Week 4 high school football: Union wins in OT, Choctaw & Booker T. Washington filled with penalties. Get the complete coverage here.

Union kicker TJ Cowan had a flashback from four years ago during the final moments of Friday night’s showdown with Owasso.

In 2017, Noah Rauschenberg kicked a walk-off field goal to give Union a double-overtime victory over Owasso.

“I was thinking on the sideline, I’ve got to replicate it,” Cowan said.

Cowan did just that as his 20-yard field goal in the first OT gave third-ranked Union a 10-7 win over No. 1 Owasso in a District 6AI-2 opener at Union-Tuttle Stadium — also the site of Rauschenberg’s winning kick.

“It’s awesome,” Cowan said.

Owasso’s possession in OT, which lost 7 yards, ended with Jake Adams’ 34-yard field goal rejected by the left upright. Union then gained 7 yards in three plays to set up Cowan, who drilled the kick from the right hashmark, setting off a big celebration on the field as he was mobbed by his teammates.

“TJ has been so good for us,” Union coach Kirk Fridrich said. “He’s been a great kicker, and even some of his punts tonight were really good. Just really solid; kind of out of character tonight the one he missed. I had all the confidence in the world with him on that last kick.”

In the third quarter, Cowan badly missed a 44-yarder that would have given Union a 10-0 lead.

“My plant foot slipped a little bit,” Cowan said. “So when I kicked it I just hit the top of the ball. They gave me another chance and I hammered it.”

Owasso, on 4th-and-18, tied the game at 7 on Mason Willingham’s 36-yard TD bomb to Ronnie Thomas, who pulled the ball down in a crowd in the end zone with 5:20 left.

Union then drove to the Rams’ 26, but elected to go with a fake field goal that failed on fourth down with 1:34 left. Owasso moved into position for a potential winning field goal as Austin Havens fired a 21-pass to Cole Adams to the 27 with two seconds left, but Jake Adams missed wide from 44 yards to send the game into OT.

Defensive stops by Union’s Gabe Ford and Matthias Roberson in OT lengthened Owasso’s second missed field goal, giving Cowan a chance at a winner.

Unlike the 2017 overtime thriller that included 85 points, Friday night’s game was a defensive battle.

Union (3-1), which held Owasso (3-1) to 39 rushing yards, bounced back from a 22-0 home loss to Jenks before having a bye week. What was the message Fridrich had for his team after that game?

“You’ve got to play harder,” Fridrich said.

Union made a statement on the game’s opening possession when it drove 78 yards in nine plays, capped by quarterback Grayson Tempest’s 3-yard TD run. Tempest opened the drive with three completions for 56 yards on the first three snaps after Union’s passing game struggled against Jenks.

Owasso’s Cole Adams returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to the Union 41, but Ford came up with a fumble recovery three plays later at the 39.

The Rams had a scoring chance fizzle early in the second quarter with a missed 32-yard field goal.

Owasso (3-1) missed another opportunity when Union’s Jakyri Jenkins intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone with 46 seconds left in the half.

The Rams had the ball for the first 14 snaps of the third quarter and chewed up almost eight minutes but the possession ended with a punt into the end zone.

Owasso, however, scored on Thomas’ TD midway through the fourth quarter, and the game remained tied until Cowan’s winning kick.

How did Cowan stay calm in the moments before becoming a hero?

“Before we kicked it, my holder, Rhett Rogers, actually told me that once this goes through we’re going to run right down the field,” Cowan said. “It’s the biggest dream of mine for sure — since first grade.”

UNION 10, OWASSO 7, OT

Owasso;0;0;0;7;0—;7

Union;7;0;0;0;3;—;10

UNI — Tempest 3 run (Cowan kick)

OWA — Thomas 36 pass from Willingham (J.Adams kick)

UNI — FG Cowan 20

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs — OWA 16, UNI 15; Rushes-Yards — OWA 33-39, UNI 34-167; Comp-Att-Int — OWA 16-27-1, UNI 10-20-0. Passing Yards — OWA 227, UNI 128. Fumbles-Lost — OWA 1-1, UNI 1-0. Penalty Yards — OWA 7-60, UNI 7-67. Total Yards — OWA 266, UNI 295. Punts-Avg. — OWA 3-32.0, UNI 2-33.5.

View from the sidelines: Union vs. Owasso

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JENKS — Shaker Reisig continued to dazzle Friday in his second varsity start for the Jenks Trojans and had plenty of help from his receivers.

Ty Walls was open almost every time Reisig looked to throw in the first half and Glenny Jones caught a 60-yard bomb on the first play of the third quarter.

Reisig went 7-for-10 passing for 182 yards and four touchdowns and Class 6A Division I’s No. 3 Trojans rolled past an improved Enid team 49-6 in the District 6AII-2 opener for both schools before about 4,500 spectators in Allan Trimble Stadium.

Junior quarterback Ike Owens, who started Jenks’ first two games, also engineered two scoring drives and Colby Parsons caught TD passes from both quarterbacks as the Trojans improved to 3-1 ahead of a key district battle at Broken Arrow next Friday.

Walls, who played a starring role in right field for the Trojans’ 6A baseball champs last spring, turned a short pass from Reisig into a 50-yard TD to end the Trojans’ first possession and ended the second drive with a 17-yard TD reception from the same source.

He also had a 21-yard reception from Reisig in the second drive and caught a 30-yard pass from Owens on the final drive of the first half to set up a 6-yard TD run by Jalyn Stanford, who also had a pass interception.

Walls totaled four receptions for 118 yards, all in the first half, and the Trojans, who also scored after a blocked punt by Jett Calmus, led 28-6 at intermission.

The lead grew to 35-6 on the first play of the third quarter when Jones scooted past Enid’s secondary, ran under Reisig’s perfectly thrown ball around the 15 and raced into the end zone.

Reisig then connected with Parsons on a 14-yard scoring strike in the third quarter and Jaiden Carroll got loose on a 57-yard run to compete the Trojans’ scoring in the fourth quarter.

Jenks scored TDs on seven of its first nine possessions in posting its highest point total of the season after scoring 20, 15 and 22 in its first three games.

“Offensively, we did a lot of good things, I thought both quarterbacks played really well,” Jenks coach Keith Riggs said. “We were very productive on offense.”

But he wouldn’t say if he thought it was the best the Trojans had played on offense this season.

“You can’t always tell by how many points you score. We’ll have to look at the film and evaluate,” he said.

Enid (2-2) seemed improved in its third season under former Oklahoma State All-American receiver Rashaun Woods.

Sophomore quarterback Bennett Percival went 15-for-27 for 138 yards and threw a beautiful 17-yard fade route to Tykie Andrews for the Plainsmen’s only score in the second quarter.

Enid moved the ball at times, but couldn’t finish in the end zone and was quickly overwhelmed by Jenks’ smooth-running offense.

Walls made it look easy on three of its first four receptions, simply floating into open spots in the zone and waiting for pinpoint passes from his quarterbacks.

But the 50-yard scoring play on the first possession was a little bit tougher. On third-and-9 from the 50, he caught a slant pass from Reisig for first-down yardage heading toward the middle of the field, and slammed into an Enid defensive back.

Instead of going down, Walls bounced free and raced down the sideline for the first touchdown.

