Shawnee 21
Lawton MacArthur 20
Dec. 7, 1973
Note: Following is Fred Fehr’s story from the Dec. 6, 2003, edition of The News-Star.
The drought is over!
Thirty years after claiming its last state football championship, the 2003 Shawnee Wolves completed an unbelievable swing through the playoffs, defeating Lawton MacArthur, 21-20, for the Class 5A state championship in a pulsating matchup Friday night at the University of Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium.
Shawnee led 21-7 at the half, then staved off a MacArthur comeback that included a Ryan Carstensen quarterback sneak for a touchdown with 2:40 to play that cut the margin to 21-20. That left the deadlock on the foot of sophomore kicker Jacob Branstetter, who converted his first two attempts of the night.
Branstetter, however, was wide left on the attempt. After MacArthur’s ensuing on-side kick attempt failed to go the required 10 yards, Shawnee went three-and-out, but a 34-yard punt by Jason Bourbonnais pinned the Highlanders on their 10-yard line with no timeouts remaining.
MacArthur posted one first down, compliments of a face mask penalty, but three straight incomplete passes followed.
On fourth-and-10 from his 30, Carstensen avoided several tackle attempts in the pocket before being sacked by Will Thompson.
Shawnee then ran out the clock, setting off a frenzied celebration by Shawnee’s players, coaches and fans.
“I am so proud of the kids and coaches,” said Shawnee head coach Brent Whitson. “We made every adjustment we had to make. On the first two extra-point kicks, I thought we were going to block them. So, I wasn’t totally surprised when he blocked the last one.
“This has been four years of hard work in the making. The coaches and kids invested so much of themselves. All these seniors were so inspirational for the younger players. It is hard to be eloquent when you are so overwhelmed.”
Shawnee, by going 4-0 in the playoffs, finishes the season at 11-3. MacArthur concludes at 12-2. The Highlanders had won 12 straight games since a season-opening setback to Weatherford.
Shawnee opened the scoring on its second possession on a 72-yard, eight-play drive.
The pivotal play in the drive was a 29-yard reception by Antwan Cudjoe, one of 22 seniors, to the Highlander 28. Junior quarterback Carter Whitson followed with a 20-yard end, out of the shotgun formation, to the 3-yard line. Three plays later, 6-3, 300-pound Walter Boyd went over the right side from a yard out to open the scoring. Adam Betterton’s extra point put Shawnee up 7-0 at the 3:17 mark of the first quarter.
MacArthur responded with an 83-yard, eight-play scoring drive capped by Julian Firman’s 40-yard run for a touchdown. The extra point knotted matters at 7-7 with 1:17 left in the first quarter.
MacArhtur, on its next possession, drove from its 30 to the SHS 13 but a holding penalty, three incompletions and a Cory McAboy interception at the 5-yard line ended the threat.
That ignited a 66-yard, eight-play scoring drive, culminated when Zak Wallis caught a 25-yard scoring pass on a third-and-8 situation. The point-after attempt was wide right, leaving Shawnee up 13-7.
MacArthur’s second turnover of the opening half, a fumble on a quarterback sneak, was recovered by Whitson at the Highlander 40.
Nine plays later, after Whitson had connected on passes of 10, 5 and 15 yards, LaMarr White scored from a yard out with :24 left in the half.
White then added the 2-point conversion for a 21-7 halftime advantage. MacArthur’s bout with turnovers continued early in the third quarter.
After runs of 20 and 22 yards put the Highlanders at the SHS 23, linebacker Will Thompson recovered a fumble.
Two possessions later, MacArthur, keyed by a 44-yard pass to Firman, scored on a 1-yard run by Carstensen at the 1:47 mark of the third quarter.
Shawnee’s deepest penetration of the second half ended on an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-5 play at the Highlander 23 with 10 minutes to play.
Four plays later, Mac gambled on a fourth-and-2 situation from its 31 but David Holmes and a host of Wolves stopped Firman after just a 1-yard gain.
Shawnee couldn’t take advantage as Chris Jackson intercepted a fourth-down pass that set up MacArthur’s final TD drive.
“We’ve been underdogs all the way through the playoffs,” Shawnee senior offensive lineman Bryon Little said. “This is like a Cinderella story.
“I just couldn’t be happier. Our defense won this game for us. It’s the greatest feeling ever. I will remember it the rest of my life.”
Shawnee finished with 246 yards of offense, despite managing just 56 in the second half. MacArthur compiled 352 yards of offense, including 194 in the second half, but finished with three turnovers.
Shawnee had just one turnover, an interception.
“I never felt like this on anything before,” said Holmes, who was credited with eight tackles. “Everyone doubted us. This will be with me forever. Nothing compares to this, because I will probably never experience anything like this again.”
Note: Shawnee captured three playoff victories prior to the state championship game. After riddling Bixby 44-7 in the first round, Shawnee knocked off Noble, 28-14, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, held at OU’s Memorial Stadium, Shawnee earned some revenge from a 10-7 regular-season loss to Ardmore by defeating the Tigers 23-16. Whitson scored the game-winning touchdown on a 13-yard run with 33 seconds remaining. Ardmore was led by receiver Jermaine Gresham, who went on to star at Oklahoma and currently plays in the NFL.
To finish a season undefeated and raise a championship trophy into the sky is a major accomplishment, but it’s all the more fantastic when you rally back from a 19-point deficit to win that title game and give your longtime head coach his first gold ball with the team.
That’s what happened with the 1996 edition of the Seminole Chieftains, who clawed their way back to a 27-26 win over Spiro in the Class 3A championship game. It was head coach Mike Snyder’s 16th season with the Chieftains, and his first state title there.
“It was certainly one of the most exciting ball games I’ve ever been a part of,” said Snyder, who continues to serve as the Chieftains head coach.
Seminole entered the 3A title game at 13-0, having posted playoff wins over Collinsville (56-0), Oologah (35-28 OT) and Tuttle (35-14). Spiro was 12-1 with playoff wins over Cascia Hall (41-20), Vinita (49-29) and Sulphur (10-7 OT).
Spiro’s lone loss of the regular season — a 38-27 setback to Seminole.
Turnovers were a big stumbling block for Seminole early in the title game, which was played before 8,000 fans at Tulsa Union High School’s Union-Tuttle Stadium. An early interception gave way to a 7-0 first-quarter lead for Spiro, and a fumbled punt later gave the Bulldogs the opportunity to make it 13-0.
The missed point-after attempt would haunt them, even though they later appeared to have the game decided with a 26-7 halftime advantage.
The Chieftains’ first sustained drive spanned 69 yards in seven plays. Quarterback Jarrod Reese connected on three short passes to Rion Louie, then hit Brian Moddelmog for a 23-yard gain to the Spiro 20. Two plays later, Reese ran in from 4 yards to cut Spiro’s lead to 13-7.
The Bulldogs scored on both of their second-quarter possessions — TD passes from quarterback Chris Massey to Jerrod Johnson (28 yards) and C.J. Steele (14 yards). This put the Chieftains into that aforementioned 19-point rut, but Spiro was done from there.
“I remember us not panicking,” Snyder said. “We made a few adjustments.”
Snyder told his team that if they would go out in the second half and “shut them out,” they could get themselves back into the game.
And that’s just what the Chieftains did.
Despite suffering another fumble — this one at the Spiro 4-yard line — Seminole used its defense to pin the Bulldogs deep and force a punt. Two interference calls certainly helped, and the Chieftains then scored with 3:31 left in the third quarter as Louie made a diving catch of a 13-yard Reese offering.
The Chieftain defense made another stand, and Eddie Louis batted down a fourth-and-3 pass to force a turnover and set up Seminole’s second-to-last scoring drive.
This one covered 67 yards in eight plays and was capped by Myron Louie’s 15-yard rush.
Moddelmog added the PAT kick.
Seminole touched the ball thrice more, and even fumbled the ball away again early in the fourth quarter. When it was all over, the Chieftains had fumbled the ball away three times and were hit with two interceptions.
Looking back on it now, Snyder believes it was somewhat of a gamble to do what he did in the waning minutes of the game. Held to a fourth down, the Chieftains had all three of their timeouts left, so Snyder opted to punt it away.
Cue the Seminole defense one more time.
“We were able to get the ball back,” Snyder said.
That final drive, which started with 1:52 left to play, is just as vivid now in Snyder’s mind as it was 15 years ago.
