'As close as it could get': Stillwater wards off Deer Creek to secure spot in Class 6A-II title game

PONCA CITY — The football traveled in a high arc through the night sky and dropped above the end zone.

Garhett Reese was waiting.

Deer Creek's last-second Hail Mary nearly erased what had been a colossal Stillwater lead, but Reese intercepted the pass to seal the Pioneers’ 33-28 win Friday night.

“The game was on the line, so it had to be done,” Reese said. “That’s about it.”

As the Stillwater crowd roared, the senior defensive back pumped his fists and bounded across the field before tossing the ball in the air.

This wasn’t just any win.

The top-ranked Pioneers had secured their spot in the Class 6A-II state title game.

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A lopsided semifinal matchup turned into an unpredictable nail-biter as the fourth quarter progressed. Deer Creek quarterback Grady Adamson reached the end zone on a 5-yard keeper with 4:16 left, cutting Stillwater’s lead to five points. The third-ranked Antlers outscored the Pioneers, 28-3, in the second half, bouncing back from a first-half shutout, while Stillwater squandered some opportunities because of penalties.

In the end, none of those factors kept the Pioneers (13-0) from reaching their goal. Their early energy was too great for Deer Creek to overcome.

“We jumped out big, and obviously, it got as close as it could get,” said Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard. “But we held on, persevered. I think it says a lot about our team. I think a lot of teams, when the momentum kind of shifted like that, could have folded up. Our guys kept playing.”

The Pioneers pressed the fast-forward button at the beginning of the game. In the first minute, Stillwater claimed a 13-0 lead with a long touchdown rush from Noah Roberts and a fumble recovery that set up a Gage Gundy to Talon Kendrick pass.

Stillwater controlled possession with interceptions from Tan Booth and Julius Talley, and the scoring deluge continued. Senior tailback Roberts finished with two touchdowns and 170 rushing yards on 23 carries. Gundy, Stillwater’s senior quarterback, completed 13 of 19 pass attempts for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Heston Thompson led the receiving corps with 120 yards and two scores on eight catches.

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But the Antlers refused to end their season with a blowout loss. They returned from the locker room with grit after halftime, steadily chipping at Stillwater’s 30-0 lead. On fourth down and three, Adamson’s 20-yard rush into the end zone put Deer Creek on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Then he delivered a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mason Smith and weaved his way past the goal line for a 2-point conversion.

The Deer Creek sophomore threw for 228 yards, and Smith tallied 105 receiving yards on eight catches. As the Antlers’ spark grew brighter, Stillwater was quieter, settling for a field goal with 8:24 left after stalling in the red zone.

Kendrick's 24-yarder was enough to keep the Pioneers in front. The Stillwater defense made a huge stop to thwart the Antlers’ late two-point conversion attempt before Reese made the final play.

Now, No. 2 Choctaw stands between Stillwater and a gold ball. After Bixby kept the Pioneers out of the championship game last season, they changed their semifinal fate this year.

“It feels really good,” Gundy said. “This has been one of our biggest goals all year long, and we did it.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS football: Stillwater beats Deer Creek in Class 6A playoffs