One win down, four to go.
The Lions of Chandler and the Tigers of Stroud each prevailed last week in the first round of the 2009 football postseason, and second-round action looms tonight as the crews keep hopes alive of reaching the big show.
As with all Class A and Class 2A teams, Stroud and Chandler must win four postseason games each to reach the championship contest. The No. 12 Lions will host ninth-ranked Verdigris for the second round of the Class 2A playoffs, and No. 2 Stroud will host Pawnee for the second round of the Class A playoffs.
Both kickoffs are slated for 7:30.
Stroud, which completed its first unbeaten regular season in four decades, is 1-0 where it really counts after upending Savanna 54-6 last week’s first round.
A noteworthy fact — the last time Stroud finished the regular run at 10-0, the Tigers brought home the gold ball. That was in 1969.
The Tigers have put up some big numbers this year, including a cumulative score of 491-73 over 11 opponents. That score includes three district shutouts — 39-0 over Wewoka, 34-0 over Wynnewood and 47-0 over Dibble.
Stroud finished the regular season as District A-5’s No. 1 team.
Cody Pritchard’s legs have churned out more than half of Stroud’s total rushing offense of close to 3,000 yards. The senior has carried the ball 154 times for 1,516 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Teammate Dakota Biswell has chipped in with 459 yards and four scores on 52 rushes, as well as five scores and more than 300 yards on a dozen receptions. That comes to an average of 25 yards per catch.
Jeremee Knipp has eight rushing TDs and 280 yards on 49 carries, and Levi Killman has scored three times and rushed for more than 190 yards on 18 attempts.
Stroud quarterback Andrew Miller has completed 84 of 142 passes (59.1 percent) for 17 scores and 1,570 yards, making him Class A’s fourth-highest passer through 11 games.
All total, the Tigers have accumulated 4,636 yards of offense while allowing 1,120. That’s an average of 386.3 yards gained per game, and 93 yards allowed per game.
Pawnee comes into tonight’s contest with a 9-2 record after riddling Afton 58-18 in the first round of the postseason.
Verdigris at Chandler
After a shaky start that began with a home loss to Stroud, Chandler completed the 2009 regular season at 6-4 and as the District 2A-5 champion. The Lions are 7-4 now after last week’s 47-6 mauling of visiting Spiro.
It was Chandler’s fifth consecutive win.
The Verdigris Cardinals are 8-3 after their 48-14 defeat of Colcord in the first round of the playoffs.
“They’re huge. They’re big up front,” Chandler head coach Neal Bacon said of the Cardinals. “They’ll probably be the biggest team we’ve seen since Clinton.”
The Lions suffered a 28-0 loss to Clinton’s Class 3A Red Tornadoes in Week 3. This made Chandler 0-3 before the Lions went on a two-game winning streak against Henryetta and Prague.
The Lions lost again in Week 6, to Beggs, and have not lost a game since.
Bacon expects a strong running game from the Cardinals, and credits their offense with being a “mirror image” of Chandler’s.
“Their running game is their strength,” he said.
The Cardinals, much like the Lions, rely on their running game to boost their passing game, Bacon said.
Chandler’s T.J. Tillis leads the Lions in rushing with more than 1,100 yards. Quarterback Brandon Cummings has more than 800 rushing yards, and well over 500 passing yards.
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One win down, four to go.
The Lions of Chandler and the Tigers of Stroud each prevailed last week in the first round of the 2009 football postseason, and second-round action looms tonight as the crews keep hopes alive of reaching the big show.
As with all Class A and Class 2A teams, Stroud and Chandler must win four postseason games each to reach the championship contest. The No. 12 Lions will host ninth-ranked Verdigris for the second round of the Class 2A playoffs, and No. 2 Stroud will host Pawnee for the second round of the Class A playoffs.
Both kickoffs are slated for 7:30.
Stroud, which completed its first unbeaten regular season in four decades, is 1-0 where it really counts after upending Savanna 54-6 last week’s first round.
A noteworthy fact — the last time Stroud finished the regular run at 10-0, the Tigers brought home the gold ball. That was in 1969.
The Tigers have put up some big numbers this year, including a cumulative score of 491-73 over 11 opponents. That score includes three district shutouts — 39-0 over Wewoka, 34-0 over Wynnewood and 47-0 over Dibble.
Stroud finished the regular season as District A-5’s No. 1 team.
Cody Pritchard’s legs have churned out more than half of Stroud’s total rushing offense of close to 3,000 yards. The senior has carried the ball 154 times for 1,516 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Teammate Dakota Biswell has chipped in with 459 yards and four scores on 52 rushes, as well as five scores and more than 300 yards on a dozen receptions. That comes to an average of 25 yards per catch.
Jeremee Knipp has eight rushing TDs and 280 yards on 49 carries, and Levi Killman has scored three times and rushed for more than 190 yards on 18 attempts.
Stroud quarterback Andrew Miller has completed 84 of 142 passes (59.1 percent) for 17 scores and 1,570 yards, making him Class A’s fourth-highest passer through 11 games.
All total, the Tigers have accumulated 4,636 yards of offense while allowing 1,120. That’s an average of 386.3 yards gained per game, and 93 yards allowed per game.
Pawnee comes into tonight’s contest with a 9-2 record after riddling Afton 58-18 in the first round of the postseason.
Verdigris at Chandler
After a shaky start that began with a home loss to Stroud, Chandler completed the 2009 regular season at 6-4 and as the District 2A-5 champion. The Lions are 7-4 now after last week’s 47-6 mauling of visiting Spiro.
It was Chandler’s fifth consecutive win.
The Verdigris Cardinals are 8-3 after their 48-14 defeat of Colcord in the first round of the playoffs.
“They’re huge. They’re big up front,” Chandler head coach Neal Bacon said of the Cardinals. “They’ll probably be the biggest team we’ve seen since Clinton.”
The Lions suffered a 28-0 loss to Clinton’s Class 3A Red Tornadoes in Week 3. This made Chandler 0-3 before the Lions went on a two-game winning streak against Henryetta and Prague.
The Lions lost again in Week 6, to Beggs, and have not lost a game since.
Bacon expects a strong running game from the Cardinals, and credits their offense with being a “mirror image” of Chandler’s.
“Their running game is their strength,” he said.
The Cardinals, much like the Lions, rely on their running game to boost their passing game, Bacon said.
Chandler’s T.J. Tillis leads the Lions in rushing with more than 1,100 yards. Quarterback Brandon Cummings has more than 800 rushing yards, and well over 500 passing yards.