“Every pass we completed is still in my memory,” he said.
The drive lasted 88 yards and seven plays. Reese was an incredible 5-for-6 on the drive, including a 26-yard toss to Louie that put the Chieftains at their own 46.
Reese then found Moddelmog for a massive gain to the Spiro 16, and following the possession’s only incompletion, Seminole reached the Bulldog 7 with 44 seconds to go.
Reese gained 2 more yards for the Chieftains with a keeper up the middle, and the march finally came to fruition when Reese found a wide-open Brandon Washington for a 5-yard touchdown pass with just 28 ticks left on the clock. Moddelmog made the connection on the PAT kick, and what would be the 27-26 final lit up the scoreboard.
“It was a great feeling,” Snyder said. “But the battle that we had to go through to get there seemed a lot more important than the game itself. It was a very enjoyable locker room after that.”
Snyder said despite coming up short in the first half, his team battled back and dominated the second half.
“I’m just proud of what they did,” he said. “They overcame a lot of adversity.”
Reese, considered by Snyder to be one of the state’s best QBs, came away hitting 16 of his 30 tosses for 215 yards and three scores. Reese went on to play in the 1997 Oil Bowl and he led Oklahoma two a 42-21 win over Texas. He ran for two touchdowns, threw for two and was voted the offensive most valuable player.
Reese later played for the University of Oklahoma.
On the receiving side, Louie finished with 109 yards and a score on 11 catches. Moddelmog had four catches for 89 yards.
Sophomore Jeremy Dry had 84 yards on 10 rushes, and Myron Louie had a touchdown and 53 yards on seven carries.
For Spiro, tailback Brian Steele finished with 150 yards on 23 carries. He scored a rushing TD and caught a 24-yard pass for a score.
Shawnee 41
Capitol Hill 14
Dec. 7, 1973
The headline on The Shawnee News-Star’s front page said it all: “PACK WINS STATE TITLE.”
Shawnee concluded a resounding 13-0 season by collecting 524 yards of offense — 460 on the ground and 64 through the air — in the 3A championship game at Skelly Stadium.
Speedster Robby Hale of Shawnee collected 272 yards on 20 carries. Steve Autrey notched 127 yards on 13 carries, including touchdown runs of 1 yard, 7 yards and 13 yards.
Hale chipped in with a 70-yard scoring run.
Junior quarterback Randy Stephenson, who played despite a fractured left thumb, tossed a 34-yard scoring pass to tight end David Rainbolt.
Miami was limited to 114 yards of total offense — 12 rushing and 102 passing. Three Wardog passes were intercepted — two by Sammy Wallace and one by Gary Mayfield.
“I have a feeling of a great sense of accomplishment,” Shawnee coach John Welborn said after the game. “And it’s something our players will remember the rest of their lives. I’m happy they are going to have that experience. It’s one of the rewards of football.”
Chris Dawson, who went on to play football at Oklahoma State, set up Shawnee’s first TD with a fumble recovery at the Miami 13. Autrey scored on the first play and John Goodson converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead at the 9:06 mark of the first quarter.
The Wolves missed a 30-yard field goal attempt on their next possession but the defense again held Miami and the SHS offense took over at the Wardog 36. Two plays later, Stephenson flipped the 34-yard TD pass to Rainbolt, who beat defender Tinker Owens on the play. Owens, brother of Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens of Oklahoma, also went on to play for the Sooners.
The Rainbolt catch was Stephenson’s 11th TD pass of the season and upped the count to 14-0.
Autrey’s 1-yard TD, set up by a 40-yard gallop by Hale, put Miami in a 21-0 hole. Another missed FG try by Shawnee left the margin at 21-0 at the intermission.
Owens returned the second-half kickoff 61 yards before being tackled by Jimmy Frank at the Wolfpack 29. A 17-yard scoring pass, followed by a missed point-after, reduced the score to 21-6.
Hale’s 70-yard touchdown at the 8:35 mark of the third quarter made it 28-6.
Miami scored its final touchdown off a blocked punt. Bill Reno picked up the ball and ran 28 yards to the end zone. The 2-point conversion reduced Shawnee’s lead to 28-14.
The Wolves responded with a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive behind the blocking of Rocky Wade, Blain Dewees, Dennis Brooks, Randy Romberg, Steve Burnett and Rainbolt. Autrey’s 7-yard scoring scamper put Miami in a 35-14 hole with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.
A Wardog gamble misfired when Owens was tossed for a 6-yard loss and Shawnee assumed possession at the Wardog 35. Ricky Roach then found Goodson on a 30-yard scoring pass to conclude the scoring.
Goodson hit his first five extra-point kicks before the night’s final attempt was blocked.
Shawnee ran its two-year winning streak to 17 games.
“We didn’t expect to break big ones like we did,” Welborn said. “But our offensive line did a great job.
“And our defensive play was just superb again. I really think our defense peaked the last two weeks.
“Overall, it was just a superb team effort. Every one of our players played as well as he could. Stephenson did a great job playing with that hairline fracture of the thumb. And there’s no doubt that our assistant coaches did a tremendous job.”
Seminole 20
Bixby 15
Dec. 2, 1977
During the 1977 Class 2A playoffs, Seminole put forth a dominant effort to reach the title bout.
The Chieftains, 9-1 at the end of the regular season, swept the first three rounds of the postseason with shutouts of Broken Bow (14-0), Clinton (28-0) and Atoka (28-0). Their only loss in the regular run was a 19-13 overtime setback to defending 2A champ Bristow, but the Pirates missed out on a repeat as the final showdown came between Seminole and Bixby.
On Central State’s Wantland Field, the Chieftains were again the dominant team.
Bixby recorded two second-quarter touchdowns to end Seminole’s habit of shutting out postseason opponents, but the Chieftains bit first and never trailed.
Quarterback Charles Cocke put up a 25-yard rush out of punt formation to keep Seminole’s opening drive alive, and the 65-yard possession came to fruition on the 11th play.
On third-and-goal, Cocke netted a 10-yard TD toss to tight end Scott May to put the Chieftains up 7-0 with 3:20 left in the first quarter.
Head coach Wayne Estes, in his sixth year with the Chieftains, later called for an option on third down and Cocke scored on a 12-yard rush to make it 14-0 in the second quarter. Bixby cut the lead to 14-7 on a 56-yard, 12-play drive that ended with Brian Tiger’s 4-yard rushing score with 6:13 left in the first half.
Seminole went on top by 10 (17-7) thanks to Curtis Morgan’s 39-yard field goal, but Bixby halfback Marshall Goff scored on a 1-yard punch and Tiger added the 2-point conversion to give Seminole a scant 17-15 halftime lead.
That was it for Bixby.
Seminole looked once again to Morgan’s foot, and he tacked on a 23-yard FG with 2:33 left in the third quarter as the game’s final points.
Seminole lifted the gold ball for the third time in the program’s history, and it was the first time since a 1960 championship win against Oklahoma City Southeast.
Seminole recorded 14 first downs to 10 for Bixby, but the Spartans ruled in the rushing department with 209 yards to the Chieftains’ 156. Goff was the contest’s leading rusher with 93 yards on 13 carries.
Seminole shined in aerial yards, 141-30, as Cocke completed five of nine attempts.
Note: Fred Fehr contributed to this report.
Shawnee 15
Capitol Hill 0
Nov. 26, 1932
Three years after the start of the Great Depression and nine years before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Shawnee’s football team traveled to Oklahoma City’s Goldbug Field to tackle Oklahoma City’s premier prep squad, the Capitol Hill Redskins.
The two squads met during the regular season and played to a scoreless tie. The return engagement between the Wolves and the Redskins, played on a Saturday night, was actually a charity battle.
Shawnee defeated Altus on Wednesday night at Hurt Field. The next day, coaches Ray LeCrone of Shawnee and Jim Lookabaugh of Capitol Hill agreed to play Saturday.
Shawnee not only possessed a 10-0-1 record entering its rematch with Capitol Hill but hadn’t surrendered a point the entire season.
In The News-Star’s Sunday report of the much-heralded game, the lead paragraph read just as follows — “Led by cotton head Jack Baer and burly co-captain Aubrey Anthony, the Shawnee high school Wolves, the greatest high school eleven that ever trod Oklahoma turf, gained sweet revenge over the Capitol Hill Redskins, the only eleven which has held them to so much as a scoreless tie, by scoring a smashing 15 to 0 triumph before a howling and near capacity charity crowd. Held scoreless during the first half, the Wolves, coached by Ray LeCrone, came back for the final two periods, with entirely too much power, versatility and speed for the Redskins in a game heralded as for the ‘unofficial state championship’.”
