WAURIKA — It wasn’t so much that Rush Springs had the wrong idea, it was that Waurika’s secondary decided the last game of the season would be a great time to step out of character.
After being the soft spot in the Eagles’ defense for nine weeks, the players in pass coverage came up with six interceptions Friday night, and Waurika completed a late-season turnaround by pulling away from the Redskins, 34-0, at Cy Sloan Stadium.
Celebrating Senior Night, fourth-year safety Bobby Harris had three interceptions, sparking a 5-1/2 minute span in the second half that turned a scoreless standoff into Waurika’s fourth-straight win.
Senior Gil Griffin rambled for 200 yards on 20 carries, as the Eagles used a season-high 437 yards on the ground to help finish the season at 4-6 overall and end up sixth in District A-4 at 4-5.
“Our defensive coaches, Coach (Glenn ) Howard and Coach (Roger) Jessie have had good game plans in every game we’ve played this year, but it’s no secret that we weren’t very good in pass coverage. I guess that changed,” head coach Larry VanBeber said, after the Eagles had made life miserable for Rush Springs quarterback Sheldon Glass in the second half.
“We put a lot of pressure on (Glass), and on this night, at least, our pass coverage was good — better than good.”
Ironically, for most of the first half, Glass and the Redskins seemed to be executing a scheme other teams had found productive against the Eagles.
With 2:46 remaining in the second quarter and Rush Springs set up with a first down at the WHS 27, Glass tossed a pass across the middle that receiver Adam Fitzpatrick wrestled away from Harris. It gave the ’Skins first-and-goal at the WHS six, and it brought Glass’s passing stats to 6-for-9 for 64 yards.
But less than two minutes later came the harbinger of what was to come. When Glass tried to find Fitzpatrick again with a toss across the middle, this time Harris won the wrestling match and came away with an interception.
In the final 1:49 of the first half, the Eagles were able to move from their own one-yard line to the 35, but Rush Springs safety Brandon Duke sent the game to intermission in a scoreless tie with his second interception of WHS quarterback Jace Dunn.
“We didn’t really change much at halftime. We just reminded the kids to look at the down and distance, and we told our linebackers to loosen up a little on passing downs, which helped us get more solid coverage underneath,” defensive coordinator Howard said.
On Rush Springs’ second play of the third quarter, cornerback Robert Gilmore came up with what would become a string of four straight passes by Glass that were interceptions.
Gilmore’s pick-off at the WHS 34 triggered a nine-play, 66-yard drive that Dunn capped with a 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass to Harris that gave the Eagles an 8-0 lead.
In the next 5-1/2 minutes:
n Defensive tackle Taylor Fuller recovered a fumble by RSHS’ Collin Cox at the WHS 40. In a four-play series, Griffin had runs of 13 and 40 yards, and the Eagles took a 16-0 lead on a four-yard TD run by fullback Levi Henderson and a two-point conversion run by Griffin.
n Harris nabbed his second “oskie” on Rush Springs’ next possession, and although the Eagles gave the ball back quickly on a fumble by Henderson, Harris came back 50 seconds later with his third interception. It put Eagles at their own 48-yard line and Griffin immediately broke loose on a 42-yard scamper to the RSHS 10.
With 2:21 to go in the third period, Dunn covered that distance on a sweep around right end and Waurika’s lead rose to 22-0.
n There were nine seconds left in the third when Dunn became the third Eagle to intercept a pass by Glass, and the hosts were back in business going into the fourth quarter. Bolstered by a 23-yard run by Dunn, Waurika used five plays to go 47 yards, taking a 28-0 lead on Griffin’s seven-yard run, with 11:16 remaining in the game.
That series of turnovers-turned-into-scores left the Redskins shell-shocked, but Waurika wasn’t finished. With 9:32 to go, the Eagles launched a nine-play, 59-yard drive that Henderson closed four minutes later with a five-yard touchdown run.
Then, with 3:23 remaining, freshman Mason Wilkerson secured Waurika’s shutout with an interception.
Glass finished 6-for-16, with as many interceptions as completions. He did lead the Redskins (2-8, 2-7) in rushing with 35 yards on eight carries, but Waurika’s defense limited Rush Springs to 47 yards total offense and two first downs in the second half.
Griffin finished his senior season with 200 yards on 20 carries, giving him 935 total rushing yards for the season. Henderson added 91 yards on 20 carries, bringing his senior-season total to 624 yards.
Sports
Second half surge lifts Waurika to win
Eagles pick off five passes in win
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Demons rout Altus
After a tough loss on the road last Friday night against Lawton MacArthur, it seemed the Duncan Demons needed a boost to get themselves going for the last week of the season. DHS had its sights set on using the Altus Bulldogs as the tool for their motivation Tuesday night at Duncan Gymnasium.
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Lady Outlaws smother Rush Springs, 38-28
It wasn’t one of Marlow’s best offensive performances of the season. Luckily it was one of the Lady Outlaws best defensive showings.
For only the third time this season, Marlow held an opponent to fewer than 30 points and the Lady Outlaws topped the visiting Rush Springs Lady Redskins, 38-28. -
Culberson, DHS hold off Lady Bulldogs
There is a saying, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” For the Duncan Lady Demons, a rematch against Altus at Duncan Gymnasium on a chilly evening seemed like the perfect motivation to help DHS avoid a two-game losing streak Tuesday night.
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Duncan hosts Altus tonight
ometimes it’s not how hard you fall, it’s how fast you get back up.
After a tough overtime loss Friday night at Lawton MacArthur, the No. 14 Duncan Lady Demons (14-7) will look to rebound this evening against the No. 11 Altus Lady Bulldogs (12-6) with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. from Duncan Gymnasium. -
Bray hands Turner its first loss
The Bray-Doyle Lady Donkeys picked up one last shot of momentum Monday night before heading into the Class A district tournament.
The Lady Donkeys took control early and never let up, topping previously unbeaten Turner, 68-51 at home on senior night to finish the regular season on a five-game winning streak. -
Velma-Alma rolls Healdton, 52-36
Make it six in a row for the Velma-Alma Lady Comets.
Senior Night proved to be quite beneficial for V-A thanks to a strong second half, which broke open a close game, giving the Lady Comets a 52-36 victory over the Healdton Lady Bulldogs. -
UNTARNISHED
Monday night saw the No. 4 Velma-Alma Comets send a clear message to the rest of the field in the playoffs: The road to Oklahoma City will run through Velma, one way or another.
V-A wasted no time in dismantling the Healdton Bulldogs on Senior night, as the Comets finished the regular season 23-0, thanks to a 72-12 victory. -
Encore Performance
Just like four years ago, Eli Manning and the Giants orchestrated an impressive late fourth-quarter drive to overtake the lead and the Patriots couldn’t answer in the final minute, handing the Super Bowl championship to the New York, 21-17 on Sunday night.
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Carletti-Silva commits to Army
Duncan High School senior quarterback Brandon Carletti-Silva has given a verbal commitment to the United States Military Academy — better known in the sports world as Army — and plans to make his decision official on Wednesday.
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Comets try to complete regular season perfection
Throughout the season, V-A has defied the odds, beating every team set in their way, resulting in a perfect 22-0 record.
Tonight, the Comets will look to finish their regular season unblemished as they host Healdton (1-14) at 8:30 p.m. for Senior Night. - More Sports Headlines
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