So many things went wrong for Lawton High on Thursday night, it might be difficult to decide on what cost the Wolverines the game.
Was it missed tackles, or was it the untimely turnovers? Maybe it was the inability to capitalize on potential game-changing drives, or perhaps it was simply bad luck. That is what LHS coaches will contemplate over next week after Class 6A-II No. 5 Del City handed the Wolverines a 55-28 loss at Cameron Stadium.
The defeat guarantees LHS (5-4, 3-3) a fourth-place finish in District 6AII-1, setting up road trip to No. 1 Bixby for the first round of the playoffs in the two weeks.
“We spotted them 19 to start, and they’re too good to spot 19,” LHS coach Ryan Breeze said. “We can’t do that and overcome it. I think we fought hard, but we’re not going to beat a team of that caliber going down 19 points in the first five minutes. We have to get off to a better start than that.”
Despite trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, the Wolverines found themselves within 9 yards making it a one-score game late in the quarter.
Quarterback Eric Wiley rolled to his right looking for a quick dump-off touchdown, but the Eagles defense was all over it.
In what should have been a routine throw-away situation, Wiley suddenly found himself on a collision course with an official, causing him to keep possession of the ball. He bumped into the ref, allowing a Del City defender to sack the junior for a 19-yard loss.
“He was trying to throw it away,” Breeze said. “We had the boot called, and they didn’t get line up in time for us to change how we block it. They kind of fell into it, and Eric was trying to throw it away, but the ball slipped, so he held on to it and bumped into the official. It was a bad-luck play.”
That’s when things got out of hand.
The play led to a field goal situation for LHS, but the ball was snapped low to holder Kyler Jenderseck, who fumbled it upon trying to scramble from the pressure.
The ball ended up in the hands of Donovan Stephens, who returned the loose ball 70 yards for a touchdown, extending the Eagles’ advantage to 41-21.
That was only one of three Wolverine turnovers, two of which came in the second half. In addition to that giveaway, LHS surrendered an interception and another fumble.
Not even Miles Davis’ 206 yards rushing and two touchdowns could overcome that.
Of course, it wasn’t all the offenses fault.
Despite forcing two turnovers of their own — including a 94-yard interception return from Chateau Reed — the Wolverines’ defense struggled to find an answer for the Eagles’ seemingly endless threats.
In all, LHS gave up 525 yards and 27 first downs.
Quarterback Jahkobie Smith and running back Tyus Messner combined for 275 yards rushing and three scores, while Smith and Jeff Foreman connected for 141 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
“We didn’t play well in any phase, it isn’t solely on the defense,” Breeze said. “We left a lot of points out there, especially in the second half. We always say we want to answer points with points, and obviously we didn’t do that to start the game, and we didn’t do it in the second half.
“We were hoping we could get a stop and either go score and have the lead at half or keep it a one-score game and take the lead to start the third quarter. That wasn’t the be-all and end-all, we still had a chance in the third quarter and had two drive come up empty-handed. When you’re down two scores in the second half, you can’t do that.”
Still, Breeze is looking for answers on what exactly went wrong. Perhaps if LHS hadn’t started in a 19-0 hole halfway through the first quarter, things would’ve ended differently and in the Wolverines’ favor.
That’s not what happened, though, and LHS must now deal with the consequences.
“We got it to a one-score game, and I don’t know if we ran out of gas or what,” Breeze said. “We just gotta show up. We have to show up at 7, not 7:15.”