Much like the regular-season game, the defenses ruled in the opening half and there was no score by intermission. Shawnee out-offensed Capitol Hill 101-59 in the opening half.
Capitol Hill’s only first-half scoring threat came in the first quarter as it moved to the Wolfpack 10, only to turn the ball over on fourth down.
Baer, who later became the head baseball coach at Oklahoma, launched the scoring with a 13-yard field goal in the third quarter. The 3-pointer came after Shawnee’s ground attack drove to the 3-yard line. The FG was set up by Melvin Skelton’s interception at the Redskins’ 40.
Less than three minutes following the field goal, Skelton capped a drive with a 3-yard TD maneuver. The touchdown drive was set up by Baer’s 42-yard punt return to the 25.
Late in the fourth quarter, Aubrey Anthony of Shawnee concluded the scoring by returning an intercepted pass 55 yards.
Earlier in the final quarter, another Baer punt return — this one to the CH 36 — set up a drive that was eventually foiled at the 1. Baer barely missed a 29-yard FG attempt on Shawnee’s next possession.
Shawnee out-rushed Capitol Hill 234-94 and accumulated 13 first downs to six for the losers. Both squads had 38 passing yards on three completions.
Shawnee defensive players Carl Anderson and Ed Thompson were lauded for their play.
The victory concluded an 11-0-1 SHS season.
At Shawnee’s annual football banquet, speaker Vic Hurt, Oklahoma Baptist University’s athletic director, said, “You have finished a greater season than any high school team in the country anywhere. You are the greatest high school team I have ever seen. The season is now closed and you can look back always with that feeling of satisfaction that comes with conviction that a job has been well done.”
On the season, Shawnee outscored opponents 278-0.
The Wolves lost 12 seniors to graduation: Hub Shaw, Alton Romberg, Ovid Beardon, Mickey Parks, Aubrey Anthony, Marvin Moats, Marvin Atterberry, J.F. Rhyne, Harry Bryant, L.T.Best, Herbert Morris and Howard Ellenberg.
Chandler 30
Chelsea 13
Dec. 14, 1984
Chandler had never won a state title prior to meeting Chelsea in the 1984 Class 2A championship, and that December night almost 27 years ago marked the moment the Lions never had to say “never” again.
On the field at Bixby High School, Chandler culminated its first season under then head coach Carl Moore with an efficient 30-13 finale that allowed the Lions to finally get their paws on a gold ball. And they left plenty of pummeled opponents in their wake to get there, having drilled Purcell 23-6 in the quarterfinals before topping Hobart 16-7 in the semis.
“This is a great feeling,” Moore said after the win over Chelsea.
Early on, it looked a tiny bit dicey for the Lions — but any doubts were soon put to bed.
The Lions fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter as Chelsea covered 68 yards in a dozen plays to put up points on the game’s opening possession.
Chandler was forced to punt on its first possession, but the tide shifted when Chelsea endured back-to-back penalties. This gave way to David Burgess picking off a Dragon pass at the Chelsea 21 and carrying it all the way to tie the score.
Doug Anderson later booted a 25-yard field goal to lift Chandler to a 10-7 second-quarter lead, and the Lions increased that lead on a Tim Tillis 33-yard touchdown reception with 2:01 left in the first half.
Chandler led 17-7 at the break.
Danny Cloud scored on a 53-yard rush just 19 seconds into the third quarter to push Chandler’s cushion to 24-7, and the Dragons put up the last of their points on their ensuing drive. Similar to the first, this drive covered 67 yards in 13 plays.
A late Chelsea threat was averted when the Dragons — after having a fumble returned to them by way of a personal foul flag — turned the ball over on downs inside the red zone. After a set of traded punts, Chandler added the insurance TD on a 24-yard run by Tillis with 2:38 left to play.
Both teams finished the game with more than 100 rushing yards.
Chandler went on to win its second state title in 2005, crushing Davis 40-7.
Note: Trisha Chambers contributed to this report.
Shawnee 57
Claremore 56
Nov. 12, 1999
Had this been a state championship game, it would been my selection as the biggest game in Shawnee history.
It certainly was the most exciting, entertaining and exhilarating high school football game I ever witnessed — with an unmatched ebb and flow that continued to the final play of the game.
And what a final play it was.
When Claremore took its only lead of the game, 56-49, on Roswell Kinard’s touchdown run in the second overtime, Shawnee had to match the touchdown or the game was over.
The Wolves went one step better.
On first-and-goal from the 10, Seymore Shaw — a man among kids on this November night — shook off a couple of tackles for a TD run that made it 56-55.
Shawnee head coach Gary Higgins opted for a 2-point conversion attempt and the win. Shaw, who had already rolled up 270 yards on 31 carries, took a handoff from quarterback Brandon Edwards and cut back into the middle. A host of Claremore defenders appeared to have the 210-pound junior stopped cold at the 2 but Shaw continued moving his feet, then suddenly lateraled to teammate Britton Stewart, who scored untouched and set off a wild celebration among Shawnee coaches, players and fans.
Stewart, interviewed after the game, said, “I was yelling at Seymore with my hands up. The next thing I knew, I was in the end zone. I just saw Seymore look at me and chuck the ball. Then, I got mauled in the end zone.”
Shaw, a junior who would eventually play collegiately at Oklahoma State, scored five touchdowns on the night and backfield mate Walter Tate scored two touchdowns.
That Shawnee was even in a position to play at Claremore was a pretty good story. The Wolves were at 2-5 and 0-4 in the district, only to win their final three 5A-4 games — 43-0 over Tulsa Webster, 28-27 over Bixby and 31-14 over Tulsa Central — to earn the fourth and final district mark.
Shawnee entered the Claremore game at 5-5 overall while Claremore was 9-1 with its only loss coming to Class 6A Owasso.
Entering the game, Edwards had what turned out to be a timely prediction.
“I think we have a chance to win,” Edwards said. “They are pretty good defensively, with a good middle linebacker and a good defensive tackle, but they are beatable.”
Claremore head coach Dennis Casey’s pregame comment on Shaw also was right on the button.
“Shaw is as good as any running back I’ve been around since I’ve been coaching,” Casey said. “He can do so many things when he has the ball.”
Shaw entered the game with 1,783 yards on 216 carries, including 16 touchdowns.
The Wolves started the contest strong, opening up a 28-7 advantage on touchdown drives of 80, 72, 74 and 72 yards. Shaw posted the first three touchdowns, including a 70-yarder.
Claremore’s first possession of the game reached the SHS 1-foot line, only to have Heath Casey, son of Dennis Casey, stopped dead in his tracks by Bobby Hartfield and company on a fourth-down play.
At the intermission, Shawnee led 28-14 and had already racked up 307 yards of offense.
After the hosts pulled within 28-21 in the third quarter, Edwards and Tate collaborated on a 70-yard scoring pass to make it 35-21 with 5:21 left in the third quarter.
Casey’s 3-yard scoring run in the final quarter trimmed the margin to 35-28.
The Wolves appeared to put the final nail in the coffin when Shaw’s 2-yard TD upped the count to 42-28 with less than six minutes left.
But Claremore quickly retaliated with a 55-yard scoring run, then forced Shawnee’s offense to punt.
With two minutes left, Claremore had the ball at its 29. With 24 seconds to go, Heath Casey tied the game on a 3-yard run.
Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime — Shawnee via a 10-yard Shaw ramble and Claremore through Kinard’s 13-yard scamper.
David Bence of Shawnee hit all seven of his extra points. Teammates Kevin Abel and Jeff Scott had a fumble recovery and an interception, respectively.
Shawnee advanced to play Tulsa Kelley and lost by a field goal in overtime. Kelley had pinned a 24-3 regular-season defeat on the Wolves. The Wolves concluded the season at 6-6.
Higgins, who still resides in Shawnee, recently talked about the 1999 thriller.
“We just rolled the dice on defense,” he said. “They were averaging 42 points but we had a good game plan in for the first half — a little bit of a different alignment. We were able to hold them off for awhile, then neither defense could stop the other team’s offense.
“My coaches deserved that win. It did our kids a lot of good because they believed we turned the corner and it gave our program a boost. Our players really responded in that game.”
