Stigler proves too much for OHS Missed opportunities seals Bulldogs’ fate in 25-6 setback By LARRY OWEN Times sports editor STIGLER - The Okmulgee Bulldogs watched as several scoring chances fizzled in Friday night’s non-district meeting with the Stigler Panthers at Panther Stadium. The Bulldogs found themselves inside the Panthers’ Red Zone (20-yard line) three times, including once near the goal line and the OHS squad failed to produce any points on all three opportunities. The Bulldogs also had a defensive score erased in the second quarter due to a poor officiating call. The OHS defense caused problems most of the night for Stigler QB Seth Sandlin, forcing the senior signal caller to complete only 6 of 25 pass attempts in the contest and also brought down the 6-1, 200-pound senior to the turf a total of seven times. The Bulldog ‘D’ also had several chances to come away with turnovers due to the pressure applied on Sandlin. The Bulldogs, however, were unable to keep Sandlin contained in the pocket, as the Panther QB rushed 24 times for 129 yards and one score - a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter. “I’m proud of our kids,” said OHS head coach Kevin Gordon. “I’m proud of the way they came out in the second half and continued to fight and get better. I told them before this game ‘You see the biggest improvements between Game 1 and Game 2.’ Well it showed tonight.” The Bulldog coach gave credit to Stigler for providing the OHS squad with a tough challenge in Week 2. “Stigler’s a pretty good football team and we got after their butt,” the Bulldog head coach said, about his Week 2 opponent. “They were in a fight and they almost lost and they knew it.” Despite only recording two first downs and 22 yards of total offense against a relentless Stigler defense, the Bulldogs did flash a little offensive flare on Friday night with a couple of plays. “Our offense is coming,” Coach Gordon stated. “It’s a bunch of little things. We’ll have one person miss a block here and one person miss a block there (and) one person hold and that’s what’s causing us some setbacks. “But we’re coming (along). Our quarterback play’s getting better. The running backs are running hard.” Coach Gordon was real pleased with the effort put forward by his defense, as several players made big plays defensively against the talented Stigler squad. “Defensively, we’re playing lights-out football,” the Bulldog coach said. “We’ve got a great defense and we’re only going to get better. They better watch out. We’re coming!” With the outstanding effort that both defenses displayed on Friday, the hardest working players on either team was the punter. Okmulgee’s Chris Brown and Stigler’s Quontez Jim totaled 16 punts - Brown with 10 and Jim with six. Okmulgee won the turnover battle by a 2-1 margin with the Bulldogs recovering a muffed punt return in the first quarter and also snaring one of Sandlin’s pass attempts in the opening frame. Stigler would win the opening toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving the Okmulgee offense first crack at putting points on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs were unable to move the ball on their first two offensive series, punting the ball to the host Panthers on both occasions with the second punt resulting in a turnover for the OHS squad, as Keonte Hammon would fall on a fumble on the return at the OHS 28 to give the Bulldogs a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, the OHS squad would turn the ball back over to Stigler, as Trent Casinger would pounce on an Okmulgee fumbler at the OHS 31 with 7:40 remaining in the opening frame. Stigler’s second offensive series of the game would end on the seventh play of the drive, as Okmulgee’s Cameron Johnson leaped high into the air and snared Sandlin’s pass attempt at the OHS 12. The 6-0, 265-pound junior defensive lineman would race downfield before being tackled at the Stigler 13 by Sandlin with 4:27 left in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs got an 11-yard run by Laquinton Daniels on 3rd and 9 from the SHS 12 to set up the OHS squad with a 1st and Goal situation at the