“We had great plays set up the whole week and I was open and the quarterbacks did a great job of getting me the ball,” he said. “Shaker played great and I thought both quarterbacks played great. Shaker threw a lot of great balls and had a good night.”

JENKS 49, ENID 6

Enid;0;6;0;0;—;6

Jenks;14;14;14;7;—;49

J: Walls 50 pass from Reisig (Paskvan kick)

J: Walls 17 pass from Reisig (Paskvan kick)

J: Parsons 1 run (Paskvan kick)

E: Andrews 17 pass from Percival (kick blocked)

J: Stanford 6 run (Paskvan kick)

J: Jones 60 pass from Reisig (Paskvan kick)

J: Parsons 14 pass from Reisig (Paskvan kick)

J: Carroll 57 run (Paskvan kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs—Enid 8, Jenks 15; Rushes-yards—Enid 23-67, Jenks 27-239; Passing yards—Enid 146, Jenks 227; Comp.-att.-int.—Enid 16-30-1, Jenks 10-17-0; Punts—Enid 4-31; Jenks 2-29.5; Penalties-yards—Enid 4-20, Jenks 4-40.

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CHOCTAW — Weeks ago, as I examined the 2021 schedule and circled attractive match-ups, one in particular jumped off the page.

Booker T. Washington at Choctaw. Micah Tease, Gentry Williams and the Hornets against last year’s Class 6AII silver medalist.

Sign me up.

As the unbeaten, third-ranked Hornets and the second-ranked, once-beaten Yellowjackets were reunited for a district-play-opening clash of championship contenders, I thought this might be a beautiful display of Oklahoma high school football. A possible classic.

Instead, by halftime, the combined totals were equal on penalties and points. There were 15 penalties and only 15 points.

By game’s end, there were two stories. First, Choctaw needed a second-half rally to prevail 29-20 and sentence Booker T. to its first loss of the season.

The second story centered on penalties. This was an extremely messy and frequently chippy contest. The tone was set before sundown, when — at the end of the second play of the game — players were involved in a skirmish near the Choctaw bench.

The fighting occurred not on the Choctaw sideline, but literally near the actual bench positioned about 10 yards from the sideline.

If the first-half total of 15 penalties seems like a big number (and it was a big number), get a load of this: during the second half, according to Choctaw’s official statistician, the Hornets and Yellowjackets were penalized 32 additional times.

In my mind, when a team is penalized more than eight times in a game, it’s a problem. These teams were penalized a combined total of 47 times, and that number doesn’t include the six occasions when there were offsetting infractions that didn’t count statistically.

In my lifetime of watching football, I’ve never seen this many penalties. I felt sorry for the spectators on both sides of the field.

After the first-quarter incident near the Yellowjacket bench, officials informed both teams that every player on the field had, in effect, committed a personal foul. A second personal foul would result in ejection. The officials were trying to purge the chippy stuff.

Williams, the gifted and heavily recruited Hornet who had been involved in the early skirmish, was ejected during the second period for having been flagged for a second personal foul.

The second foul wasn’t a dirty play. It was a bang-bang play near the Choctaw sideline, with Williams making contact with a Yellowjacket receiver after he had stepped out of bounds.

This three-hour, 13-minute exercise was hard to watch and has to be really disappointing for a Booker T. Washington squad that had started the season so impressively.

Against a Choctaw team that nearly beat Bixby in last year’s 6AII title contest, Booker T. closed the first half and opened the second half in a stylish manner. A Deon McKinney Jr. touchdown run was followed by a fantastic goal-line stand from the Hornet defense.

Choctaw went to the halftime locker room with an 8-7 lead, but the Hornets had the momentum advantage.

After receiving the second-half kickoff — and after having struggled to get anything going in the opening half – BTW staggered the Bill Jensen Field homecoming crowd with a two-play, 80-yard drive.

After a 47-yard dash by McKinney, Lathan Boone lofted a 33-yard touchdown pass to Tease. Booker T. had taken a 14-8 advantage. The big crowd became awfully quiet.

Quarterbacked by Steele Wasel, Choctaw answered with two touchdown possessions. Within a third-quarter span of five minutes, running back C.J. Smith scored twice.

With 3½ minutes left to play — and as the Hornets had a one-score deficit at 22-14 — Wasel and the Choctaw offense stayed on the field for a fourth-and-5 play. Wasel fired a fastball to Jax Burchett, who made a remarkable catch for the conversion. La’Trell Way’s 2-yard touchdown resulted in a 29-14 difference.

The Hornets got a fourth-quarter TD from Ethan Washington.

When Choctaw lost by seven points at Dallas Jesuit on Sept. 10, the Yellowjackets committed 15 penalties. That’s a lot of penalties.

Because I have a deadline, there’s not time to determine whether a combined total of 47 penalties is a record of some sort.

CHOCTAW 29, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 20

BTW;0;7;7;6;—;20

Choctaw;8;0;14;7;—;29

Choctaw: Jax Smith 8 pass from Steele Wasel (CJ Smith run).

BTW: Deon McKinney Jr. 5 run (Jackson Marsh kick).

BTW: Micah Tease 33 pass from Lathan Boone (Jackson Marsh kick).

Choctaw: CJ Smith 1 run (Tommy Yousey kick).

Choctaw: CJ Smith 1 run (Tommy Yousey kick).

Choctaw: La’Trell Way 2 run (Tommy Yousey kick).

BTW: Ethan Washington 1 run (kick failed).

View from the sidelines: Booker T. Washington vs. Choctaw

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Gage Hamm and No. 3 Coweta weren’t going to let what happened two years ago happen again. Instead, the Tigers had a repeat performance from last year.

Hamm passed for four touchdowns and ran for another to lead Coweta to a 56-7 victory over Edison Friday night in District 5A-3 action at LaFortune Stadium.

That was the same 56-7 score as Coweta’s game with Edison in 2020 where Hamm passed for 350 yards and five touchdowns. Coweta (4-0, 1-0) dropped a 22-21 heartbreaker in 2019 at home where Hamm passed for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

“You can’t say enough about Gage Hamm and the type of competitor he is,” Coweta coach Tim Harper said. “With him and Mason Ford and Na’Kylan Starks and some of the other kids, when we’re clicking, we’re hard to stop.”

The Tigers opened the scoring on a 17-yard touchdown run up the middle by William Mason on its first possession at the 6:05 mark in the first quarter. Mason led all rushers with 102 yards on just seven carries. Then Hamm connected with Carter Fuser on a 19-yard touchdown just over two minutes later and the Tigers had a 14-0 lead.

But Edison (1-3, 0-1) came out firing in the first quarter. Although clearly outmanned, the Eagles, led by junior quarterback Luke Parish, were able to move the ball well at times.

Parish was able to complete five of his first 10 passes in the first quarter for 100 yards, with a few coming on scrambles where receivers tightroped the sidelines for downfield catches. Deangelo Gibbs caught 6 passes for 119 yards.

But Coweta’s stingy defense got tough, and turned the Eagles away on an interception on a tipped pass by Cadence Denton after Edison had gotten down to the Coweta 15-yard-line.

