Forrest matchup will be a game of the week contender. Both teams coming off of dissapointing seasons. Klein Forest is coming off of a 1-9 season and they are going to be under a new coach and a new system as Coach Abercrombie will have a new spot on Pearland's coaching staff. This will be a good game that people will be overlooking.

9/22 vs Deer Park

Deer Park is always a tough one for anybody's schedule. Deer Park Running Back Tre Diggles will be a factor in this game. If Oak Ridge can stop the running game of Deer Park then Oak Ridge can take over this game with it's high powered offense.

11/3 vs West Brook

West Brook is a big game for Oak Ridge because it is a crucial district game for them. Oak Ridge dropped last year's showdown and this year they will have to come away with a victory if they want to make the playoffs. West Brook lost their Head Coach Kevin Flanigan and and hired Eric Peevey to run the team. With the new system it will make for an interesting game for Oak Ridge.

In the end, Oak Ridge's season looks promising and I have them going 7-3 with a playoff bid. The offense will be running on all cylinders for them this season if they can fix their turnovers.