Stratford Stampede: Elks defeat Farwell 40-7 in District 1-2A Div. I debut

STRATFORD — Friday night's District 1-2A Division I opener between the Stratford Elks and Farwell Steers began with both teams going three-and-out on their first offensive possession. The two teams had managed a grand total of two yards on six combined rushing plays and it appeared to be the beginning of what was going to be a tough battle in the trenches all-night long.

The Elks had different plans.

Stratford coach Matt Lovorn and his team wanted to make a statement in their first district game at the Class 2A Div. I level. They wanted to show everyone that no matter what their opponents' record is entering the game – the Elks are still the team to beat.

The statement was made to the tune of a 40-7 thumping of the visiting Steers to start off their district schedule with a win and extend their program winning streak to 18 games.

"It comes with the start of district," Lovorn said. "This is whenever the games start counting. We've had a great pre-district schedule but I feel like our kids really stepped up with the importance of the game and going against a really good football team out here. I thought our boys played outstanding and especially on defense tonight."

Sophomore quarterback Bryce Braden led the way offensively for Stratford by rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two more. Braden finished the game with 109 yards on the ground and 178 yards through the air while showing off his dual-threat abilities.

One of the Braden's touchdown tosses was a 37-yard heave down the right sideline that was hauled in by his older brother, Luke, for a trip to the end zone that put the Elks ahead by two scores early in the second quarter. The senior Braden would finish the game as the top receiver after the deep-threat reeled in four receptions for 89 yards.

"Making a statement was definitely fun," Luke Braden said. "We're just taking another step. We had a great week of preparation and just came out here and played some great football. We had great defense and it was good to take a step in the right direction. We're known for physicality and it's fun getting to prove people wrong and show them what real physicality is."

The Stratford defense stymied the high-powered Farwell run game for the better part of four quarters and limited senior tailback Corey Stancell (76) and senior quarterback Alec Actkinson (66) both under 100 yards. Stancell entered the game as the third leading rusher in the Texas Panhandle and was limited to 21 yards on his first 11 carries before some solid runs in the second half.

"Any time you have a running back like that then you've got to key on him," Lovorn said. "Their quarterback also does a really good job running the ball. It just comes down to playing disciplined on defense and I think our boys played really well on that side."

The Elks' secondary had three interceptions by three different defensive backs as senior Adan Duran, senior Alfredo Duarte, and sophomore Santiago Ibarra each picked off a pass in the win.

Actkinson scored the lone touchdown of the game for the Steers late in the second quarter on a 35-yard rush, but the Steers offense was held in check for the remainder of the contest. Farwell will now go back to the drawing board after suffering their first loss of the season and will be aiming for a bounce-back performance next week when they host Sanford-Fritch.

"The biggest thing is they just wanted it more," Farwell coach Darren Kelley said. "They were more physical than us and whoever was more physical was going to win. I think they wore us down and we have to get to where we can finish what we started and be physical on every snap more than anything."

Up next: Stratford (6-0, 1-0) will host the Panhandle Panthers (5-1, 1-0) next Friday night while Farwell (5-1, 0-1) will host Sanford-Fritch (1-5, 1-0).

STRATORD 40, FARWELL 7

Farwell 0 7 0 0 -- 7

Stratford 7 19 6 8 -- 40

Scoring summary

First Quarter

STR – Bryce Braden 9 rush (Antonio Duran kick); 5:53

Second Quarter

STR – Bryce Braden 38 pass to Luke Braden (Duran kick); 11:52

STR – Bryce Braden 4 rush (Duran kick missed); 8:05

FAR – Alec Actkinson 35 rush (Corey Stancell kick); 1:54

STR – Mauricio Duran 3 rush (two-point failed); 0:19

Third Quarter

STR – Bryce Braden 16 rush (two-point failed); 1:46

Fourth Quarter

STR – Bryce Braden 31 pass to Lane Uttley (two-point successful); 2:38

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Stratford: Bryce Braden 16-109, Zane Burr 12-55, Santiago Ibarra 1-28, Mauricio Duran 8-5. Farwell: Corey Stancell 17-76, Alec Actkinson 11-66, Xander Schilling 3-12, Ryder McElroy 1-0, Alonzo Lozano 3-(-2), Walker Williams 2-(-6).

Passing – Stratford: Bryce Braden 8-13-1-178. Farwell: Alec Actkinson 2-9-2-34, Walker Williams 0-2-1-0.

Receiving – Stratford: Luke Braden 4-89, Mauricio Duran 2-37, Lane Uttley 1-31, Alfredo Duarte 1-21. Farwell: Adrian Nunez 1-26, Ryder McElroy 1-8.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Stratford Stampede: Elks defeat Farwell in District 1-2A Div. I debut