With one of the least likely scenarios serving as the catalyst, Shawnee’s Class 5A state championship dreams came crushing down on the Jim Thorpe Stadium turf Friday night.
A Shawnee offense that was virtually unstoppable through 46 consecutive quarters — and the most productive in Class 5A — was stymied in the second half as Bixby registered a shocking 28-21 upset in a Class 5A quarterfinal contest.
Shawnee, up 21-7 at the intermission, was outscored 21-0 in the last 30 minutes and twice came up empty handed after moving to the Spartans’ one-yard line.
The last devastating pocket of frustration occurred after Bixby had driven 98 yards in seven plays, consummated by a 37-yard scoring pass from running back DeWitt Jennings to Donovan Wilson for a 28-21 lead with 3:54 remaining. Wilson was well guarded by a defender but snatched the ball out of the air and completed the scoring play.
That tie-breaking drive came after Shawnee had moved from its 35 to the Bixby one-yard line. On third down, Jordan Acock got tripped up on a Shawnee blocker and lost a yard. On fourth down, Brown missed on a pass as Shawnee’s coaches pleaded for pass interference, saying Saulyer Saxon was held as he made his break.
After 11th-ranked Bixby went up 28-21, second-ranked Shawnee was on the verge of a likely overtime session after driving 70 yards to the Bixby 2-yard line in the closing minutes.
Shawnee, out of first downs and with the clock ticking down to 25 seconds, got a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Brayle Brown. After hurrying back to the line of scrimmage, Brown retreated to the pocket looking for a receiver but an unblocked Robbie Turner jarred the ball loose with teammate Adam Grinstead recovering.
Bixby ran one more play as time expired, leaving Shawnee’s players scattered on the field and the season ended at 11-1.
“We just didn’t make plays in the second half like we did in the first half,’ Shawnee head coach Billy Brown said. “The first time we were down there inside the 5-yard line in the second half, we rolled the dice and called time outs because we didn’t know if we would get another scoring chance.
“At the end, we couldn’t get lined up and get the play we wanted as the clock was ticking down. We just didn’t make many plays on either side of the ball in the second half.”
Several costly penalties and two turnovers were costly for Bixby as it fell behind 21-7 at the half.
Shawnee opened the scoring with an 80-yard, 11-play drive concluded by a 4th-and-10, 15-yard TD pass from Brown to Beau Davis.
A moment later, junior Tanner Heatley returned an interception 40 yards to the Spartan 20. Three plays later, Brown lobbed a perfect 17-yard scoring strike to Leon Davis to up the count to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Shawnee’s sole first-half turnover led to Bixby’s first touchdown. Jennings, a University of Tulsa commitment, intercepted a Brown aerial at the Wolfpack 32.
Two plays later, Jennings shrugged off several tackle attempts on a 27-yard scoring scamper to make it 14-7.
Shawnee wasn’t shaken, moving a methodical 80 yards in 12 plays, with Brown and Saxon hooking up on a 31-yard TD pass.
Bixby moved to the SHS 25 before Shawnee’s Kevin Dukes recovered a fumble, giving the Wolves the 14-point intermission cushion.
On its first four possessions of the closing half, Shawnee failed to post a first down. While the SHS offense stagnated, Bixby was able to get good field position. The Spartans went 53 yards in eight plays on their first possession of the third quarter. Quarterback Kevin Lamb found Austin White on an 11-yard scoring pass to make it 21-14.
On its third possession of the second half, Bixby had to move just 45 yards to pay dirt. Jennings went the last eight yards to tie the score with :26 left in the third quarter.
That’s the way it stood until Bixby’s game-winning drive and Shawnee’s final frustrations.
Shawnee finished with 351 yards of total offense but only 150 after halftime.
Brown threw for 215 yards while hitting 15-of-28 passes. Saxon recorded six receptions for 115 yards while Gabrion Frazier caught four passes for 30 yards.
Bixby finished with 375 yards of offense, 202 coming in the second half. Acock was Shawnee’s leading rusher with 88 yards on 24 carries.
Jennings had 119 yards on 15 carries while Lamb threw for 190 yards.
Bixby, 8-4, will meet Guthrie, a surprise 25-24 winner over Tulsa East Central, in the semifinals.
“I felt like we should have won the game,” Billy Brown said. “I’m proud of the way we fought. We never quit. We put ourselves in position to win there at the end but we just couldn’t capitalize.”
