MESICK - Sep. 3, 2009 - The last time the Oscoda football team was 2-0, the coach was a player and many of the current players were in the first grade.

But after a 32-20 victory at Mesick on Thursday, the Owls are riding a three-game win streak dating to last season and are hungry for more.

"We are excited about our start and it's a great accomplishment to begin a season 2-0," said Oscoda coach Chris Davis, who captained the 1999 team that not only started strong but became the first Owl team to make the MHSAA playoffs. "But I tell the kids, 'It's not how you start; it's how you finish.'

"As a coaching staff we will continue to prepare, coach and condition our team hard. We will also continue to have high expectations of our players because that is what has ultimately led to this recent success."

The Owls at touchdown and 2-point conversion in every quarter, trading scores with Mesick through the first three periods. Sophomore quarterback Kieran Clarke hit Dan Lewis with a 15-yard scoring pass in the first quarter and David Frasher with a 56-yard strike in the third. Clarke also rushed for touchdowns in the second (2 yards) and fourth (3 yards) quarter and ran for three of the four conversions. Andrew Frank scored the other 2-pointer.

The Owls put up their highest point total in four seasons despite just missing on a number of big plays in the passing game and fumbling the ball inside the Mesick 5-yard line.

"The offense did great despite the missed opportunities," Davis said. "We executed very well throughout the game which allowed us to move the ball consistently against a bigger, more athletic Mesick team."

Davis said he believes the best is yet to come for his offense, which features a number of sophomores at key positions. In addition to Clarke, Frasher and Franks are also sophomores, as well as a pair of offensive linemen.

"We have a very young team that is still getting used to this offense," he said. "The first two weeks we looked like we've been running this for a lot longer than we have. We are going to continue to get better and I'm excited to see what that looks like."

Clarke was 3-10 for 88 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Franks finished with 134 yards on 23 carries, with Chris Dehmel adding 59 yards on 10 carries. Lewis and Dehmel were each in on eight total tackles, with Frasher and Sean Rousseau each adding five.

Defensively, some early breakdowns contributed to Mesick's scoring.

"(Once) we fixed the breakdowns, Mesick ... went to more of a spread look," Davis said. "We feel confident defending the spread because that is what we run plus it was not Mesick's base package."

That should set up some level of intrigue as the Owls host Whittemore-Prescott (2-0) on Friday, Sep. 11. The Cardinals also run the spread. W-P also owns a nine-game win streak in the series.

"(W-P) has been fortunate enough to have great coaches, great players and great support," Davis said. "Consequently they have built a highly respected program in the area and the state ... That said, our players believe that if they play up to their greatest potential there is nobody on our schedule that we can't compete with."