Deetrick Beavers was pulled off the defensive side of the ball this week so he could focus on his offensive effort. It’s hard to argue with that decision after he accounted for more than 200 yards of offense and three touchdowns in a 28-7 win over Durant.
“They took me off defense to have me only on offense to move the ball down the field,” said Beavers, who was also named Homecoming King before the game. “And that’s what we did. We came out strong. The O-line was moving people. Everybody was rolling.”
The defense was 26 seconds from a shutout Friday night. After building a 28-0 lead, they allowed Durant to score a late touchdown. Dace Shaw helped lead the defensive effort with two interceptions. One he returned to the Durant 15-yard line. The other came on the goal line and Shaw appeared to be returning it for a score. But a referee had blown his whistle inadvertently and the play had to be stopped with Shawnee taking possession at its own 20.
“I’m really proud of our guys and the way they competed all night,” Coach Jason Madonna said.
John Ryan High and Jayden Smith kept Durant quarterback Cole Robbins on his heels all night. Demario Joyner and Keaton Choate also stopped the run and applied pressure on passing plays for the defense that held the Lions under 200 total yards.
One of the unsung heroes for the Wolves in 2024 is Lance Williams. His punting has been a weapon for the team thanks to great placement on his part and a quick coverage team.
Shawnee’s first score Friday night followed a Williams punt that pinned the Lions inside their own 10-yard line. When Durant tried to run the ball out of bad field position, Shaw stripped the runner and the Wolves took over at the Lions 16. Zyron Campbell scrambled to the eight on first down and Beavers ran around the right side and through the defense for his first touchdown of the night. Rhett Neese, another solid special-teams performer who gets taken for granted because of his consistency, made the extra point and Shawnee led 7-0 early.
After a short Durant punt on the next drive, the Wolves drove into Lions’ territory where Beavers found a hole and broke a handful of tackles before falling into the end zone on a 33-yard TD run. Neese hit the PAT to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
“He does a really good job of getting behind those offensive linemen and being patient and then finding little holes,” Coach Madonna said. “He watches a lot of film, understands where the cuts are going to be, and then when he squirts out in open space, he’s really hard to tackle.”
On the next Durant drive, the Lions threatened to cut into the lead. When Durant tried to throw a pass into the end zone, Shaw came from his safety position and made a leaping interception at the goal line. He regained his balance, broke a tackle and was sprinting down the sideline when the play was halted because the back judge said that he had inadvertently blown his whistle to end the play.
Both teams failed to score in the rest of the quarter and the Wolves took a 14-0 lead into intermission.
The Lions opened the second half trying to gain some momentum, but it backfired. They tried a trick play onside kick from a huddle formation, rather than lining up for a normal kickoff. Jayden Smith dove on the onside kick and held onto the ball after a half dozen Lions piled on top of him.
After three Beavers carries moved the ball to inside the 10, he got the handoff again and went around the right side for his third touchdown of the night to give Shawnee a 21-0 lead early in the second half.
After another short punt from Durant at the end of the third quarter, Beavers ran 24 yards to the 28. A holding penalty backed Shawnee up, but Campbell found tight end Demery Hodges who broke tackles down the sideline to set the Wolves up with first-and-goal at the seven. Shaw got the call and he found a big hole up front to put Shawnee up 28-0 with 7:47 left in the game.
Durant was able to score on its final drive with 26 seconds left to prevent the shutout, but Shawnee took the easy win.
Beavers had 25 carries for 189 yards and three TDs. Beavers was also the leading receiver with two catches for 32 yards. Shaw focused on defense Friday, but he still managed three receptions for 31 yards and 29 more yards on six carries with a touchdown. Ejion Thomas, Jamir Owens, Rahmel Slaughter and Hodges each had a reception as Campbell moved the ball around for 10 completions in 19 attempts for 139 yards.
The win improved the Wolves’ record to 5-2, with a 3-1 record in district play. The Wolves head to Tulsa the next two weeks to take on Edison (1-6, 0-4) Thursday and Bishop Kelley (2-2, 2-5) Nov. 1 before returning home to host McAlester (6-1, 4-0). The Wolves control their own destiny when it comes to making the playoffs, and even having a chance to host a playoff game.
“That is our goal,” Madonna said. “We want to make the playoffs and go win a playoff game and possibly host one. We’re putting ourselves in position. If we win out, we’ll host a playoff game, so obviously, we’re taking it one week at a time. Tulsa Edison’s on the road next, and that’s extremely important. I think if we win that one, we do a lot as far as reserving the playoff spot. But this team is playing special. We’ve got to keep it going.”