Stigler 1-yard line. The OHS offense was unable to punch the ball across the goal line, eventually turning the ball over on downs t the SHS 5 with 1:27 left in the first. On Stigler’s first offensive possession of the second quarter, it appeared that the Bulldogs would break the 0-0 deadlock with a defensive score at the 9:43 mark. Sandlin appeared to complete a short pass to Trace Jackson with Dequan Wilson applying a bone-crunching hit on the Stigler receiver at the SHS 30. Wilson’s hard-hitting tackle would separate Jackson from the football with Hammon scooping up the loose pigskin and racing 30 yards to paydirt for an apparent Bulldog score. After a brief discussion by the officiating crew, it was ruled that Jackson did not have control of the football (despite taking two steps after making the catch), thus erasing Hammon’s fumble recovery for a TD and giving the Panthers the football back on an incomplete pass. Stigler was unable to cash in on the ‘gift’, punting the ball to the Bulldogs two plays later. The Bulldogs were only able to move the ball once during the second quarter, as senior QB Chase Skinner connected with junior wideout Delton Bagby on a 36-yard pass play that went from the OHS 48 to the SHS 16. After the long pass play, the Okmulgee offense would lose yards on the next three plays, punting the ball back to Stigler with 3:19 left in the first half. Both teams exchanged punts on their next possessions, then Stigler would break the scoreless deadlock with a 60-yard TD pass from Sandlin to Blaine Thompson on the first play following an Okmulgee punt. The kick attempt on the extra point try went wide left to make it a 6-0 Stigler lead at halftime. After turning the ball over on downs at the OHS 4 with 8:31 left in the third, Stigler would score on their next two possessions - a 3-yard run by Sandlin at 4:47 and a 5-yard run by Casinger with only 53 seconds remaining in the frame - sending the teams into the final 12 minute of regulation with the Bulldogs trailing by an 18-0 margin. The final two tallies would come within 15 seconds of each other. Casinger romped 11 yards for his second score of the night at the 7:46 mark of the fourth, then Daniels would put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard by returning the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to paydirt just 15 seconds later. The Okmulgee defense forced a turnover on downs at the SHS 25 after the Stigler punter was tackled for a 5-yard loss on a fumbled snap on a punt attempt with 5:52 left in the fourth. The Bulldogs were unable to take advantage of the good field position, turning the ball over on downs with 4:22 remaining at the SHS 24. Stigler would run out the remaining time off the game clock to send the Bulldogs to an 0-2 record with the 25-6 loss. The OHS squad will look to earn their first win of the 2013 season this Friday night when they host the Roland Rangers in the Bulldogs’ first home game of the season. Kickoff for Friday’s contest is set for 7:30 p.m. at historic Harmon Field. --- Stigler 25, Okmulgee 6 Okm - 0 - 0 - 0 - 6 (6) Stig - 0 - 6 - 12 - 7 (25) First Quarter No Score Second Quarter Stigler - Blaine Thompson, 60-yard pass from Seth Sandlin (Kick Failed); 1:20 Third Quarter Stigler - Sandlin, 3-yard run (Pass Failed); 4:47 Stigler - Trent Casinger, 5-yard run (Kick Failed); 0:53 Fourth Quarter Stigler - Casinger, 11-yard run (Quontez Jim kick); 7:46 Okmulgee - Laquinton Daniels, 88-yard kickoff return (Kick Failed); 7:31 Team Stats First Downs: Okmulgee 2; Stigler 17 Rushing: Okmulgee 28-(-31); Stigler 39-184 Passing: Okmulgee 6-17-0 53; Stigler 6-26-1 132 Total Yards: Okmulgee 22; Stigler 316 Penalties: Okmulgee 8-55; Stigler 4-35 Fumbles: Okmulgee 5-1; Stigler 2-1 Individual Stats Rushing: Dequan Wilson 4-5; Laquinton Daniels 10-4; Keonte Hammon 1-2; Trevion James 1-1; Brad Bell 3-(-2); Chase Skinner 9-(-41). Passing: Chase Skinner 6-15-0 53; Brad Bell 0-2-0 0. Receiving: Delton Bagby 1-36; Kyle Shores 2-9; Trevion James 2-7; Dequan Wilson 1-1.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 22:10:24 +0000
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