Tecumseh trips Seminole

The Tecumseh Savages received big offensive production out of quarterback Kyle Fowler and Chris Nunnally, but rode their bend-but-not-break defense in the second half to a thrilling 19-14 victory over the Seminole Chieftains Friday night in a key District 4A-2 football clash at Chieftain Stadium.
Tecumseh, which likely clinched a playoff spot with the victory, managed just three first downs and only 71 total offensive yards in the final two quarters, but saw its defense come up big in the second half.
“The second half belonged to our defense. Our defense made the stops when they needed to. They played outstanding,” said Tecumseh head coach Greg George, who saw his Savages improve to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in the district, with the inside track for third place in the standings.
Nunnally, who caught seven passes for 67 yards in the contest, proved to be a menace to Seminole on the defensive side of the ball as well. Nunnally’s interception and four-yard return to the Tecumseh 15-yard line wiped out a serious Chieftain go-ahead scoring threat with 5:22 to go.
Seminole eventually got the ball back at the Savage 47 and drove all the way to the 21, but saw quarterback Garrett Clark’s pass batted down by a lineman on fourth down with 1:11 remaining to help preserve the Tecumseh win.
“This was a great win for our program. I’m proud our team, coaches and fans,” George said.
Offensively for the Savages, Fowler netted 83 yards on 28 carries and was 11-of-20 passing for 98 yards and two scores — both to Nunnally for 10 and four yards. Fowler was able to produce those numbers, despite losing yardage on four plays and getting no yards on two more snaps. He was also picked off three times in the game, all in the first half.
But his running and scrambling abilities, along with his big pass-play connections were big for Tecumseh.
Seminole, which fell to 3-5 and 2-3, picked up both of its touchdowns on trickery.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Chieftains took a 7-0 advantage with 9:11 to go before halftime as Clark executed a lateral to Austen Harvey, who fired a 39-yard scoring strike to Josh Cramer to cap a five-play, 59-yard drive.
But the Savages responded with a 13-play, 56-yard drive as Fowler connected on 5-of-6 passes which ultimately led to backup quarterback Dylan Brady’s 4-yard run into the end zone with 3:38 to go before the break.
Tecumseh later benefitted from a Seminole fumble inside the Chieftain red zone. After Fowler ran for eight yards on first down, he  fired a 10-yard TD pass to Nunnally. The extra point failed as the Savages took a 13-7 advantage into the halftime locker room.
A big 59-yard kickoff return by Jackson Ryan to start the second half set the stage for a 19-7 Tecumseh cushion. The Savages set up shop at the Seminole 24. After two penalties — one on each team — Tecumseh utilized the Fowler to Nunnally connection again, this time off a 4-yarder with 8:55 left in the third. The two-point conversion pass failed and the Savage lead remained at 12 points.
The Chieftains did respond to make it interesting on a 10-play, 61-yard series, behind the running of Chris Wolfe. He had 34 yards rushing on the drive and finished the night with 120 yards on 30 attempts.
But Seminole used razzle-dazzle to get the score as Wolfe, instead of Clark, took the shotgun snap from center, pitched to Clark, who fired the 12-yard scoring pass to Harvey with 5:14 left in the third period. Zach Megee’s second PAT of the night sliced the deficit to 19-14.
For the Chieftains, Tim Rogers posted the first two interceptions while Blake Lazano recorded the other.
Each team actually blew a scoring opportunity in the opening quarter. A Seminole fumble at the Savage 12-yard line resulted in a 76-yard return by Tecumseh, Rogers’ first interception near the goal line wiped out a Savage scoring threat on the ensuing series.
Seminole had four turnovers in the contest while the Savages ended up with three.
“We can’t make the mistakes like we did and expect to beat a good team like that,” said Seminole head coach Mike Snyder. “We knew it would be a close fit. Their kids played well and I thought our kids played hard. But it was disappointing in that we haven’t been the type of team to turn the ball over that much this year until tonight.”
Snyder felt that one of the critical offensive series came late in the third quarter as the Chieftains drove all the way from their 30 to the Tecumseh 27. Clark was stopped for no gain on fourth down as he missed the marker by inches.
Clark was 12-of-26 passing for 133 yards and one TD with the one interception.
Tecumseh hosts top-ranked Glenpool next Friday while Seminole plays at Cushing. The Chieftains, who host McLoud in the final week of the season, need to go 2-0 in their remaining games to make the playoffs. The Savages play at Cleveland in two weeks.