Seminole 30
OKC Southeast 16
Dec. 9, 1960
When Seminole met with Oklahoma City Southeast in the 1960 Class A state championship game, it had been nearly a decade since the Chieftains had hoisted a gold ball.
Seminole won its first football title in 1953.
The Chieftains were ranked first and were 12-0 going into the 1960 title bout, while Southeast’s Spartans carried a 12-1 mark.
Seminole lived up to its No. 1 rank.
The Spartans had first possession but quickly relinquished that to Seminole, and the Chieftains scored on their opening drive as quarterback James Ferrell connected with Thurman Edwards for a 45-yard touchdown toss just a minute and 10 seconds into the contest. The Chieftains later increased their first-quarter lead to 16-0 on Tommy Colbert’s 12-yard TD run.
Seminole pushed Southeast into a 22-0 second-quarter rut when David McKinney capped a 55-yard drive with a 2-yard score, but the Spartans got on the board just before the half ended courtesy of QB Don Bateman’s 13-yard pass to fullback Tommy Bell.
McKinney — who led the game with 134 yards on 22 carries — gave Seminole a little more insurance with a 45-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The Spartans ended the scoring with another pass from Bateman with 27 seconds left to play.
Seminole went on to win two other titles — a Class 2A gold ball in 1977 and a Class 3A gold ball in 1996. The Chieftains downed Bixby, 20-15, for the 1977 championship, and they came from behind to nip Spiro, 27-26, for the 1996 championship.
Stillwater 17
Shawnee 14
Oct. 16, 1992
This ranks as one of the most unusual games in Shawnee history because of the controversy surrounding the end of the contest.
Entering the game, Shawnee held a 5-1 record that included a 2-1 district mark in the state’s largest class.
Stillwater head coach Bill Defee had high pregame regard for the Wolves, saying, “I think Shawnee has the third-best talent in the league. No. 78 (Marvin Johnson) seems like a dominant defensive player and Jason Dyer and Billy Leach are outstanding receivers.
“And (Anthony) Ramirez is a fine, fine quarterback. Shawnee’s skilled people impress me a lot.”
Ramirez entered the game with 825 aerial yards, including nine touchdowns. Dyer had caught 19 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns.
Shawnee dominated the opening half, outgaining the host Pioneers 199-81 but led just 7-0 at intermission.
On their first possession, the Wolves lost a fumble inside the Shawnee 40.
On possession No. 2, Dyer outjumped two defenders for a 42-yard reception to the Pioneer 43.
Another Dyer catch of 14 yards and a 16-yard Alan Hill run produced a first down at the Pioneer 8. Two incompletions and a 1-yard Hill run stalled the touchdown possibility and a 25-yard field-goal attempt was wide right.
Shawnee finally succeeded in its touchdown ambitions on its fourth possession, cranking out a 79-yard, 10-play scoring drive.
Jacques Williams hauled in a short Ramirez pass en route to a 49-yard gain to the Pioneer 15. Faced with a fourth-and-5 situation from the 10, Williams scooted 8 yards over the left side to the 2. Two plays later, Hill, behind clearing blocks by Jeff Brown and Hunter Valentine, scored untouched from the 1. The extra-point kick by Leach gave Shawnee the lead 2:24 before halftime.
Stillwater had just three first downs in the opening half.
The Pioneers tied the game at 7 when Paul Grant concluded an 85-yard, 11-play drive by barely touching the goal line on a 4th-and-inches situation with eight seconds left in the third quarter.
Shawnee regained possession but two penalties and a 23-yard punt set the Pioneers up at visitors’ 31. Two plays later, Grant took an option pitchout and broke three tackles on a 28-yard scoring run to make it 14-7 with 8:41 left to play in the game.
Shawnee responded with a 57-yard, five-play TD drive with the big plays coming on a 14-yard rollout by Ramirez and a 31-yard reception by Dyer in which he broke three tackles.
Ramirez circled the right end from the 4 for a touchdown at the 6:42 mark.
Shane Varnell of Stillwater returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the SHS 47. Stillwater then recorded three first downs, including a 9-yard opton maneuver by Josh Holliday..
With just 57 ticks remaining, sophomore Jay Berry’s 24-yard field goal gave the hosts a 17-14 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Dyer went 23 yards to the Wolfpack 34. On first down, teammate Derek Shankland made a leaping 44-yard catch.
Two plays later, Dyer made a diving catch of a 19-yard pass in the corner of the end zone — with 15 seconds to go — only to have the TD nullified on what officials said was an illegal receiver infraction.
Following two pass incompletions, Shawnee misfired on a 42-yard FG attempt to end the game.
A review of the game film showed that no offensive lineman penetrated the two-yard neutral zone on the controversial play.
Shawnee coach Mike Sperry, who was upset at several other calls during the contest, presented a game film to the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association but no action was taken by that governing body.
“That’s the only game I coached that I thought officials had reallly botched it up enough to cost us a game,” said Sperry, who still resides in Shawnee.
Dyer posted six receptions for 109 yards and Shawnee had four pass plays of 31 or more yards. Stillwater had just two plays that covered more than 28 yards.
The third quarter was costly for Shawnee. On three offensive possessions, the Wolves netted only 2 yards.
For the game, Shawnee compiled 331 yards of offense to 238 yards for the Pioneers.
With the loss, Shawnee fell to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the district. Stillwater was tied with Tulsa Washington for second place in the district at 3-1.
Shawnee, because of the controversial call and the loss, finished fourth in the district instead of third. That sent the Wolves to Jenks for the first round of the playoffs. Shawnee stunned Jenks by opening up a halftime advantage but the Trojans rallied in the second half for the win.
Chandler 40
Davis 7
Dec. 10, 2005
Chandler dominated every phase of the game in reaping a Class 2A state title from Davis in 2005.
It was Chandler’s second gold ball — the first coming in 1984.
The 2005 title game was played at Moore High School.
The tone was set very early as Chandler’s Ben Casey, a junior at the time, took the opening kickoff 75 yards down the sideline for a score. The Davis Wolves were never able to recover.
The Lions upped their lead to 13-0 when a drive was capped by a 12-yard pass from Craig Lewis to Ross Lane with 7:04 left in the first quarter.
The Wolves’ lone points came next as they made the most of forcing a turnover on fourth-and-short. Quincy Black, brother of Davis quarterback LaQuentin Black, snagged a pass worth 21 yards in the short drive and capped it with a 4-yard rushing touchdown. This made it 13-7, and it was all Chandler from there.
The Lions’ ensuing drive spanned 65 yards and lasted seven plays. Brandon Arms bore the brunt, gaining 47 in four carries and scoring his first of four TDs on the night.
Chandler held a 19-7 lead with 11:19 to go in the first half.
Davis was forced to punt late in the second quarter, but a bobbled snap was taken by Lane to the Wolves’ 30-yard line. The Lions needed just two plays to capitalize on the event as Lewis connected with tight end Jon Evans for a 25-yard gain and Arms ran in from there for his second rushing TD of the contest.
Chandler went into the second half with a commanding 26-7 advantage.
In the third quarter, Chandler’s Casey Smalley snagged a LaQuentin Black pass and raced to the Davis 25. Arms ran three consecutive times and scored on first-and-goal from the 3, and Smalley’s point-after kick made it 33-7 with 9:02 left in the third.
A fumbled punt later gave the Lions a first-and-10 from the Wolves’ 12-yard line, and Arms covered that distance on the first play from scrimmage to end the scoring with 1:44 left in the third quarter.
Of winning the gold ball, Arms later said it was “amazing.”
“This is the best feeling in the world. This is a great day,” he said.
Then Chandler head coach Brent LaGere said, “This feels super. I couldn’t have a better feeling. The breaks went our way today.”
The Wolves’ wishbone offense was held to a total of 151 yards on 40 snaps, and LaQuentin Black was limited to 47 rushing yards. Quincy Black finished with 36 yards.
Davis fullback George Russell had just 6 yards on as many totes.
“They are a really good football team,” said Evans, a senior at the time. “We moved our fronts around, and everyone ran to the football.”
Arms served as Chandler’s leading rusher with 131 yards and four TDs on 18 carries. Smalley finished with 73 yards on 16 carries.
After a dominant regular season in 2008, Chandler suffered a setback to Heritage Hall in the championship game and was crowned the Class 2A runner-up. The Lions have since ascended to Class 3A.
