Elgin running back Lewis Shepherd darts past Newcastle defenders during a game this fall. He scored seven touchdowns in this game alone.
Just like that, the 2017 high school football season has come to a close.
Although there are eight months and some change standing between the 27 Southwest Oklahoma teams in our coverage area and next season, there are plenty of highlights and surprises to reminisce about as we move further into the offseason.
Here is a look back at the season through the eyes of The Constitution sports staff.
Most Impressive Individual Performance
Kevin: Racer Felter vs. El Reno — In a game full of offensive explosions between MacArthur and El Reno on Sept. 29, Highlanders quarterback Racer Felter completed a Heisman-esque performance.
The sophomore channeled his inner Lamar Jackson, shredding the Indians' defense for 551 yards total and five touchdowns on the way to a 64-35 Mac win. He completed 17 of 25 throws for 395 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 156 yards rushing and two scores on 16 carries.
His most impressive feat came when he accounted for three touchdowns — two passing and one rushing — in two minutes of game time late in the second quarter.
Seth: Cason McLemore vs. Snyder — In a 36-14 home win over Snyder, Cyril wide receiver Cason McLemore broke loose for 227 yards receiving and three touchdowns, lighting up the Cyclones in the open field.
McLemore dazzled fans when he caught a short curl, flashed a spin move and out-maneuvered at least five Cyclones in the vicinity before turning on the burners for a 63-yard touchdown — only one of his three scores.
Cyril coach Trevor Knight said McLemore and his quarterback, Josh Garza, are always on the same wavelength. That was an understatement on that chilly October night.
Glen: RJ Fisher vs. Woodward, Josh Molina vs Apache — In Week 6 at Woodward, Eisenhower's RJ Fisher delivered in the biggest way possible.
The senior was a contributor in all three phases, and not even a two-hour rain delay could slow him down. On offense, he ran for 231 yards and racked up four total touchdowns. On defense, he had intercepted three passes, taking one of them 88 yards for a touchdown.
On special teams, he returned kicks for more than 130 yards. Overall, Fisher had more than 400 total yards.
Hobart's Josh Molina also had an outstanding performance I couldn't ignore.
His first eight carries against Apache netted him only 57 yards, but his final seven carries were good for 149 yards, helping him finish with 206 yards and three touchdowns.
Molina also intercepted three passes and blocked an extra point, helping Hobart overcome a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to seal the 21-20 victory.
Breakout Player of the Year
Kevin: Miles Davis (RB-Lawton High) — Miles Davis was easily the best player I witnessed this year.
His speed and elusiveness were on another level, which is probably why he rushed for 2,383 yards and 32 touchdowns on 304 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. That is a whopping 198.6 yards per game.
In the four Wolverine games I covered this season, he rushed for a combined 860 yards and eight touchdowns on 108 carries.
Even in Lawton High's 50-12 loss to Booker T Washington in the Class 6A-II semifinals, he managed 137 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the only player this season to rush for more than 100 yards against the eventual state champion Hornets.
Seth: Lewis Shepherd (RB-Elgin), Dawson Huddleston (WR-Marlow) — Lewis Shepherd moved back to town from the Baltimore area, and he was eager to show what he had picked up in his time out on the East Coast.
In a 75-56 shootout win over Newcastle in the sixth game of the season on Oct. 6, Shepherd scored a staggering seven touchdowns, matching his season total coming into the game.
He constantly broke 75-plus-yard touchdown runs in every game I attended and put the Owls on his back all fall long en route to a playoff berth.
Shepherd tore up his knee in the regular season finale and missed the playoff game against Ada, but the stud tailback had a superb year leading the Owls to where few thought they would end up.
Marlow's Dawson Huddleston caught 18 touchdowns on the year and was a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries, which couldn't stop the 6-4 senior wideout even when double-teaming him.
Huddleston also could've been in the "Most Impressive Individual Performance" for his stupendous game in the playoffs which he scored four touchdowns four different ways, via kick return, punt return, rushing and receiving.
Glen: Lane Chandler (QB-Tipton) — From day one, the expectations were for sophomore Lane Chandler to replace a state championship-winning quarterback and lead the Tigers to a second straight title, having not played eight-man varsity football before. No pressure, kid.
Well, apparently there wasn't any pressure. If there was, Chandler didn't show it.
After an opening-night loss to defending Class B champion Laverne, the Tigers would not lose again.
Although the team was loaded with talent and coaches didn't necessarily have to ask him to carry the team by himself, Chandler's ability to make plays with his arm and legs was a big reason why.
In the playoffs alone, he scored 15 total touchdowns over the course of four games, nine on the ground and six through the air. Oh, and let's not forget his six touchdowns in the Tigers' wild 106-58 quarterfinal win over Regent Prep.
Game of the Year
Kevin: Lawton High-Carl Albert, Cache-Elk City — There are quite a few candidates, but two stand out in my mind as 'Game of the Year' recipients.
