FOOTBALL: Tuttle, Blanchard end seasons in quarterfinals
Nov. 19—Two area football teams competed in quarterfinal action.
The Tuttle Tigers and Blanchard Lions won their Class 4A playoff openers to advance to Friday's Class 4A quarterfinals. The two ranked teams played other ranked teams, but both teams saw their seasons come to an end.
The Tigers hosted the Wagoner Bulldogs and suffered a 13-10 defeat in what became a slugfest. The Blanchard Lions traveled to Cushing and fell in a 42-7 game.
Tuttle
The fifth-ranked Tigers and seventh-ranked Bulldogs have become familiar foes.
The football powerhouses met for the third postseason in a row after the two teams split meetings the previous two seasons. Wagoner was able to avenge a 28-0 loss last season after securing a win the season before.
Both defenses were able to show off in the low-scoring game, forcing turnovers and holding teams to field goals when they got down near the end zone. Wagoner got near the end zone on its first drive of the game and missed a field goal to keep the game scoreless.
Both teams' touchdowns actually came from at least 30 yards out. Wagoner struck first in the first quarter, scoring on a 35-yard touchdown run.
An interception late in the first quarter gave the Tigers an extra spark. Adrian Avelar read what the quarterback was doing, waited for the pass and secured an interception to set the Tigers up with great field position.
And Tuttle was able to capitalize on the turnover. The extra spark led the Tigers to 10 second-quarter points and a 10-7 halftime lead over the Bulldogs.
The Tigers scored their only touchdown of the game through the air. Quarterback Mason Dennis completed a pass to Major Sharp, and he took that pass to the end zone for a 33-yard score to get Tuttle on the board.
Tuttle's next drive resulted in points and got help from a couple of big pass plays on third down. Dennis found Brady McAdoo for a big gain before getting the ball to Noah McDoulett for a big gain that set Tuttle up deep in Wagoner territory.
Tuttle was unable to score a touchdown, but a Kyler Clapper field goal gave Tuttle the lead.
But Wagoner was able to take up time on offense and get off the field on defense in the second half, limiting how many plays Tuttle's offense was able to run in the final two quarters. Despite the long second-half drives, Wagoner could only add two field goals after Tuttle's defense continued to bend but not break near the end zone.
Tuttle also forced another missed field goal after a punt gave Wagoner the ball back,
Tuttle's 2022 campaign included a District 4A-2 title and a 9-3 record on the season.
Blanchard
The sixth-ranked Lions had to travel to Cushing to face the top-ranked Tigers in a quarterfinal battle.
Cushing lived up to the part of its unblemished record, continuing to show why it is the No. 1 team in Class 4A and possibly the favorite to win the state title. Blanchard managed to score a touchdown in the second half to avoid getting shut out.
Carson Cooksey and Reagan Palmer connected on a long touchdown pass.
In 2022, the Lions earned the second spot out of District 4A-2 and finished the season with an 8-4 record on the season.