A 35-yard touchdown run by Hamm with 5:16 left in the second quarter extended the margin to 21-0. And Hamm connected on passes with Mason Ford for 22- and 35-yard laser strikes past Eagles defenders, the last coming at the 3:00 mark in the quarter, and Coweta took a 35-0 lead into halftime.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Hamm completed 10 of 13 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and finished 11-of-14 for 145 yards. His counterpart Parish was 9-of-21 for 146 yards in the half, and finished 15-of-33 for 262 yards.

Na’Kylan Starks scored on the first play of the second half on a 87-yard kickoff return to increase the lead to 42-0. On the play, Starks took a kick that almost had come to a stop at the 13-yard-line before picking it up, and proceeded to weave through Edison’s defense before bolting down the right sideline for the score.

Starks again dazzled on a 36-yard punt return on the next possession where he broke several tackles while reversing course. A 5-yard touchdown pass from Hamm to Lo Lo Bell soon followed, and Coweta was up 49-0 with 9:13 left in the third quarter.

That was the last action for Hamm, who was given the rest of the game off. Hamm now has 53 career touchdown passes and only nine interceptions with over 5,000 yards passing.

COWETA 56, EDISON 7

Coweta 14 21 14 7 - 56

Edison 0 0 7 0 - 7

C—William Mason 17 run (Rucker kick), 6:05

C—Fuser 19 pass from Hamm (Stephens kick), 3:57

C—Hamm 35 run (Rucker kick), 5:16

C—Ford 22 pass from Hamm (Stephens kick), 4:13

C—Ford 35 pass from Hamm (Rucker kick), 3:00

C- Starks 87 kickoff return (Stephens kick), 11:46

C—Bell 5 pass from Hamm (Rucker kick), 9:12

E—Lazenby 15 pass from Parish (Brown kick), 0:36

C—Stidham 1 run (Stephens kick), 8:18

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs—E 16, C 27; Rushes-Yards—E 34-42, C 38-264; Comp-Att-Int—E 15-33-2, C 12-17-0; Passing Yards—E 262, C 153; Fumbles-Lost—E 2-1, C 1-0; Penalties/Yards—E 7-60, C 5-45; Records—E 1-3, C 4-0; Total Yards—E 296, C 417; Punts-Avg.—E 4-26.6, C 1-44.

View from the sidelines: Coweta vs. Edison

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WAGONER — It took Wagoner a quarter to get going, but once it did, the floodgates opened.

The result was a 55-14 win against Cleveland in the District 4A-3 opener for both teams Friday night at W.L. Odom Field.

It is believed to be the 700th win in Wagoner's football history.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0 in 4A-3) used a smothering first-half defense and an explosive running game to dominate the Tigers (1-3, 0-1).

“We made some minor mistakes early,” Wagoner coach Dale Condict said. “But we were able to get into our flow a lot earlier than last week.”

Braylan Roberson scored a pair of TDs in the first half as Wagoner took a 28-7 lead into half. He added a third in the second half and piled up 137 yards on just nine carries. The Bulldogs finished with 343 rushing yards.

“We practiced hard all week,” Roberson said. “We came out and played great and got the (win).”

Roberson also played a big part of a Wagoner defense that limited Cleveland to 17 rushing yards in the first half.

“Our defensive execution was great,” Roberson said. “We weren’t going to let them score, and we kept our offense in good position. We keep improving every week.”

The Bulldogs kept the pressure up in the second half, needing just two plays and 90 seconds to score on their first possession when Fred Watson sprinted in from 47 yards out to open a 35-7 lead.

Wagoner went four-and-out on its first possession of the game, and Cleveland started strong, putting together a 13-play drive, converting on fourth down twice along the way. But an interception on third-and-goal from the WHS 10 flipped the momentum.

The Bulldogs responded by marching 71 yards in 14 plays, capped by a Gabe Rodriguez 13-yard keeper. An interception on Cleveland’s next drive led to Roberson’s first TD of the night.

“We played well defensively in the first half,” Condict said. “We’re gaining experience each week. We’re excited to get to 3-1 and 1-0 in the district.”

Cleveland cut the deficit to 14-7 on a 65-yard reception by Gabe Martinez from Shain Hamilton. Martinez added a second-half TD and finished with 10 catches for 185 yards.

Wagoner’s Rodriguez finished with 96 yards on 12 carries and was 8-of-11 passing for 115 yards and a TD.

WAGONER 55, CLEVELAND 14

Cleveland 0 7 7 0 — 14

Wagoner 0 28 13 14 — 55

Second quarter

WAG—Gabe Rodriguez 13 run (Logan Bloxom kick), 9:42

WAG—Logan Sterling 24 run (Bloxom kick), 7:58.

CLE—Gabe Martinez 65 pass from Shain Hamilton (Hunter Sizemore kick), 6:13.

WAG—Braylan Roberson 7 run (Bloxom kick), 3:55.

WAG—Roberson 21 run (Bloxom kick), 1:11.

Third quarter

WAG—Fred Watson 47 run (Bloxom kick), 10:31.

CLE—Martinez 35 pass from Hamilton (Sizemore kick), 7:56.

WAG—Rodriguez 1 run (kick block), 2:48.

Fourth quarter

WAG—Witt Edwards 62 pass from Rodriguez (Bloxom kick), 10:51.

WAG—Roberson 53 run (Bloxom kick), 6:45.

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs—CLE x15, WAG 20. Rushes-Yards—CLE 33-83, WAG 32-343. Comp-Att-Int—CLE 14-28-2, WAG 8-11-0. Passing Yards—CLE 209, WAG 115. Fumbles-Lost—CLE 1-0, WAG 1-0. Penalty Yards—CLE—6-35, WAG 9-72. Records—CLE 1-3, WAG 3-1. Total Yards—CLE—292, WAG 458. Punts-Avg.—CLE 3-30, WAG 0-0.

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View from the sidelines: Cleveland vs Wagoner

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On a night when the usually lethal Sandite offense struggled, the defense stepped up and made some big plays to lead a second-half comeback on Homecoming.

With the Sandites down 13-10 late in the third quarter, junior linebacker Drake Fain scooped up a loose ball deep in Wildcat territory and ran it in for a 20-yard touchdown return to jump-start the comeback.

Class 6A-II No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School (4-0, 1-0) came away with four takeaways and rattled off 20 unanswered points to overcome Ponca City (1-3, 0-1) Friday night, 30-13, at Memorial Stadium.

“Dom (Ornelas) told me he hit it out,” Fain said. “I didn’t really see it. I was thinking, ‘We need a touchdown right now.’ It was great for the team.

“I couldn’t do it without my interior defensive linemen,” he added. “We call ‘em ‘Shake and Bake’ like Ricky Bobby. I love them dudes.”

Sand Springs had little difficulty moving the ball, amassing 410 yards, 22 first downs, and reaching the red zone eight times. It struggled with finishing, however, and turned the ball over on downs four times.

Fortunately, the defense was ready to make a statement.

Landon Hendricks blocked a PAT in the first half, then forced a fumble in the third quarter that Brooks Dudley recovered. Ryder Barnes added an interception late in the third, then Hendricks added another takeaway late in the fourth.

“That was just kind of organic how that happened,” said head coach Bobby Klinck. “We knew they were going to come out and kind of pound the ball and try to shorten the game. They had a great game plan.”