Note: Keven Scrutchins contributed to this report.
Shawnee 41
McAlester 21
Oct. 30, 1987
On paper, McAlester looked almost unbeatable entering the District 4A-3 conflict at Jim Thorpe Stadium.
The Buffs were 8-0 overall and 5-0 in district play. Four of the five district triumphs were shutouts with the exception of a 28-6 decision over Tulsa Webster.
Ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, McAlester had outscored its previous eight opponents 197-32.
“This is like Rocky fighting Mr. T and Apollo Creed at the same time,” Shawnee coach Mike Sperry said prior to the game. “We could play the game without any turnovers or mistakes and McAlester could still win because of the quality of their players.”
As it turned out, McAlester committed four turnovers — three fumbles and one interception — while Shawnee didn’t commit any turnovers.
It marked the first time during the 1987 season that Shawnee didn’t register a turnover.
One of those Buff fumbles came with Shawnee up 13-6. Darrien Gordon stripped the ball from Rosey Jones — who had been hit hard by Jeff Chamblin — and romped 25 yards untouched for a touchdown.
With Shawnee up 34-21 at the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Gordon returned an intercepted pass 18 yards to the McAlester 2-yard line. Two plays later, fullback James Woods went 1 yard for the touchdown.
Gordon also teamed up with quarterback Dennis Schimmel on a 61-yard third-quarter scoring pass after McAlester cut the deficit to 27-13.
“On the fumble, Jones was kind of carrying the ball loose and I took it,” Gordon said after the game. “On the pass play, I just take three steps and look for the ball. We’ve run that all year long. I figured they would adjust to it.”
McAlester held an early 6-0 lead on a 19-yard Brian Brown carry.
Shawnee responded with a 77-yard, 12-play drive. Schimmel hit Campbell on a 23-yard pass to the Buff 8 on fourth down to keep the drive alive, and Woods scored from the 4.
Gordon then returned the fumble for a touchdown and Vernon Woodward’s point-after kick made it 20-7.
Shawnee regained the ball at the Buff 43 with 6:37 left before halftime and scored in six plays. Charles Campbell took an end-around pitch from Gordon and scored from 9 yards out. On the previous play, Gordon reversed his field and went 25 yards after first trying to locate a pass receiver.
McAlester cut it to 27-13 at the half as Les Keith scored on a 78-yard pass play.
Gordon’s 61-yard touchdown reception at the 5:36 mark of the third quarter came on a hitch route in which he juked one defender.
McAlester, after returning the ensuing kickoff into Shawnee territory, traveled 44 yards in nine plays, capped by Jones’ 4-yard run. Woodward’s extra point made it 34-21 with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
All that was remaining was Gordon’s interception return for the game’s final TD.
Shawnee improved its overall record to 6-3 and its district mark to 5-1. It was Shawnee’s fourth straight district conquest.
Gordon latched on to four receptions for 144 yards. Woods recorded 70 yards on nine carries out of the Wolves’ Wing-T offense.
Woods entered the game with 464 yards on 100 carries.
Sperry, who still resides in Shawnee, vividly remembered the almost quarter-century old game.
“We had become better as the season went along,” Sperry said. “We played an outstanding game. They scored quickly to go ahead but we came back and went 80 yards. We dominated the game from then on.
“You could tell all week about our intensity. I remember sitting in the office after the game and thinking what our players and coaches accomplished that night. I thought that team was almost unbeatable but we didn’t make any turnovers and we had a good kicking game. That was one of the high points.”
Shawnee defeated McAlester seven of the eight years in which Sperry served as the head coach.
“They always had great athletes,” Sperry said.
Following the win over McAlester, Shawnee dropped a 12-0 decision to Tulsa Webster in the final game of the regular season. Shawnee traveled to Claremore for the first round of the playoffs but dropped a double-overtime decision.
Gordon went on to have an outstanding collegiate career at Stanford and was a first-round NFL draft selection. He played nine seasons (1993-2002) and in four Super Bowls.
McLoud 14
Cushing 0
Oct. 24, 1997
The problem with two unbeaten teams waging war on the gridiron is pretty obvious — when the dust settles, somebody won’t be unbeaten anymore.
Such was the plight for Cushing in Week 8 of Oklahoma’s 1997 high school season. The Tigers, ranked second in Class 4A, hosted third-ranked McLoud in what was dubbed the state’s top game that week. Neither team had tasted defeat through seven outings, but the battle of the defenses eventuallay gave way to McLoud reaping a 14-0 upset win that further fueled an eventual unblemished regular season.
The outcome of that Week 8 encounter brought an end to Cushing’s 26-game regular-season winning streak, and to add insult to injury, it was the Tigers’ first shutout loss since the 1995 season opener — a 17-0 stumble to Tulsa East Central.
The McLoud-Cushing game remained scoreless through one quarter, and senior Rusty Hall — now an assistant coach at his alma mater — put the Redskins up 3-0 with 4:24 to go in the first half with the first of his two 30-plus-yard field goals on the night. Hall added the second one with 8:13 to go in the third quarter, thereby putting McLoud up 6-0.
Redskins quarterback Josh White later posted a 46-yard scamper in the same quarter to set up his own 8-yard touchdown run.
Hall, who had all year been the go-to runner for McLoud, was held to a season-low 61 rushing yards at Cushing. Leading up to that night, he had accumulated 16 TDs and more than 1,100 yards, but then head coach Dickie Smith credited Hall with keeping the Redskins going in other ways.
“Rusty’s kicking kept Cushing backed up all night,” Smith said after the game.
Hall averaged more than 46 yards per punt against the Tigers, and Smith said that gave the Redskin defense the opportunity to keep Cushing in poor field position.
The Tigers were held to just two first downs and 88 total yards of offense all night. McLoud garnered 191 yards of offense — with 124 of those coming in the second half.
Cushing tailback Marcus Devers had rushed for close to 800 yards in four games leading up to the meeting with McLoud, but he was limited to just 45 yards on 17 attempts by the Redskins.
McLoud’s win at Cushing put the Redskins in sole possession of first place in District 4A-2, and the Redskins went on to end their 1997 regular season at a perfect 10-0. They were bested by Marlow in the first round of the playoffs.
Today, Hall recalls with fondness the teammates he fought alongside in that spotless regular run.
“We were a very close team, good friends who hung out together,” Hall said. “We took football very seriously.”
The thought of a little retribution may have contributed to the derailing of the Redskins’ 1997 postseason, Hall said. Ousted from a title chase in 1996 by Clinton, McLoud was well aware that a first-round playoff win over visiting Marlow would put the Redskins in a home rematch with the Red Tornadoes in the 1997 second round.
“We may have been looking ahead, because we had Clinton coming to our place in the second round if we won,” Hall said.
Hall played tailback and free safety for the Redskins in the 1997 season. Some of the more outstanding teammates he remembers include Travis Calton, fullback and middle linebacker; Ronnie Roberts, a 6-8 tight end and defensive end; and Wayne Heath, defensive tackle.
Heath went on to play at Navarro Junior College in Waxahachie, Texas, as well as Arkansas State.
McLoud and Cushing remain District 4A-2 opponents now.
Duncan 13
Shawnee 10
Nov. 16, 1990
Veteran sportswriter Ray Soldan and I couldn’t believe what we had witnessed at Duncan’s Haliburton Field.
Duncan’s top-ranked, undefeated Demons had staved off defeat despite being on the short end of one of the most lopsided statistical battles of recent years.
The Demons combined a 94-yard interception return and two Marco Millan field goals for an overtime victory in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Duncan, which had averaged 37.1 points in its 11-0 accomplishment coming into the game, got the better of Shawnee in only one statistical category — turnovers.
The Wolves turned the ball over four times, including Chad Hudgins’ 94-yard interception return for a touchdown that produced a 7-7 tie in the third quarter.
For the game, Shawnee registered 18 first downs. The Demons had only three first downs and one of those came via a penalty.
Shawnee rushed for 295 yards on 57 carries. Duncan was limited to 18 yards on 23 carries. Duncan connected on just one of seven passes.
Total yardage — Shawnee 325, Duncan 37.
“In this case, the best team didn’t win on this given night,” an emotional Shawnee coach Mike Sperry said after the game. “A bunch of good kids gave everything they had and came up just a little short.”
Shawnee had the only first-half touchdown, a 1-yard Jarrett Smith run on its fourth possession of the game.
David Broberg’s point-after kick made it 7-0.
