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.

Shawnee quarterback Carter Whitson (7) runs around left end while teammate LaMarr White looks for someone to block during the 2003 Class 5A championship game.

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.