Bobcats thumped; Cougars up next

Kingfisher’sgameagainst Star Spencer last Friday can be summed up in the final play of the first half.

The Yellowjackets were poised to take a 35-0 lead into the break, but the Bobcats called a timeout with 6 seconds left in an attempt to end the half with some form of positivity.

Those hopes turned a bad Star Spencer half into a worse one.

On the ensuing play, Kingfisher’s Kaden Cline picked off the Star Spencer pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown.

That was the final TD for the Jackets in an eventual 42-6 victory at Moses F. Miller Stadium in Oklahoma City.

“There’s not a lot you can say about it,” said Kingfi sher coach Reagan Roof. “They’re struggling to rebuild that program and it’s an uphill battle for them.

“We knew they shouldn’t provide a lot of issues for us and the guys made sure they didn’t and it allowed us to get everyone reps in the game.”

The Bobcats had scored just 30 points in their previous six games and 22 of those came in a win over Northwest Classen. They had been outscored an average of 58-3 in three district games leading into this showdown.

The Jackets could have picked their score as they found the end zone on all five of their first-half possessions.

Two of those TDs belonged to freshman Collin Farrar, including the first of the game.

He collected a touch pass from Jhett Birdwell and scored from 37 yards out.

Farrar also caught a 12yard touchdown pass from Birdwell three minutes into the second quarter for a 28-0 lead.

On Star Spencer’s next drive, Izak Oaks pounced on a Bobcat fumble, giving the Jackets a short field.

Oaks finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for the 35-0 lead.

That led to the final sequence of the half that saw Cline score on the second takeaway of the game.

Brett Calamateo had a 1-yard touchdown run on the Jackets’ second drive of the game. It was set up by a diving catch by Kasen Blair for a 38-yard gain down to the 7.

Carter Stephenson’s 23yard punt return later in the first quarter helped set up a short field and that drive ended with Birdwell hitting Jackson Willbanks for a 17yard touchdown.

The clock was running continuously before the half and the entirety of the second half.

The Bobcats’ lone firsthalf first down came on a penalty and the Bobcats were well into negative for total yardage until drives late in the game pulled them out of it.

All told, Star Spencer had 18 total yards.

That included minus-47 on the ground and 65 through the air.

Just as Star Spencer’s numbers were bolstered by the late drives, Kingfisher’s overall numbers took a hit in the second half.

The Jackets had 40 rushing yards on 11 carries at halftime, but ended the game with minus-1.

Birdwell was 9 of 10 in the first half. He threw for 165 yards and the three scores.

He didn’t play in the second half.

Kingfisher had minus-46 total yards in the second half and ended the game with 159 overall.

Farrar, Blair and Willbanks caught two passes apiece.

Blair’s covered 53 yards, Farrar’s 49 and Willbanks’ 40.

With the victory, the Jackets have matched their win total of last year.

They enter this week with a 5-2 record. They are 3-1 in District 3A-1.

Kingfisher returns home this week against North Rock Creek for its final regular season home game.

Whether this is the final home game of the year or team the Jackets beat by 42 points.

The Cougars last week had to get a late score to beat Purcell 25-20.

“They’ve looked really good at times, but haven’t played as well the last couple of weeks,” Roof said. “If they play like they’re capable, it’s going to be a tough matchup.”

not depends on the outcome of the next three contests.

“This is the start of the three-game stretch we’ve been talking about all year,” Roof said. “This is the truly pivotal part of the season.”

After North Rock Creek comes road trips to Anadarko and Plainview, two teams currently tied with the Jackets in the district standings at 3-1.

North Rock Creek is 2-2 in the district.

“We’re all jockeying for those second, third and fourth spots in the district,” Roof said.

The Cougars are 3-4 overall. According to Roof, they “looked pretty good” despite a 48-12 loss to Heritage Hall in Week 4.

After following that up with a 49-0 win over Star Spencer, North Rock Creek had a head-scratching 2321 loss to Pauls Valley, a