Even the skies seemed to cry for Eisenhower.
The heavy rain that consumed Lawton for most of the day subsided just after kickoff, but as the final seconds ticked off the clock on Friday night, Cameron Stadium became enveloped in a hazy mist, signaling the end of Woodward’s 42-18 win over the struggling Eagles.
Ike is off to an 0-4 start for the first time since 2015 — when the Eagles finished 1-9 on the season.
The teams played each other in similar rainy conditions last season, enduring a 2.5-hour lightning delay before Ike pulled away for a 49-28 win in a game that went final just before 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7. Ike didn’t return to Lawton until about 4 a.m.
Much like Lawton High’s shootout with Midwest City on Thursday night, it appeared Ike would be in for a similar contest with the Boomers in the first quarter.
Both teams had their way moving the ball, and the score was reminiscent of that entering the second quarter with things tied up at 12.
That didn’t last for long, though.
Woodward (2-2, 1-0) methodically wore the Eagles down with its physical run game and stout defense, and before long, the Boomers held a 35-12 lead — much to the shock of spectators witnessing the meltdown from the home bleachers.
Woodward racked up 414 yards on the ground, with two rushers — Kole Marlatt and Daniel Fraire — surpassing the century mark. In all, the Boomers averaged about 7 yards per carry.
Marlatt finished with 172 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while Fraire tallied 15 touches for 140 yards and two scores.
Ike coach Mike Burris said he was taken off guard by the Boomers’ offensive formation, which resembles that of a flexbone triple-option scheme.
“They ran it all last year, but they haven’t run (that offense) this year,” Burris said. “We worked on it a little, but not that much because they’ve been running regular I-formation stuff. It’s just tough because they bring a lot of people to their party. You have to be gap sound, and it’s easy to get out of your gap when they’re doing that stuff.”
Ike’s inability to recapture its offensive rhythm was also jarring in just how much production dropped after the first quarter. The Eagles had more than 100 yards of offense after that opening frame, only to finish with 272 for the game.
Burris said his team simply made too many mistakes to end with a favorable outcome. The Eagles committed 12 penalties for 102 yards and converted only once on third down in 10 opportunities.
“We’d make a big play, and we’d get a penalty,” Burris said. “Or we’d get a turnover and wouldn’t capitalize on it. It’s just mental mistakes, mental errors. We have to lock it in and do a better job. The coaches and players need to get in better position.”
The number of receiver drops was also an area of concern.
Quarterback Ethan Roberts completed his first four passes for 41 yards, but he went 5-of-20 the rest of the way to finish with 95 yards and one touchdown.
Roberts’ only passing score came late in the fourth quarter when he found Mark Berry open in the flat for a 13-yard touchdown strike. Roberts also tallied 84 yards rushing on 10 carries.
“Ethan played his heart out, but we had too many drops,” Burris said. “There were quite a bit of drops. You can’t blame it on the weather because it wasn’t really raining. There’s just a lack of concentration when the ball is in the air.”
The highlight of the night for the Eagles’ offense came on the first drive of the game when Tariq Jackson took a pitch sweep to the right before changing directions and alluding tacklers on the way to an untouched 41-yard touchdown.
Ike returns to action on the road next week against lowly Northwest Classen (0-4), and though the Eagles should come away victorious, Burris said if his team wants to pick up its first win of the season, players will have to work harder at practice.
“We have the talent, we just (need to put it together),” Burris said.