“Coach (Scott) Harmon’s been doing this a long time, he’s a great coach and they caught us on a few things. Luckily we just had a few more playmakers help us out tonight.”

Ty Pennington was 16-of-30 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown on the night, a 64-yard catch-and-run by Jacob Blevins who had 142 yards on nine catches.

Pennington also had two rushing scores and carried the ball 21 times for 89 yards. Blake Jones added 128 yards on 21 carries.

Class 6AII: Stillwater 35, Deer Creek 28, 2OT

Holden Thompson scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime as fourth-ranked Stillwater escaped with the victory over Deer Creek.

Stillwater quarterback Gage Gundy found Ty Smithton for an 11-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in regulation as Stillwater went 94 yards in just under three minutes to tie the game at 21 to send it into overtime. The Pioneers converted two fourth-down conversions on the drive.

In he first overtime period, Deer Creek’s Gavin Smith scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Antlers a brief 28-21 lead. But Stillwater answered right back on Gundy’s 10-yard TD pass to Zac Tyson.

Records: Stillwater 3-1 (1-0 District 6AII-1); Deer Creek 3-1 (0-1)

Class 5A: McAlester 19, Bishop Kelley 0

Second-ranked McAlester put the clamps on Bishop Kelley’s offense and shut out the Comets for the first time since 2015.

Erik McCarty accounted for all of McAlester’s scoring with touchdown runs of 1, 13 and 10.

Records: McAlester 4-0 (1-0 District 5A-3); Bishop Kelley 0-4 (0-1)

Class 4A: Grove 59, Oologah 35

Emmanuel Crawford had another 200-yard rushing performance, this time for 286 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries. He had touchdown runs of 1, 17, 26, 41 and 25 yards, with the last two adding to the Ridgerunners’ lead in the second half.

Oologah led 28-24 late in the second quarter until Grove’s Carson Trimble found Hagen Hackler for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left until halftime.

Oologah managed only one more touchdown from that point on.

The two teams combined for 897 yards of offense.

Aidan Trimble rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries for Oologah.

Records: Grove 4-0 (District 4A-3); Oologah 1-3 (0-1)

Class 3A: Holland Hall 41, Mannford 0

The top-ranked Dutch shut out Mannford for a second straight season, and Holland Hall recorded its first shutout of the season after getting five shutouts a season ago.

Kordell Gouldsby had two touchdown runs to get the scoring started for the Dutch, including a 21-yard TD run to break a scoreless tie in the first quarter.

Magnus Lepak had two field goals for the Dutch, including a 46-yard successful try in the second quarter.

Records: Holland 4-0 (1-0 3A-4); Mannford 0-4 (0-1)

Class 3A: Lincoln Christian 63, Tahlequah Sequoyah 0

Max Brown had a hand in each of second-ranked Lincoln Christian’s first six touchdowns, including a 66-yard TD pass to John Washington to start the scoring less than 30 seconds into the game.

Brown had a 3-yard touchdown run and then had touchdown passes of 61, 52, 37 and 27 yards spread across wide receivers, Cam Dooley, Levi Conners and Dylan Baldridge. Then it was Washington with a 20-yard touchdown run to make it 49-0 before intermission.

Brown finished with 283 yards passing, while both Titan Price and Luke Miligan chipped in with touchdown passes of 7 and 8 yards.

Tahlequah Sequoyah managed only 67 yards on offense.

Records: Lincoln Christian 4-0 (1-0 District 3A-3); Tahlequah Sequoyah 0-4 (0-1)

Class 2A: Cascia Hall 48, Heavener 0

Ethan Clark kickstarted the Commandos’ blowout victory with a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Then the Commandos poured it on with four scores in the second quarter, including two touchdown passes from Cooper Lai.

The junior quarterback connected with Baxter Robertson on a 39-yard touchdown pass, and he later found Jack Davis for a 40-yard TD pass. Robertson would also add a 39-yard touchdown run before halftime.

The third quarter featured Lai finding Flynn Sage for a 68-yard touchdown pass.

The Commandos finished with 465 yards on offense, while only allowing Heavener to gain 69 yards.

Records: Cascia Hall 2-2 (1-0 District 2A-5); Heavener 0-4 (0-1)

View from the sidelines: Sand Springs takes on Ponca City in homecoming game

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

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Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

Ponca City vs Sand Springs

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A solid team effort boosted Rogers past East Central 42-6 in the District 5A-3 opener for a pair of much-improved Tulsa Public Schools teams Friday night at the East Side Sports Complex.

The Ropers (3-1, 1-0) had just one victory in their previous four seasons, 38-34 over Durant last October to snap a 44-game losing streak.

The Cardinals (3-1, 0-1) haven’t won more than four games in a season since going 9-5 and finishing as runner-up in Class 5A in 2012.

Jordan Webb had a big night defensively for Rogers. He picked off two passes, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and also recovered a fumble.

Rogers quarterback Macuric Demry also had a solid game. He passed for 185 yards, ran for 96 more, and accounted for three total touchdowns (two pass, one rush).

The Ropers got their first touchdown, a 4-yard keeper from Demry with 4:52 left in the first quarter on a fourth-and-goal play.

Webb set up that score with his fumble recovery at the East Central 2-yard line at the 6:34 mark of the first period.

Rogers made it 14-0 on a 4-yard Bryson Dement run with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter. Webb intercepted a pass at the Cards’ 18-yard line just over a minute earlier to set up that touchdown.

The next time Webb touched the ball, he returned an interception 40 yards for a score with 1:12 left in the first period.

The final points of the first half came on a 44-yard connection from Demry to Terrence Thomas on a fourth-and-9 play with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter.

East Central scored on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, courtesy of a 71-yard run from Lerenzo Fagan.

The Ropers answered when Lawrence Breckenridge scored on a 1-yard plunge and added the 2-point conversion with 5:25 left in the third period.

Demry then eluded several would-be tacklers and eventually found Rashaun Jamison on an 11-yard touchdown connection with 5:54 remaining in the game.

ROGERS 42, EAST CENTRAL 6

Rogers 20 6 8 8 — 42

East Central 0 0 6 0 — 6

First quarter

ROG — Demry 4 run (Contreras kick) 4:52

ROG — Dement 4 run (Contreras kick) 2:36

ROG — Webb 40 interception return (kick failed) 1:12

Second quarter

ROG — Thomas 44 pass from Demry (kick failed) 7:00

Third quarter

EC — Fagan 71 run (kick blocked) 11:38

ROG — Breckenridge 1 run (Breckenridge run) 5:25

Fourth quarter

ROG — Jamison 11 pass from Demry (Anderson pass from Demry) 5:54

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs — ROG 14, EC 2. Rushes-Yards — ROG 31-153, EC 16-58. Comp-Att-Int — ROG 14-26-2, EC 2-8-2. Passing Yards — ROG 185, EC 5. Fumbles-Lost — ROG 1-0, EC 4-3. Penalty Yards — ROG 13-145, EC 11-91. Records — ROG (3-1, 1-0), EC (3-1, 0-1). Total Yards — ROG 338, EC 63. Punts-Avg. — ROG 0-0.0, EC 5-37.8.

