ALMA COLLEGE - Sep. 19, 2009 - In many ways, Saturday's football contest was evenly played.

Oscoda led Grand Rapids North Pointe Christian in yardage for most of the game and outgained their opponents 239-186 on the ground.

But where the game wasn't evenly played proved costly to the Owls. Twelve penalties for 99 yards and two very costly turnovers were enough to send the game spinning out of Oscoda's control as NPC took advantage Oscoda's largesse for a 35-0 victory.

The penalties  -- many of them for illegal formations or false starts -- not only were numerous but untimely, erasing several big plays and an Oscoda touchdown.

While the Owls' fans weren't happy with the officiating, Oscoda coach Chris Davis kept  his focus on his own team's performance.

"I have no idea what our problem was," he said. "We left all of our concentration on the bus. There's no real reason for it. We were jumping off and lining up on the wrong side all day.

"We settled down a bit in the second half, but the damage was done. Sometimes I wonder what the score has to get to before we can settle down and just play football."

North Pointe Christian took its opening drive 45 yards on just four plays, with quarterback Tommy Tresh taking it the final 15 yards for the opening score.

The first costly turnover came early in the second quarter, after the Owls were pinned back at their own 1-yard line. NPC's Matt VanderVliet picked off a pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, leaping over a defender at the goalline for the score.

The Owls had a chance to get back in the game right before the half, moving the ball primarily on the ground into NPC's red zone. But a penalty wiped Andrew Franks' 11-yard touchdown off the board, and two plays later Franks fumbled as he was crossing the goalline for an apparent score.

Davis disputed the call as it appeared Franks had crossed the line before losing possession. Instead, NPC recovered for a touchback and two plays later Tresh connected with VanderVliet for a back-breaking 72-yard score with 46 seconds left in the half.

"The penalties, our muffed punt (several plays before the interception return touchdown) and that big play before halftime, those really hurt us," Davis said. "North Pointe is better than they were a year ago, but we should have looked better than we did today, too."

NPC's Brandon Johnson added touchdown runs of 3 and 10 yards in the second half. Johnson led his squad with 123 yards rushing. Tresh was 3-of-10 passing for 90 yards, with VanderVliet catching two balls for 85.

Franks rushed 24 times for 158 yards for the Owls, with quarterback Kieran Clarke adding 62 yards on 14 carries. Clarke added 28 yards through the air on 3-of-7 passing, with David Frasher making two grabs for 23 yards.