Published: November 03, 2007 12:27 am            

Broken Arrow downs Pioneers

Stillwater plays at Jenks in first round of playoffs

BROKEN ARROW — As soon as Stillwater High gained a little momentum, Broken Arrow took it right back Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

Chris Perry’s 7-yard run tied the game at 14 with 6:47 to play in the third quarter. The Tigers responded immediately with an 11-play, 75-yard drive to regain a 7-point lead.

SHS again tied the game, taking advantage of a 31-yard completion from Lane White to Chance Rathbun midway through the final period.

The hosts’ last response was the biggest as senior Taylor York got behind the Pioneer secondary for a 66-yard touchdown reception with 3:57 to play. It gave BA the lead again and the hosts would hold on for a 28-21 victory in the regular season finale for both teams.

Broken Arrow improved to 6-4 overall and 6-1 in 6A-3 games and will host Owasso next week in the first round of the 16-team Class 6A playoffs.

The Pioneers finish 6-4 overall and 4-3 in district games. Del City beat Enid on Friday, pushing the Pioneers all the way to fourth in the final standings.

Fourth means a trip to No. 2 Jenks next week. Edmond North, who beat the Pioneers in Week 4, finish third and travel to Muskogee next Friday.

“It stinks to lose the way we did because, once again, there were glimmers of hope,” said SHS coach Rusty Atkins. “The kids fought hard in the second half, but what can you say, it’s about playing four quarters.

“You give a team like BA and they are going to make you pay.”

The Pioneers appeared to be headed to the showers early as the Tigers built a 14-0 lead on a 28-yard run by Chris Ford and a 7-yard scoring toss from Davis to Skylar Timm early in the second quarter after a Pioneer fumble.

SHS linebacker Kendall Hughes gave the visitors new life when he scooped up a fumble and raced 48 yards for a touchdown with 6:44 to play in the half.

Hughes came up big with a 13-yard sack on third-and-7 on the opening possession of the second half. JT Goins followed with an 18-yard punt and SHS took over at the BA 49-yard line.

On third-and-5, White hit Josh Cousins on a slant pattern for 11 yards. Another completion to Cousins and a 17-yard pitch and catch to Grant Field gave SHS a first-and-goal which Perry hammered home two plays later.

BA’s quick response included conversions on third-and-7 and third-and-10 and finished with Jerrod Green’s 28-yard burst up the middle for six points.

SHS’s next series reached the BA 36-yard line, but Justin Ebert’s pass to Chance Rathbun went for 11 yards on fourth-and-12 and the Tigers took over on downs.

The Tigers would be forced to punt, and SHS responded with a 21-yard run by Perry, the 31-yard completion to Rathbun and White’s 2-yard sneak to tie the game with 5:23 to play in the contest.

Four plays later, however, Davis, playing for an injured Cale Fulps, found a wide open York and the Tigers led 28-21.

The Pioneers picked up a first down on the next possession, but a sack on third-and-6, plus an incompletion gave the Tigers the ball back with 2:13 showing on the clock.

Three Ford runs and the Tigers had second in 6A-3.

Green rushed for 132 of BA’s 173 yards, while Davis completed 8-of-13 for 160 yards with a TD and an interception.

Cousins led SHS with six catches for 45 yards and White completed 15-of-29 for 157 yards. Field grabbed three receptions for 44 yards and moved his career total to 98.

“We have to go back to work,” Atkins said. “We have to go on the road, but anything can happen in the playoffs … we saw that last year.”

SHS is 2-8 all-time against Jenks, the defending state champions who are 9-1 with its loss coming to No. 1 Tulsa Union in Week 2.

        

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