Featured video:

Thursday

Broken Arrow 19, Westmoore 12

Friday

Stillwater 35, Edmond Deer Creek 28

Union 10, Owasso 7 (OT)

Jenks 49, Enid 6

Choctaw 29, B.T. Washington 20

Muskogee 42, Putnam City West 12

Rogers 42, East Central 6

Sapulpa 47, Memorial 8

Bixby 71, Bartlesville 0

Wagoner 55, Cleveland 14

Coweta 56, Edison 7

Glenpool 21, Claremore 17

Holland Hall 41, Mannford 0

Lincoln Christian 63, Tahlequah Sequoyah 0

Sand Springs 30, Ponca City 13

Vinita 56, Central 34

Catoosa 9, Skiatook 7

Sperry 63, Nowata 14

McAlester 19, Bishop Kelley 0

Yukon 38, Norman 25

Berryhill 48, Inola 7

Cascia Hall 48, Heavener 0

Metro Christian 50, Okmulgee 14

Sallisaw 34, McLain 12

Verdigris 40, Jay 12

Victory Christian 58, Morris 7

Barnsdall 36, Claremore Christian 34

Beggs 82, Henryetta 25

Claremore Sequoyah 19, Kansas 0

Grove 59, Oologah 35

Kiefer 56, Haskell 29

Meeker 42, Kellyville 27

Pawhuska 75, Commerce 14

Pryor 31, Tahlequah 14

Regent Prep 46, Yale 0

Rejoice Christian 56, Salina 14

Edmond Santa Fe 49, Edmond Memorial 21

Adair 44, Dewey 20

Pawnee 44, Hominy 36

Tuttle 22, Cushing 7

Eufaula 49, Hartshorne 12

Fort Gibson 49, Muldrow 7

Bluejacket 60, Copan 6

Bristow 42, Miami 7

Broken Bow 42, Stilwell 0

Davenport 48, Strother 0

Dewar 57, Foyil 0

Kremlin 46, Olive 0

Medford 46, Deer Creek-Lamont 0

Mounds 46, Allen 28

Mustang 49, Norman North 48

NOAH 46, Northeast (Kansas City, Mo) 6

Okemah 60, Liberty 6

Oklahoma Union 51, Afton 0

Porter 44, Talihina 30

Poteau 46, Hilldale 16

Quapaw 47, Wyandotte 12

Seminole 28, Stigler 21

Stroud 50, Savanna 21

Vian 48, Keys 7

Wellston 26, Drumright 24

Wesleyan Christian 54, Welch 8

Westville 38, Locust Grove 13

Woodland 38, Caney Valley 14

James Aydelott’s forecast

Kickoff: Sunny, 88°

Halftime: Clear, 83°

End of game: Clear, 79°

On FOX23 tonight

Live from the FOX23 Game of the Week: Owasso at Union at 6:20 p.m., 10:15 p.m., and on High School Football Tonight at 11 p.m. Also live from Enid at Jenks in the 11 p.m. show. Highlights of these games on High School Football Tonight: Owasso at Union, Enid at Jenks, Booker T. at Choctaw, Bixby at Bartlesville, Ponca City at Sand Springs, McAlester at Bishop Kelley, Coweta at Edison, Hale at Collinsville, Rogers at East Central, Memorial at Sapulpa, and Okmulgee at Metro Christian.

YurView Game of the Week

Owasso at Union, 7:05 p.m.

Cox TV (Ch. 3)

The visiting Rams are ranked No. 1 in Class 6AI, while Union is No. 3. Owasso has defeated Union the past two years. These teams have combined to win three of the past five state titles in 6AI. In 2017, Union defeated Owasso 44-41 in double overtime during the regular season, but Owasso won the rematch in the title game, 21-14.

BIXBY — Before the glory of a Friday night, there is the grind of a Monday afternoon.

For the Bixby Spartans, ranked No. 1 in Class 6AII and in pursuit of what would be their fourth consecutive state title, the most recent Monday afternoon was a 98-degree cooker spent on Lee Snider Field.

Read Part I: Bill Haisten: Braylin Presley’s value measured by Bixby’s win streak and three state titles

Bixby coach Loren Montgomery estimates that for Spartan players, there are about 130 organized team activities in a typical calendar year. There is the offseason strength-and-conditioning program. There are spring practices. During the summer, there is toughness-testing weight-lifting along with 7-on-7 tournaments and team camps. During the preseason, a 98-degree afternoon is common. After the season begins, there are four practices each week.

Braylin Presley remembers being excited for varsity practices as a ninth-grader during the 2018 season. Now, as a senior running back and a four-year veteran of the Bixby varsity program, he is well beyond the 400 mark on his career total of organized team activities.

“Football is definitely a sport that you have to love,” Presley said after the Monday practice. “It’s really (like having) a job. You have to put all of your time and effort into everything. Otherwise, you’re not going to get much out of it.

“If I didn’t love football that much, I could come out here and play around ... and not get a lot done. But with me loving the game so much — and I’ve been doing it for so long — every day I come out here, I actually do enjoy doing what I do.”

The collective investment of the coaches and players — and of the families of the coaches and players — leads to the fun of a Friday night game.

On Friday, as Presley continues his quest to become the Spartans’ career leader in rushing yards, Bixby takes its 39-game win streak to Bartlesville.

Bixby isn’t winning championships only because of star players like Presley. Montgomery has two junior varsity teams, resulting in meaningful reps for everyone on the roster. After the Monday practice, some of the JV Spartans boarded a bus for Stillwater and a Monday night game. The other JV Spartans changed into game uniforms for a home clash with Union.

Montgomery says he has the same level of respect for his JV athletes and varsity special-teams role players that he has for the more well-known Spartans like Presley, Christian Burke, the Hasz twins, Zach Blankenship, Miles Hill and Jack Puckett.

“We always recognize a practice player of the week,” Montgomery said. “It might be a starter, but it might also be a kid who just comes out and practices well every day. And then on Friday night, we have three captains, but our fourth one we reserve for our practice-player captain.

“This week, it’s Aidan Hill, a senior running back and linebacker. He’s not a starter, (but) he starts on every special team. He comes out here and runs at scout-team tailback, and that’s kind of a thankless job — being the scout-team tailback with some of the guys we have on defense. I try to show (back-ups) how important their role is and respect that.”

Showing up and doing the work every day, all year long, and even when your Friday night role amounts to no more than staying in your lane during kickoff coverage: “I think that’s as much or more a character-builder than if you’re the Friday night star,” Montgomery said.

As so much football is played before a kid gets a driver’s license, the parental investment is essential. When their sons Brennan, Braylin and Braeden simultaneously were members of different youth-league teams, Tia and Arthur Presley attended hundreds of practices and games.

Incredibly, because Braeden was bigger than most of the other kids his age, he was the member of a first-grade team two years before he was an actual first-grader. He spent three seasons with that first-grade Bulldogs team. Braeden now is a Bixby eighth-grade wide receiver and running back.

“In those years, it was a juggling act every week,” Tia recalls. “Lots of communication was required. We had to make sure that each kid was at practice during the evenings, and then they all played games on Saturdays. It was overwhelming at times, but you had to make it work.”