The drive constituted 43 yards and took 10 plays.
Pivotal plays included an 11-yard run by Garrett Shelton and a 19-yard rollout by quarterback Anthony Ramirez to the Demon 2. Smith scored on a third-down play just 2:20 before halftime.
The Wolves appeared ready to increase that margin midway through the third quarter after moving to the Demon 3. But an offsides infraction put the ball back to the 8 and a Ramirez rollout pass was intercepted and returned for the 94-yard touchdown.
Duncan then took a 10-7 lead at the 10:57 mark of the final quarter when — following another Wolfpack turnover — Millan booted a wind-aided 48-yard field goal. It tied the school record for the longest FG.
With 4:05 remaining, Shawnee regained possession at its 20. On first down, sophomore fullback Alan Hill rambled 38 yards to the Demon 42.
Three straight running plays, including a Smith 11-yarder, put the ball at the 18. After three more rushing plays netted just 6 yards, Broberg nailed a 38-yard field goal into the wind for a deadlock at 10 with 37 seconds left in regulation.
Shawnee, which had the first possession of overtime, faced a third-and-goal from the Demon 7. Ramirez handed off to wingback Jason Dyer, who pitched to Tommy Starnes. Starnes rolled right and threw into the end zone. Brian Heindselman went high for the ball but lost possession when his arms hit the ground.
Broberg was then wide left on a 25-yard field-goal attempt.
On its first overtime possession, Duncan didn’t waste any time going for the field goal and Millan calmly booted the game-winning 27-yarder.
Amazingly, Shawnee ran 63 plays in the game to just 30 for the hosts.
In the first half, Duncan’s 15 snaps produced 14 yards, including minus-5 yards on the ground.
Smith, a 170-pound junior, chalked up 127 yards on 21 carries.
Prior to the second-round matchup, the most rushing yards Duncan had surrendered on the season was 209 to Ardmore. In its first 11 games, Duncan outscored foes 245-47 and registered 39 rushing touchdowns.
Shawnee’s defense, led by Chad Self, Rhio Gallina, Tony Floyrd, Collins Kickapoo and Heindselman, dominated the line of scrimmage.
“I think about it every time I get together with some of my buddies I played with,” said Self, who resides and works in Shawnee. “How we lost was a fluke, just a very unique game. I wish it had never happened because we would have been in the semifinals if we had won.
“What I remember most about that year’s team was that our offensive line averaged about 185 pounds. The best thing we had going was how hard we tried and worked. It definitely wasn’t our size.”
Shawnee concluded the year at 8-4, including a first-round victory over Anadarko.
McLoud 40
Seminole 36
Nov. 6, 2009
Seminole may have been the team to advance to the playoffs, but McLoud inflicted a deep, dark bruise on the Chieftain pride to end the 2009 regular season.
The Redskins came into the Week 10 showdown at 2-7 overall and 2-4 in District 4A-2, having broken a seven-game skid with wins in Weeks 8 and 9. One of McLoud’s longtime rivals, Seminole was 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the district.
There was no reason to doubt Seminole’s chances to put the game away. After all, McLoud quarterback Dillon Endecott had only been back under center since Week 9 thanks to a dislocated knee cap six weeks earlier.
Appearing to have never been sidelined, Endecott burned the Chieftain defense for four throwing scores and well over 400 aerial yards, and he struck for two rushing touchdowns in McLoud’s 40-36 season-ending shocker at Seminole.
Endecott was literally in on every McLoud score of the night.
The Chieftains led 14-0 after one quarter thanks to a 1-yard run by Chris Wolfe and a 5-yard run by Adam Kuehner. The hosts, however, found themselves in a 20-14 halftime hole as Endecott punched his way in from 7 yards out before connecting with Von Kendrick and Travis Carroll on TD tosses of 6 yards and 25 yards, respectively.
Kendrick was Endecott’s primary target, hauling in 16 catches for 297 yards. Endecott — pilfered just once — completed 22 of 35 passes for a grand total of 438 yards. That’s an average of 19.9 yards per throw for Endecott, and an average of 18.6 yards per reception for Kendrick.
“I’ve been around this business a long time and I’ve never seen two players who had these types of performances against us,” Seminole head coach Mike Snyder said of Endecott and Kendrick.
“That combo really works well together,” McLoud head coach Eric Cardin said of Endecott and Kendrick following the win.
Cardin said Endecott has “a great arm, and Von can catch anything you throw at him.”
McLoud increased its lead to 26-14 in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Endecott, but the Chieftains stayed in the race on Wolfe’s ensuing 2-yard success. The Redskins went into the final 12 minutes with a scant 26-21 cushion.
The Chieftains mounted a comeback as Wolfe again scored from 2 yards out and Kuehner ran in from 34 yards. McLoud trailed 36-26 in the waning minutes, but eventually had Seminole’s lead cut to 36-33 on a 41-yard hookup from Endecott to Kendrick.
The Redskins put up the winning points with 1:01 left to play on an 8-yard TD reception by Josh Idleman.
Sndyer said had Endecott not been injured early in the season, the Redskins could have been a serious postseason contender. Instead it was Snyder and the Chieftains to move on, and they were bested 34-14 in the first round by Weatherford.
The Chieftains qualified for the playoffs by way of a three-way tiebreaker.
McLoud ended the game with 21 first downs and just over 500 yards of total offense. Seminole had 22 first downs, 347 rushing yards and 80 passing yards (427 total yards). Chieftain quarterback Garrett Clark was 8-for-12 with no interceptions.
Neither team fumbled the ball.
Note: Brian Johnson contributed to this report.
Bixby 28
Shawnee 21
Nov. 20, 2009
There was absolutely no reason to believe Shawnee’s season was going to come to an abrupt end in a Friday night quarterfinal battle at Jim Thorpe Stadium.
The Wolves had been the most prolific offensive squad in Class 5A while becoming the first Shawnee squad to accomplish an undefeated regular season since the 1973 state champions.
During a 10-0 regular season in 2009, Shawnee outscored three non-district teams and seven district squads by a combined margin of 451-190. The Wolves then pulverized Altus in the opening round of the playoffs.
Most observers already had Shawnee penciled in as one of the four 5A semifinalists, despite Bixby having a quality program and coming into the quarterfinal clash with a 7-4 record.
Nothing transpired at the outset to make those observers change their minds as the Wolves led 21-7 at the intermission. Then, unbelievably, a Wolfpack offense that had been virtually unstoppable for 46 quarters was blanked 21-0 in the second half.
Twice in the second half, the Wolves came up empty after driving to the Bixby 1-yard line. The first threat came after SHS had moved from its 35 to the Bixby 1. But on third down, Jordan Acock lost a yard, and on fourth down, a pass from Brayle Brown fell incomplete.
Bixby proceeded to drive 98 yards in seven plays, capped by a 37-yard scoring pass from running back DeWitt Jennings to Donovan Wilson for a 28-21 Bixby lead with 3:54 remaining.
Shawnee responded by moving 70 yards to the Bixby 2, where Brown got 1 yard on first down. With less than 20 seconds to go, Brown looked for a receiver in the end zone but Robbie Turner jarred the ball loose and a Bixby teammate recovered.
“We just didn’t make plays in the second half like we did in the first half,” Shawnee head coach Billy Brown said after the game.
Shawnee opened up a 14-0 lead after one quarter on touchdown receptions of 15 yards by Beau Davis and 17 yards by Leon Davis.
After Jennings scored on a 27-yard run to bring the visitors within 14-7, Saulyer Saxon grabbed a 31-yard TD pass from Brown, culminating an 80-yard drive, for the 14-point halftime advantage. Shawnee’s Kevin Dukes recovered a Bixby fumble at the Wolfpack 25 late in the second quarter.
Bixby’s defense really took over at the outset of the second half, holding the Wolves without a first down on their opening four possessions. Meanwhile, the visitors got an 11-yard scoring reception by Austin White — on Bixby’s opening second-half possession — to make it 21-14. Then, on its third possession of the second half, Bixby concluded a 45-yard drive with an 8-yard Jennings scoring dash to tie the game.
For the first time in the 2009 season, Shawnee was out-offensed. Bixby finished with 375 yards, 202 coming in the second half.
Shawnee had just 150 of its 351 total yards in the second half.
Brown concluded his junior year by hitting 15 of 28 passes for 215 yards. Saxon caught six passes for 115 yards and teammate Gabrion Frazier caught four passes for 30 yards.