First off, Lawton High's heartbreaking season-opening loss to Carl Albert on Aug. 31.
LHS quarterback Alihas Hopper threw two touchdowns in the final four minutes to trim a 14-point deficit to one with 1:08 remaining, but a mishandled extra point ended the Wolverines' comeback bid in a 33-32 decision to the eventual Class 5A state champion.
The contest also featured two running backs eclipsing the 200-yard mark — LHS's Davis (297) and CA's Dadrion Taylor (253).
Cache vs. Elk City on Oct. 19 ended in a similar fashion and had all the makings of an instant classic as well.
The Bulldogs took a commanding 42-21 lead in the third quarter, but the Elks stormed back, scoring 27 of the game's final 34 points to make it a one-point contest with 26 seconds left in regulation.
However, the Elk City kicker was unable to convert the game-tying extra point after an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the attempt back 15 yards, allowing Cache to escape with a thrilling 49-48 victory.
What also made this game so memorable were the four special teams touchdowns — three punts and one kickoff — three of which were returned by the Elks.
Seth: Marlow-Plainview (Playoffs) — Marlow's road upset bid of Plainview in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 10 fell short, but the Outlaws played a thrilling game that had everyone's heart racing.
There wasn't enough popcorn to go around for all the theatrics. The game had it all (except solid defense!) — defensive touchdowns, special teams touchdowns, big-play touchdowns and more.
At one point, the Outlaws and Indians went back-and-forth, scoring touchdowns on 11-consecutive possessions. Huddleston's four touchdowns weren't quite enough for Marlow to keep pace, losing 67-48.
Glen: Hobart-Apache — Two Molina touchdown runs tied the game up with 6:38 left, and when Apache reclaimed the lead, Molina blocked a decisive extra point.
After another Hobart score, the Warriors had one last chance to steal the win with a 27-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds remaining, but Hobart survived thanks TJ McMurray blocking the game-deciding kick.
It was a wonderful game to watch because it reminded you that football is not played in a vacuum, nor does it adhere to a script. Just because a team has been outplayed for much of the game does not mean it cannot turn it around when needed.
Favorite Stadium
Kevin: Elmer Graham Stadium (Walters) — I covered high school football at 12 different stadiums this season, but none made more of a lasting impression on me than Elmer Graham Stadium in Walters.
While sitting in the home stands, one can see acres upon acres of farmland positioned just south of the visitors' side. The view stretches well beyond the horizon, providing the perfect naturally scenic background for the Blue Devils' games.
Elmer Graham Stadium
I covered Walters' homecoming game against Comanche on Sept. 15, and I'll never forget how some of the royalty were escorted off the field on a couch carried by a tractor with a loader during the pregame festivities. How cool is that?
Seth: Ulrich Stadium (Cache), Bomber Bowl (Frederick) — Cache's Ulrich Stadium is one of the nicest around, and the field is in mint condition.
Ulrich Stadium
It's a true beauty. Frederick's Bomber Bowl is a unique, small-town setup which I adored. An honorable mention goes out to Anadarko, simply because I was there the most of any location and loved the atmosphere of the 'Warrior Way'.
Glen: Taft Stadium (OKC) — This was a tough one for me.
Apache had an awesome atmosphere with the Native American drum circle during warmups, but the old-school feel, combined with the modern amenities, made Taft Stadium special.
Taft Stadium
The brick on the outside of the stadium was really neat, and you could just feel all the history that had transpired in the stadium's 83-year existence.
Wish I could've been there
Kevin: Tipton-Regent Prep (Playoffs) — Tipton's 106-58 victory over Regent Prep in the Class C quarterfinals on Nov. 17 is the obvious choice here.
The Tigers' offensive onslaught went down in history as the most points scored in a playoff game in Oklahoma football history, shattering the previous record of 88 points held by Thackerville (2012) and Covington (1974).
Having only seen 100-point outings in video games, this kind of performance might be a once-in-a-lifetime deal and something I would've loved to document for the paper.
Seth: Tipton-Laverne, Marlow-Washington — For the second-straight year, Tipton and Laverne, both defending state champs heading into the year, met in the season opener, and it lived up to the hype.
Laverne may have won the Aug. 25 contest, 44-36, but Tipton got the last laugh, bringing home back-to-back state titles in Class C, while Laverne finished runner-up in Class B.
Marlow's 36-35 overtime win over Washington back on Sept. 15 is a close second for me, as the Outlaws stormed back to knock off the eventual Class 2A runner-up in stunning fashion.
Glen: Elgin vs. Newcastle — I was on my way back from a long night covering Eisenhower in Woodward and found out later about the craziness that had ensued. When I saw the final score, I did a double-take. 75-56, Elgin. Then, I think I did a triple-take. 75-56?
While we saw 164 points scored in a Class C playoff game later on, the idea of 131 points in an 11-man game was hard for me to comprehend.