The Presleys’ 2021 schedule: there are Braeden’s eighth-grade games on Thursday nights, Braylin’s varsity games on Friday nights and Brennan’s Oklahoma State games on Saturdays. After doing the Bartlesville round trip on Friday night, Tia and Arthur roll to Stillwater for Saturday’s 6 p.m. meeting of Kansas State and OSU.

Braylin Presley was the Tulsa World’s 2020 state player of the year. In April, he announced his commitment to Oklahoma State. When he shows up for a Bixby practice or strength training, Braylin has two levels of responsibility: to sustain himself as the No. 1 playmaker for a Spartan program attempting to score a fourth consecutive state title, and to become stronger and possibly even faster before he graduates to college football.

“It might not be fun every day, but I love the process,” Braylin said following the 98-degree Monday practice. “You can’t win on Friday if you don’t do the work on the other days. I love everything about it.”

BTW and Choctaw rising in 6AII: Week 4 high school football rankings

6AI Nos. 1-10

6AII: Nos. 1-10

5A Nos. 1-10

4A Nos. 1-10

3A Nos. 1-10

2A Nos. 1-10

Class A, B and C rankings

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Week 3 highlights with Fox23 and Barry Lewis

Wagoner coach Dale Condict has his eyes on two football teams this season — his own and the Bixby Spartans.

The Bulldogs are trying to reinvent themselves with a lot of new faces after last year’s run to the fifth Class 4A state championship of Condict’s 17 seasons. So far, it’s been a bumpy ride.

After opening the season with a 37-13 loss to archrival, Class 5A No. 3 Coweta, the Bulldogs followed with a 21-7 win at Tahlequah, then trailed Sperry in the fourth quarter last Friday before exploding with 35 straight points in a 42-14 triumph.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, which is what you’d expect with an inexperienced team,” Condict said. “But at the end of the day, we’re 2-1 and we’ve found a way to win a couple of close games and we’ve seen enough potential to feel that if we continue to improve, we’ll at least be in the hunt for our district championship.”

The quest for the postseason opens Friday for most 11-man football schools as the third-ranked Bulldogs host Cleveland in the District 4A-3 opener for both teams.

Out of the corner of his eye, Condict is watching as Bixby attempts to break an Oklahoma record the Bulldogs set in the 2014-17 seasons by winning 48 consecutive games.

A win at Bartlesville on Friday would give the Spartans 40 in a row since their last loss — to archrival Jenks in the 2018 season opener. If they stay unbeaten all season, the Spartans’ 49th straight win would come in the Class 6A Division II state final.

“I think we’ve all come to the conclusion that (the record’s) ours for about nine more weeks,” Condict said with a chuckle.

Wagoner graduated 20 of 22 starters from a 14-0 team that outscored opponents 630-87 and had only one close game last season. Eight men signed to play college football, led by defensive end Isaac Smith (Texas Tech); four others headed to the University of Central Oklahoma (NuNu Clayton, Braden Drake, Sawyer Jones and Chase Nanni).

But the cupboard wasn’t completely bare. Fred Watson and Gabe Goodnight are returning starters from a defense that tied a school record by pitching six shutouts in 2020.

Gabe Rodriguez, younger brother of current Oklahoma State standout Malcolm Rodriguez, stepped into the lineup at quarterback and has had his moments. He averages 6.1 yards per carry and leads the defense with 30 tackles, including 16 against Tahlequah.

Logan Sterling averages 6 yards per carry. Against Sperry, first-year starter Braylan Roberson combined with Watson for 151 yards on just seven carries.

Condict said he hopes the come-from-behind win over Sperry was a defining moment.

“At halftime, we were so disappointed with the way we were playing,” he said. “We let them know the effort was unacceptable, and I felt like we played with much more focus and intensity in the second half.”

Condict’s coaching legacy would be secure if he never won another football game. With 234 career wins (including 50 in seven years at Comanche), he moved into 20th place on the Oklahoma all-time list, passing Coweta’s late, great Ron McHenry in the past two weeks.

Condict has tons of respect for Bixby coach Loren Montgomery, who has guided the Spartans to six 6A Division II titles and a runner-up finish since the classification was formed in 2014.

“The thing I’ve noticed is that he has a lot of energy about him and the things he does are well-organized and first-class,” Condict said. “And, he’s a lot better looking than me.”

But Condict can’t help being sentimental about Wagoner’s place in the record books.

He hugged his mother, remembered his father (late hall-of-fame coach Tom Condict) and wept during the postgame celebration when the Bulldogs downed McLain 62-22 on Oct. 6, 2017, for their 43rd consecutive win, breaking Ada’s 42-game streak set in 1996. Wagoner went on to win five more games that season before falling to Blanchard in the quarterfinals to end the streak.

Condict admits the first thing he does after every Wagoner game is check to see how Bixby did, “especially when I know they’re playing somebody who might challenge them.”

That makes him like those former members of the 1972 Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, who celebrate each year when the final unbeaten NFL team suffers its first loss of the season. The Dolphins remain the only team in league history to go unbeaten through the regular season and all the way to the Super Bowl title (17-0).

When the Washington Football Team gave Pittsburgh its first loss of 2020 last December, former Dolphins running back Larry Csonka tweeted a video of himself smoking a cigar and sipping champagne. “Tonight,” he said, “I’m a Washington fan.”

Montgomery would be the first to remind Condict that if the Spartans are to break the record, they probably will have to beat No. 2 Choctaw and No. 3 Booker T. Washington twice each — once in the regular season and again in the playoffs.

And both are loaded. The Spartans visit Choctaw in District 6AII-2 play on Oct. 8 and end the regular season at B.T. Washington on Nov. 5.

But if the streak has to be broken, Condict is prepared.

“Bixby is a program that is doing things the right way. If they do it, they’ll deserve it,” he said.

View from the Sidelines: Wagoner vs Sperry

Wagoner vs Sperry HS Football

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Football

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Wagoner vs Sperry HS Football

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Numbers to know

6,070: Career all-purpose yardage for Bixby’s Braylin Presley. He went over the 6,000-yard plateau in the 42-14 win over Stillwater last week by totaling 268 yards in combined rushing, receiving and return yards. The OSU commit also scored four TDs.

799: All-time wins for Booker T. Washington, which visits Choctaw in a sizzling Class 6A Division II district opener Friday. The Hornets started the 2021 season 36th nationally in victories, according to MaxPreps.

16: Consecutive games with at least one rushing TD by McAlester’s Erik McCarty. The junior RB had 34 as a sophomore and totals 41 over three seasons. The 5A No. 2 Buffaloes visit Bishop Kelley on Friday.

Players to watch

Nic Ball, MLB, Sperry

Has three straight double-digit tackle games and totals 46 for the season as Pirates visit Nowata for the District 2A-8 opener.

Blaze Berlowitz, QB, Cushing

Has 16 TD passes with only one interception as the Class 4A No. 1 Tigers host No. 2 Tuttle in a District 4A-2 battle of unbeatens.

Hakelan Carney, WR, Owasso

Averages 15.3 yards per catch and has five TD receptions as the No. 1 Rams visit No. 3 Union in the District 6AI-1 opener.

Kyron Downing, WR/DB, Vinita

Speedy senior had a rushing TD, receiving TD and interception return for a score against Dewey last week. Central (3-0) hosts the Hornets (2-1) at Webster Stadium.