Acock was Shawnee’s leading rusher with 88 yards on 24 carries.
Saxon, who is a member of the Oklahoma State baseball team, still has vivid and somewhat painful memories of the game.
“We thought we had the upper hand at halftime. We had a two-touchdown lead and they weren’t moving the ball at all,” Saxon said. “In the second half, I kind of felt their comeback. You felt the momentum shifting toward Bixby. When I start thinking about missing football, that game just pops up. I remember getting the ball to the 1-yard line and we couldn’t push it into the end zone as time ran out.
“It was the worse feeling ever.”
Shawnee ended the season at 11-1.
Shattuck 46
Maud 0
Nov. 19, 2010
It may have been a loss, but last year’s 46-0 romp of Maud by Shattuck was still a milestone for head coach Bruce Harrell and the Tigers.
It was the first time since Maud became an eight-man crew — in 2005 — that the Tigers tasted the second round of the postseason. The District C-4 Tigers overcame their old nemesis in District C-3 with a 46-40 squeaker of Medford in the first round of the 2010 playoffs.
A longtime C-4 power, Maud had always hit a speed bump when facing C-3 opponents. It was often Covington-Douglas that unraveled the Tigers’ plans to reach the pinnacle.
Maud was 1-5 at home against C-3 foes prior to hosting Medford in 2010. The game was tied at 40 with less than 1:30 left to play, and Maud made the most of Medford’s second punt of the night. Good field position became better field position with a late-hit penalty on the Tigers’ return, and despite losing 5 yards on a false start, Maud effected the 46-40 final in just two plays.
“We were able to turn the game into a dogfight,” Harrell said of the win over Medford. “We knew that if we could just get a couple of stops against them, we might come out top.”
It was now on to face the Shattuck Indians, forever a dominant force in Class C football. But the fact still remained that Maud had finally lifted the District C-3 curse — and the first-round curse — that had plagued the Tigers for so long.
Shattuck, the eventual 2010 Class C runner-up, scored on every possession in the 2010 second-round game, and the Indians needed just 27 minutes and 58 seconds to ring up the mercy-rule win over Maud. The game was stopped with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter.
In a little twist of fate, it was Covington-Douglas that Shattuck later defeated to advance to the title game.
Against Maud, the Indians rang up 314 yards on 26 rushes. Their only pass play of the night, from Kadyn Schick to brother Kelby Schick, netted a 30-yard touchdown.
The halftime score was 40-0.
Maud was held to just 103 total yards of offense, including 67 on 27 rushes. Harrell credited Shattuck with having a tenacious defense.
“You can’t trick them,” he said. “They did a great job.”
Despite the low offensive output, Maud quarterback Shane Bailey — a senior at the time — was able to run himself into the Maud record books. His 51 rushing yards opposite Shattuck put Bailey’s single-season rushing total at 1,665; a full 6 yards over the previous record.
“We turned him loose this year. He’s a great player,” Harrell said of Bailey.
Prior to the second-round game, Bailey had already established the Maud eight-man career rushing record with more than 3,300 yards. Against Shattuck, he passed for 38 yards with a 3-for-8 effort that included one interception. It was the only turnover of the night.
Maud ended its 2009 season at a perfect 10-0, but the Tigers were downed in that year’s postseason first round by Covington-Douglas, 34-14. The Tigers were 9-1 coming into their first-round playoff game against Medford in 2010, but they were holders of an impressive 37-game district winning streak.
The Tigers upped that streak to 38 by hammering Claremore Christian 49-0 Sept. 9.
Note: Brian King and Keven Scrutchins contributed to this report.
Shawnee 23
Ada 21
Oct. 11, 1985
Although the 1985 Ada squad wasn’t one of the premier Cougar editions, the magnitude of Shawnee’s victory still can’t be diminished.
Shawnee came into the game at just 2-3, was unranked and was mired in a three-game losing streak. Ada was ranked fifth in Class 4A and was stalwart at Norris Field.
That wasn’t the only downside for a Shawnee team trying to defeat the Cougars — a longtime state powerhouse — for the first time since 1950.
Several days before the squads met, Shawnee coach Mike Sperry dismissed four senior starters for disciplinary reasons. The Shawnee camp was racked by adversity.
Sperry and his staff had to make several lineup alterations because of the dismissals.
Timm Bright, a 175-pound junior, took a starting running-back slot in Shawnee’s split-back, veer offense. The nose guard responsibilities were to be shared by Eric Thompson and Bryan Shaw while Wade Auld inherited the weak corner spot in the secondary. Wendell Gordon moved to strong corner and Trace Grisso switched to free safety. Linebacker Jeff Witcher, who had been sidelined two straight games because of an injury, returned to the lineup. Witcher had tallied 39 tackles in the first three games.
Shawnee sent notice it had come to play by taking the opening kickoff and moving down the field on a 16-play, time-consuming march. Ralph Shaw capped the drive with a 26-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Scott Dubler of Shawnee recovered an errant pitchout at the Cougar 35. After an illegal-procedure penalty and a clipping infraction temporarily waylaid the Wolves, 5-9, 165-pound senior Wade Auld cut inside the Cougar defensive end, broke into the secondary and stymied two tackle attempts at the 15 en route to a 39-yard scoring play. Shaw’s point-after attempt put the Wolves up 10-0 at the 4:10 mark.
Chris Melson’s 67-yard punt return for a touchdown just 1:11 before halftime cut the margin to 10-7. Melson later went on to play quarterback at Oklahoma.
Auld then returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Cougar 37 and quarterback Chris Dockrey quickly hit Ryan Miller for a 21-yard gain. Dockrey went back to the air, finding Grisso for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Shaw converted the extra point, giving Shawnee a 17-7 upper hand 32 seconds before intermission. That remained the score at halftime.
At the outset of the second half, Ada churned 80 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown with quarterback Clint Wood tossing a 25-yarder to Brett Hager for the score to cut the deficit to 17-14. Hager was 15 yards behind the nearest defender and actually bobbled the ball before completing the catch.
That’s the way the game stayed until the 5:52 mark of the fourth quarter when Wood and Jay Stokes teamed up on a 65-yard scoring pass to put Ada up 21-17 — the first Cougar lead of the game.
“After Ada scored, Chris Dockrey came over to the sideline and promised me that we would score,” said Sperry, as reported in the Oct. 12, 1985, News-Star.
Dockrey was right on the money with his prediction. Three plays — all passes — covered 80 yards and consumed just 52 seconds. Grisso launched the drive with a 32-yard reception that was almost intercepted. After Auld’s 31-yard catch moved the ball to the 17, Dockrey rolled right and found a wide-open Shaw for the game-winning touchdown.
Ada’s next possession was non-productive, largely due to a sack by James Davis. Shawnee took possession and ran out the clock, thanks to a 32-yard Dockrey-to-Grisso pass play on a 4th-and-17 situation from the Cougar 34.
Grisso completed the night with six catches for 125 yards. Miller posted three receptions for 53 yards and Shaw had three catches for 47 yards.
Shawnee accumulated 410 yards of offense while Ada was limited to 168. Ada accumulated just 48 yards rushing on 32 attempts. The Wolves chalked up 17 first downs to nine for the Cougars. Both teams had two turnovers.
Sperry, still living in Shawnee, vividly remembers the game. “Anytime anybody beat Ada, it was a big deal,” Sperry said. “With all the distractions and playing at their place — and to take the ball and go 80 yards at the end and win the game — it was a huge deal. The kids just made the plays. We played well in all phases of the game.
“It was what high school football is all about. It was a special thing for all of us. Our kids really stepped up and they were long on intestinal fortitude. The same bunch of kids that year were down 20-0 to McAlester in the third quarter and came back to win 21-20.”
One of the seniors on the 1985 squad was Kirk Fridirch, who went on to play collegiately at Tulsa and is presently the head coach at Tulsa Union High School.
Cascia Hall 35
Prague 0
Dec. 1, 2007
In their first semifinals appearance in 20 years, the Prague Red Devils suffered from a detrimental five turnovers and were swamped 35-0 by Tulsa Cascia Hall in the 2007 Class 2A state semis.
The Cascia Hall Commandos were 13-0 coming into the contest, and their first-team defense had surrendered only six points all year — two field goals to Davis in the game prior to meeting Prague. Cascia Hall went on to take the Class 2A crown in 2007.