Alex Shieldnight, TE/OLB, Wagoner

The 6-foot-3 freshman moved from Fort Gibson and has 22 tackles and an interception as the 4A No. 3 Bulldogs host Cleveland in the District 4A-3 opener.

— Mike Brown, Tulsa World

Bixby, Choctaw and Sand Springs are bunched in a powerhouse district.

Booker T. Washington also is a member of District 6AII-2. I promise you — no one is looking forward to tangling with the fourth-ranked Hornets.

For the first time since 2015, Booker T. Washington is 3-0. Maybe that’s why Hornet coach Jonathan Brown seemed so energetic on Saturday morning (after only five hours of sleep).

On Friday, as Lathan Boone threw three touchdown passes and as Micah Tease collected an end-zone fumble and scored on a 104-yard return, BTW rocked Edison 64-13.

Preceding the Edison game were Hornet road wins over Southmoore (51-7) and Del City (39-26). Del City is ranked eighth in 6AII.

“The Del City game told us a lot about our team,” Brown said. “So did the Jenks scrimmage.”

In the Trojan Preview last month, Booker T. Washington faced the defending 6AI champion Trojans. If not for Booker T. Washington’s mistake on an extra-point attempt, the Hornets and Trojans would have finished in a 14-14 tie.

“That’s when I realized that we have a good team,” Brown said. “When Jenks punched us, we punched back. I was like, ‘We might be OK this year.’”

Next for Booker T. Washington is a trip to Choctaw. In all of Oklahoma this week, there may not be a better game than Booker T. Washington-Choctaw (7 p.m. Friday).

“We’ve got to tighten up some things like our run game and some stuff on special teams,” Brown says, “but the mind-set of our players is good right now. We’re ready to go to Choctaw.”

While mighty Bixby has to be considered the favorite to get what would be a fourth consecutive state title, the Class 6AII postseason may prove to be the most compelling of any classification in the state.

Choctaw suffered a Sept. 10 loss at Dallas Jesuit, but the third-ranked squad is loaded with high-end talent. Fifth-ranked Sand Springs is a hot team with a hot quarterback.

This weekend’s most impressive victory was recorded by the Sandites, who prevailed 40-33 at Shiloh Christian in Springdale, Arkansas. Shiloh Christian is ranked No. 1 in Arkansas Class 4A and the defending state champion.

After Sand Springs senior Ty Pennington and his family were the subjects of a Tulsa World feature piece on Friday morning, Pennington was tremendous on Friday night. As the Sandites rallied from a two-touchdown deficit, Pennington was 21-of-32 passing for 331 yards and five touchdowns.

Third-ranked Stillwater is a threat to win every week, although the Pioneers were staggered by Braylin Presley on Friday. There is a long list of teams that have been staggered by the Spartans’ senior running back.

Against Stillwater, as Bixby won 42-14 and pushed its win streak to 39 consecutive games, Presley rolled for 233 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns.

For Booker T. to continue as a contender, Brown’s team has to remain healthy. In recent years, the Hornets were devastated by serious injuries sustained by seriously talented players like four-star defensive back Gentry Williams, who last year was sidelined with a knee injury.

On his varsity and junior varsity roster, Brown has about 40 players. Most of the other really good 6AII programs have twice that many players. Any injury would have a real impact on the Hornets.

On Saturday morning, a now-healthy Williams, Tease and Hornet wide receiver Jordan Drew attended the Nebraska-OU game in Norman. The Sooners have extended a scholarship offer both to Williams and Tease.

If you’re in search of quality Friday night entertainment, circle these dates on your calendar: Friday (Booker T. at Choctaw), Oct. 8 (Booker T. at Sand Springs) and Nov. 5 (as the Hornets end their regular season by hosting Bixby).

Week 4’s must-see game: Owasso (3-0) at Union (2-1)

When: 7:05 p.m. Friday

Where: Union-Tuttle Stadium

The matchup: The winner of this district opener will be in the driver’s seat in 6AI-2. Owasso is ranked No. 1 and Union is No. 3. Both teams defeated Broken Arrow — Owasso 42-3 and Union 38-28. These teams have combined for three of the past five state titles in 6AI. Owasso won last year’s meeting, 34-14.

— Barry Lewis, Tulsa World

BIXBY — This was No. 1-ranked Bixby vs. No. 2 Stillwater, resulting in pregame expectations that we might see something dramatic on Lee Snider Field.

It probably wouldn’t be anything as unforgettably fantastic as the 2019 Bixby-Stillwater Class 6AII championship classic — a 40-36 Spartan triumph in what may have been the best championship game I’ve ever attended at any level of football.

The Friday reunion of the Spartans and Pioneers did have a chance to be memorable, however, and for Stillwater there was the opportunity to end Bixby’s win streak.

One problem for Stillwater: Braylin Presley was due for something special.

Through his first two games of the season — and partly because he didn’t play much in an opening-night blowout of Mansfield (Texas) Timberview — Presley’s per-game rushing average amounted to 87 yards.

It’s a nice stat — 87 rush yards per game — but it’s not a Presley-level stat.

During his 2020 junior season, he averaged 159 rushing yards and wound up as the Tulsa World state player of the year.

As the Pioneer buses rolled into Tulsa County on Friday, Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard might have had this thought: If Braylin Presley is due for something special, I hope it happens next week. Not tonight.

Unfortunately for Stillwater, Presley had something special by halftime (a first-half total of 181 rushing yards and an average of 15.1 per attempt).

Presley responded to this 1 vs. 2 challenge with a big stat line and beautiful highlights. Overall, the Oklahoma State commit carried 16 times for 233 yards, scoring four touchdowns and driving the defending state champion Spartans to a 42-14 statement victory.

As the Spartans were attired in special-occasion uniforms of blue helmets, red jerseys and red pants, Bixby rolled for 583 total yards and extended its overall win streak to 39 consecutive games.

With a 13-0 season and what would be their program’s seventh state title in the past eight years, the Spartans would break Wagoner’s 11-man football state record of 48 consecutive wins. The Wagoner streak occurred in 2014-17.

On their home field, the Spartans have prevailed in 20 consecutive games. Bixby hasn’t lost since a 2018 season-opening setback against Jenks. In that game, Presley was a ninth-grade role player. On Friday, he had a starring role and got his first touchdown on a 33-yard dash.

Two defenders had an angle and an opportunity to make a play, but Presley scored easily after shifting to a gear that 99% of other high school athletes just don’t have.

On a 4-yard TD play, Presley executed an unbelievable jump-cut change of direction before crashing into the end zone.

With three minutes left in the opening half, Bixby faced a second-and-29 situation. For Bixby coach Loren Montgomery, there was a perfect play-call on second-and-29: give the ball to Presley and watch him zoom 60 yards for his third TD.

The outcome already was decided before Presley gashed the Pioneers for a 23-yard punt return. He followed with a 37-yard touchdown that pushed the score to 42-7.

Bixby’s other weapons also flourished. Christian Burke was 20-of-30 passing for 204 yards. As Bixby’s situational quarterback, Connor Kirby kept the football 10 times for 86 yards. The Spartan defense sacked Pioneer QB Gage Gundy six times and limited Stillwater to 260 total yards.