“In the early go, we made a lot of mistakes,” said then Prague head coach Chuck Atchison. “I don’t know if we were overly excited in the first half, but you just can’t have a lot of turnovers, mistakes and a lack of execution against a team like that.”
Prague made ample threats throughout the night — being inside the Cascia Hall 20-yard line twice, and even inside the Commandos’ 5 on a couple of possessions.
“I think when we got down to the 2-yard line early and didn’t score that it took a lot of steam out of us,” Atchison said following the game. “We should have run the ball straight ahead but we missed a block. You have to give Cascia Hall’s defense a lot of credit.”
Prague’s turnovers included three interceptions and two fumbles. One interception was returned 20 yards for a score.
Cascia Hall’s lone turnover was a fumble at its own 29 early in the first quarter.
The Commandos led 7-0 after one quarter, and 21-0 at halftime. Going into the final quarter, Cascia Hall was up 28-0.
The Red Devils prevailed in two offensive categories, ringing up 16 first downs to Cascia Hall’s 10, and accumulating 183 rushing yards to the Commandos’ 173. The Commandos, however, rolled out their rushing yards in just 26 plays, compared to 49 for the Red Devils. That translates to an average of 6.7 yards per carry for Cascia Hall, and 3.7 yards per carry for Prague.
The Commandos secured 128 passing yards as Sam Clancy was 4-for-5 with no interceptions. That’s an average of 32 yards per reception, and one of Clancy’s hook-ups was a 50-yard scoring toss to Price Pinkerton in the second quarter.
Pinkerton ended the night with three of Cascia Hall’s scores — the 50-yard reception, the interception return and a first-quarter 29-yard rushing TD.
Prague QB Dakota Harris threw for 114 yards while completing seven of 17 attempts. Harris was also the Devils’ leading rusher with 78 yards on 27 carries, and teammate Kyle Moore came away with 53 yards on eight rushes. Prague’s Kyle Warden finished with 49 yards on 13 totes.
Of Harris’s aerials, Ryan Behrnes caught two for a total of 55 yards, and Drew Island caught two for a total of 29 yards.
“I am very proud of our kids,” Atchison said after the game. “They have come further than anyone expected. They never gave up.”
Prague ended the 2007 season at 10-4.
Shawnee 27
Midwest City 0
Nov. 7, 1969
One season after going 1-10, including a one-sided loss to Midwest City, Shawnee accomplished the biggest shocker of the 1969 season.
Midwest City entered the ninth week of the season at 8-0 and had the home-field advantage against a Shawnee squad that was 2-6. The Bombers possessed a 13-game winning streak dating back to the middle of the 1968 campaign.
Despite giving up about 20 pounds per man in the trenches, the Wolves dominated the rushing game, piling up 313 yards to 82 for the hosts.
“There’s no doubt about it. For the seniors, that was the biggest win of our careers,” said longtime Shawnee resident Jim Brownell. “We had a pretty good squad going into the season but we had a lot of early injuries and we lost to Edmond, 7-6; Southeast, 9-7; and U.S. Grant, 8-0. But when we got some of those kids back from injuries, we were able to beat some teams. Coach (Frank) Kennon told us, ‘We’ve won a couple of games and we know it. Go out there and beat Midwest City, and everybody will know it’.”
Shawnee’s defensive dominance was such that MWC penetrated the Wolfpack 20-yard line only one time before losing possession at the 27.
The SHS rushing game, fueled by lightning-quick halfbacks Bob Craig and Chuck Henson, was so impressive that the Wolves attempted only four passes.
Henson opened Shawnee’s scoring with a 2-yard run after Jim Roper intercepted a pass that was deflected by Gary Rose at the Midwest City 15.
The Wolves’ defense kept MWC to a three-and-out, then took possession following a punt at the Bomber 46. Henson, after a 2-yard run by Craig, went 44 yards on second down for the touchdown. That gave the Wolves a 13-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game. Rusty Dutton, who missed the first extra point, was true on the second one.
Midwest City didn’t make its initial first down until the second quarter.
Early in the second half, MWC appeared to have some momentum when the visitors were stuck at their 4-yard line. But Craig broke for 56 yards to get the Wolves out of the hole. Although the Bombers then forced a punt, returner Rodney Loftis fumbled the attempt and Shawnee recovered at the Bomber 13.
Despite a 15-yard penalty on first down, Shawnee recovered and scored as Craig, who eventually signed with Arkansas, went 14 yards, then 10 yards for the touchdown. Dutton’s point-after attempt made it 20-0 early in the third quarter.
Sophomore Coy Everett, who started at quarterback and safety for the Wolves, basically put the game on ice several minutes later by intercepting a Terry Wittner pass and returning it 5 yards to the Shawnee 37.
Craig then applied the icing by speeding 67 yards for a touchdown. Dutton’s final extra-point boot made it 27-0 late in the third quarter.
Craig produced 200 yards on 21 carries while Henson accumulated 101 yards on 14 totes.
Tony Sardis was the top Bomber rusher with 45 yards on five carries.
Shawnee intercepted four passes as the Bombers were a woeful 6-of-22 for 82 yards through the air. Midwest City also lost two fumbles with David Leach and Rose making the recoveries.
Cited for their defensive effort for the victors were Rose, Mike Garner, James Moody, Gregg Vandaveer, Danny Thompson, Ralph Brown and James Moody.
Seniors on the 1969 team were Harold Rogers, Terry Doss, David Climer, Ron Geschwind, Joe Hill, Mark Schneiter, Tommy Harmon, Randy Fitzgerald, Stu Tully, Rose, Vandeveer, Brownell, Leach, Garner, Moody, Dutton and Brown.
About the only statistic that went Midwest City’s way was the penalty department. The Bombers were penalized four times for 30 yards while the Wolves were whistled for 11 infractions for 85 yards.
Stroud 22
Chandler 14
Sept. 3, 2009
Rivalries are a storied part of Oklahoma football, from the little league fields to the biggest of the big. Everyone knows how raucous this state gets come Bedlam time.
Lesser known, perhaps — but not of less significance — are the untold droves of high school rivals dotting the Sooner State. There are a handful right here in the Tri-County area. Just look around.
There’s Seminole-Tecumseh, McLoud-Tecumseh and Meeker-Prague. There’s Chandler-Prague, and there’s what has been dubbed the annual Lincoln County Shootout — Chandler versus Stroud.
Traditionally the first game of the season for both squads, Chandler held a decade-long dominance of the series until Sept. 3, 2009. Looking poised to carry on the trend, the Lions put Stroud’s Tigers into a 14-0 rut in the second quarter.
The Tigers made it 14-6 before halftime, and ultimately came out with a 22-14 win to end the curse of 10-plus years. And that was just the beginning as Stroud went on to a 10-0 regular season and a Class A state runner-up title.
Stroud came back and defeated Chandler a second time in 2010.
“I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and I’ve never been prouder of a team than I am right now,” Stroud head coach Chris Elerick said after the 2009 season-opening triumph. “I’m not just happy for our kids. I’m happy for our town and our school.”
The first quarter of the 2009 shootout was scoreless. Chandler quarterback Brandon Cummings scored on a 22-yard second-quarter trot, and the Lions went up 12-0 when Barry Parks recovered and returned a fumble on Stroud’s ensuing possession. A successful PAT throw from Cummings to Casey Barrier made it 14-0 with 7:59 remaining in the first half.
Cue the Tigers.
With 4:48 remaining in the second quarter, Stroud quarterback Andrew Miller hooked up with Austin Billingslea for an 8-yard score. The Tigers tied it at 14 in the third quarter when Jeremee Knipp capped an eight-play drive with a 3-yard rushing score, and Miller found Juliano Barsin in the corner for the two-point conversion.
Cody Pritchard ran in from 2 yards out later in the third, and Miller’s PAT toss to Levi Killman was a success.
The scoring ended there.
“We had them down 14-0, and we let the momentum slip away,” Chandler head coach Neal Bacon said following the contest. “We never got that momentum back.”
Miller ended the night with 144 yards on 21 passes, and the Tigers compiled 182 rushing yards and 21 total first downs. Pritchard rushed for more than 120 yards, including a long run of 30.
Chandler came away with 69 rushing yards and four first downs, and Cummings threw for 35 yards on 10 completions. He gave up on the only interception of the game.
Every Wednesday and Thursday we countdown the all-time top 10 high school football games for Shawnee and the Tri-County area.