After a surprisingly scoreless first period, Presley scored three times during a second-quarter span of eight minutes. His playmaking has been a defining characteristic of the Spartans’ win streak, and his playmaking transformed Stillwater-Bixby into a blowout.

View from the sidelines: Stillwater at Bixby

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SAND SPRINGS — When seven people are interviewed for a story, you wind up with quotes that range from pretty good to really good to sensational.

In this piece about quarterback Ty Pennington and his family’s deep-rooted relationship with the Sand Springs community and Charles Page High School athletics, Keaton Campbell gets credit for the sensational quote.

Campbell is Ty Pennington’s best friend, most frequently targeted wide receiver and a baseball teammate. Campbell is the Sandite shortstop. When he throws across the diamond, Ty makes the catch at first base.

When it was mentioned that Ty seems extremely impressive on and off the field, Campbell replied with this: “He’s kind of a hero around here, to be honest. He gets good grades. He’s got a good-looking girlfriend. He’s living the dream, and yet he’s a very humble person.”

Last chance offer: $1 for six months

The Pennington-Sand Springs lineage dates to the mid-1960s. Before Mike Pennington’s sophomore year in high school, his family moved from east Tulsa to Sand Springs.

Mike became a 159-pound defensive end and a starter for the only Sand Springs football team — the 1966 Sandites — to capture a state championship. Mike watched his sons play on the same field on which he played home games.

Now, Mike is in the bleachers for each of Ty’s games, home and away.

On Friday, Mike and his wife of 52 years, Carolyn, will carpool with Ty’s parents to Springdale, Arkansas, to attend the Sand Springs-Shiloh Christian contest. It’s a big-time meeting of the Sandites (ranked fifth in Class 6AII) and the Saints (the defending champions of Arkansas’ Class 4A).

“When the ball is in Ty’s hands,” Campbell said, “anything is possible. We’re going to get positive yardage.”

Sand Springs second-year coach Bobby Klinck has described Ty as being “the best dang quarterback in the state.”

Considering Ty’s size (6-foot-2 and 195 pounds), his skill set as a dual-threat QB, his leadership qualities and his football IQ — and considering the importance of the quarterback position — it’s unfathomable that he doesn’t have a single scholarship offer in football. Not even from a small-college program.

“In my eyes, Ty’s got all of the tools that you’d want to see in a quarterback,” Klinck said. “He’s a gym rat. He watches film, he understands football and he wants to win.

“In this day and age, he’s a throwback. Great kid. Great player. There’s nothing fake about him.”

Klinck believes college recruiters have been slow to recognize the Sandite quarterback’s viability because Ty’s summers are consumed more by baseball than by football training or camps. To some extent, the profile of a high school QB is shaped by his performances in summer 7-on-7 tournaments and camps.

Many Oklahoma high school teams are quarterbacked by athletes who transferred from a different school. If Ty Pennington had transferred to Jenks, Owasso or Stillwater, he by now would have multiple college offers.

While Klinck seems to have Sand Springs on track for sustained success, the Sandite program doesn’t have a history of consistent winning. However, Ty says he never felt any temptation to transfer from his hometown school.

“This is my town,” Ty explained. “When I was a kid, all I ever wanted was to be the quarterback of the Sandites.”

Generations of excellence

The Penningtons are synonymous with Sand Springs sports because they’ve all achieved at high levels.

Scott Pennington (Mike’s son and Ty’s uncle) played for the 1987 Sandite football team that surged to the state semifinals.

Brett Pennington (Mike’s son and Ty’s dad) was an All-State quarterback. Before graduating in 1992, he also was a two-time wrestling state champion.

Amy Pennington (Ty’s mom) was an All-State selection in basketball. After graduating from Charles Page High School in 1990, she played college basketball at East Central University in Ada.

Since having starred in softball and basketball at Sand Springs, Sydney Pennington (Ty’s sister) has flourished with the Oklahoma State softball program. For one season in the outfield and for three at third base, she’s been a starter in each of the 132 games of her career. She’s on the Cowgirl roster for one more season.

Ty’s predecessor as the Sand Springs QB was his older brother, Caden Pennington, who played football at Northeastern State in Tahlequah and now is in training to become an Army Ranger.

Rex Goad is Amy Pennington’s uncle. When the 1966 Sandites were state football champions, Goad was Mike Pennington’s teammate and the starting fullback. For the Sand Springs track team, Goad was a dynamic hurdler and sprinter.

“The best athlete in the family was probably my daughter Jamie,” Mike says. “We always bragged that I was the only Pennington on a state championship football team, and she was the only one on a state championship basketball team (in 1994). She was the Most Valuable Player in the state tournament. She was a pitcher in softball and went to the state finals her junior year.”

Jamie Pennington signed with the OU softball program, but during her junior year it was determined that she had ovarian cancer. Members of the Sand Springs community raised more than $150,000 to assist the family with medical expenses. Jamie died at 27.

‘Proud to be a Pennington’

As Sydney and her parents answered a few questions, a young man named Ian approached the Penningtons and introduced himself. When Sydney introduced herself to Ian, he replied, “Dude! No way! You’re like the best softball player I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen you on TV. You’re really good.”

It was as if the Tulsa World plotted with Ian to step in and provide a highlight moment during the interview. That’s not how it happened. Ian’s cameo was totally unexpected.

Brett Pennington is the deputy chief of the Sapulpa Fire Department. For 26 years, Amy Pennington has been the librarian at Charles Page High School. She attended Sand Springs schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. Soon, her relationship with the school district will have reached the 40-year mark.

Brett’s reaction to the 40-year statistic was to glance at his wife and ask, “How old are you?”

Amy’s reaction to Brett’s reaction: “Shut up.”

When Amy and Brett started dating, she had a driver’s license. He did not. “When we would go out, I had to pick him up,” she remembers.

Two Sandite athletes got married and had kids who became Sandite athletes.

“If you’re an athlete here and your name is Pennington, you’re expected to perform well,” Sydney said. “I never looked at it as pressure. I always thought it was cool to represent our family name. I was always proud to be a Pennington.”

Ty’s senior year

As a Sand Springs lifer, Ty Pennington seemed excited to promote two local restaurants as his go-to preferences: El Maguey for Mexican food and the Crescent Café for breakfast.

At El Maguey, he always orders the Pollo Bandido “and always with double rice. The salsa is great. It’s the best I’ve had.”

There’s always the chance that the children of Sydney, Caden and Ty will attend Sand Springs schools and play ball. If not, Ty’s senior year could be the final chapter of the Pennington-Sand Springs sports marriage.

The 2015 Sandites advanced to the 6AII title game, falling to Bixby. Ty Pennington and the 2021 Sandites are on a quest for their school’s first football championship since December 1966, when the Sandites were coached by Frank Tillery and had Mike Pennington on the defensive line and Rex Goad in the backfield.

On an ice-caked field at Oklahoma City’s Taft Stadium, Sand Springs completed a 12-0 season by beating El Reno 14-7 in the Class 2A finale. When the Sand Springs Class of 1967 had its 50th reunion four years ago, the championship game film was shown.

For all of the Penningtons and all of Sand Springs, a 6AII championship would be immeasurably special.

“This whole town would go crazy,” Ty said. “It would be unbelievable. A dream come true.”