LAWTON —
Edmond Memorial was hoping that the return of quarterback Tyler Holcomb would be the spark that the offense needed to end a three-game losing streak, and in the early going it was just that, but a 97-yard kickoff return by Lawton High’s Curtez Zachary spoiled the evening and set the Bulldogs on their way to a 34-9 loss.
Memorial is now 0-4 overall and 0-1 in District 6A-4, while No. 4-ranked Lawton is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in district.
But, in the early going the Bulldogs were up to the challenge and slammed the Wolverines hard, including forcing the first interception of the year by LHS quarterback Dallas Sealey.
However, the Bulldogs blew their first big chance to score after being stopped by downs at the LHS 28, but the next time Memorial got the ball, Holcomb marched his club from its own 45 to paydirt on a seven-play drive that was capped when he hit Wayne Anderson on a 19-yard scoring strike.
When Justin Marcha kicked the PAT with 2:42 left in the first quarter, the Bulldogs’ sideline erupted, thankful that Holcomb had recovered enough from an earlier-season injury to return to the lineup.
The excitement didn’t last long because Zachary fielded the kickoff at the LHS 3-yard-line and bolted up the Memorial sideline. He got a couple of nice blocks, then cut back toward the middle of the field where he found a convoy of blockers to aid his effort but there was no need because he simply pulled away with his 4.5 speed to score with 2:28 left in the first quarter.
The Wolverines decided to gamble on the PAT as quarterback Dallas Sealey took the snap on the old swinging gate and just managed to bull his way into the end zone for an 8-7 LHS advantage.
After stopping the Bulldogs, LHS took over at its own 45 and wasted little time converting, bolting those 55 yards to paydirt on six straight rushing plays, the last three from big Ivan Thomas. On his first two carries he bulled his way for 13 and 18 yards, then carried six or seven defenders into the end zone from the two for the score. This time LHS kicked the PAT and Will Hight was true for a 15-7 margin.
Twice more the LHS defense shut down Memorial drive, then the real back-breaker came when the Wolverines marched from their own 12 to score again. The big play was a 36-yard pass from Sealey to Maurice Chandler that gave LHS a first down at the EM 26. Thomas eventually got the touchdown on a third-and-two from the 8-yard-line, making a nice move on the counter and out-running a couple of defensive backs to the pylons.
The remarkable thing about that, Thomas is a 6-4, 280-pounder who doubles as the nose guard for the Wolverines. That arranged a 22-7 halftime lead, but it wasn’t all that pretty.
“I thought the difference was that we were able to get some good yardage on the ground and when you get four or five yards a pop, it makes it easier to catch a team napping in the secondary and we did that a couple of times. But, that is a pretty good football team over there. I wouldn’t be surprised Memorial came back and won some games and got into the playoffs. They are big and very physical and with the big kid back at quarterback their offense is pretty tough. They gave us a good battle there early.”
The Bulldogs’ offense was unable to put anything together with its first two possessions of the second half and they were hoping that the defense might rally after a great punt by Evan Helker pinned the Wolverines at their own 4-yard-line.
But with Thomas getting the drive going with some big runs up the middle, LHS bided its time waiting for the right moment to strike and it came when Sealey hit Mykail Shaw for a 52-yard strike to the Memorial 40. Thomas bulled for 18 on the next play, leaving a couple of defenders on the ground.
From there the drive appeared in trouble. First Shaw was unable to hang on to a pass in the end zone, then Sealey was called for an illegal forward pass after running past the line of scrimmage. That forced a fourth-and-goal at the 23 and Breeze decided to kick a field goal.
The kick never got more than 15 feet off the ground and missed badly, but the Bulldogs were offside on the play and that gave LHS another chance at the 15. Since Hight had an earlier field goal blocked and then missed that short kick, Breeze decided to gamble on fourth down.
LHS called on rare target tight end Tristan Gooden and he did a crossing route, caught the pass from Sealey at the one and pushed across the goal-line for the touchdown. He was stripped of the ball on the play, but it appeared to come after he had already cross the end line. That pretty much sealed the outcome.
The next Memorial possession was halted on its first play when Chandler got his first interception of the year, just minutes after leaving the game with cramps. LHS quickly took that possession and closed out the scoring on another short Thomas run.
Edmond had a golden opportunity to score late in the game, but it was stopped on a fourth-and-goal attempt at the LHS 4-yard-line.
While the Bulldogs didn’t get the TD there, they did convert with a safety when the LHS runner was tackled in the end zone but it was too little too late.
LHS hits the road for the first time next week to face Choctaw, while Memorial will host Norman.
Sports
Memorial’s Bulldogs drop to 0-4 at Lawton
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6 Edmond golfers hit pro links in Norman
Six Edmond golf professionals will tee it up Wednesday in the Second Annual OK Kids Korral Championship at Belmar Golf Club in Norman.
One hundred-eight players make up this year’s event on the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series. This includes five amateurs and 15 of the top 25 players on the 2013 AGPTS money list including last week’s winner in Miami, Okla. Mark Walker of Hurst, Texas, who is currently third among the money leaders.
Players from Edmond include William Kropp, Andrew Green, Dillon Rust, Wilhelm Bogstrand, Jackson Ogle and Cameron Meyers. -
UCO Endeavor Games athletes qualify for 2014 world championship powerlifting team
At the University of Central Oklahoma’s Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities June 6-9, four athletes qualified for the 2014 World Championships in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) powerlifting competition.
The qualifying athletes include Trevor Bunch from O’Fallon, Mo.; who is making his World Championships debut; Scott Danberg from Cooper City, Fla., a five-time Paralympian; Bryce Segura from New Iberia, La., who is competing in his first World Championships; and Mary Stack from Ann Arbor, Mich., a four-time Paralympian. -
Two UCO rowers named All-American
Central Oklahoma rowers Jenna Goodner and Michaela Stam have been named to the NCAA Division II All-America Team, it was announced by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.
Goodner was a first-team selection, while Stam was a second-team choice. All-America selections take into account a candidate’s strength of schedule, regular season record, end of season regatta results, nomination rank, coach’s comments and 2,000-meter ergometer score. -
The remembrance remains fresh
The celebration is not over.
The Deer Creek girls basketball team continued to relive March’s state basketball championship Friday at Deer Creek High School with a Class 5A state championship ring ceremony.
Head coach Totsy Manning greeted each of her players by presenting them with a title ring.
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Traffic shouldn’t be an issue with upcoming national soccer tournament
About 15,000 people are expected at the U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Regional at the Edmond Soccer Complex on Danforth Road near Kelly Avenue June 21-27.
The number of out-of-state guests should not be a problem according to Assistant City Manager Steve Commons. The tournament will attract more than 200 boys and girls teams, ages Under-13 through Under-19, from the 12 state associations that make up U.S. Youth Soccer Region III (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, north Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, south Texas and Tennessee).
As a matter of fact, Commons feels very upbeat about the prospect of Edmond hosting the national tournament. -
LaFaye takes Pick-A-Partner crown with 135
The KickingBird Men’s Golf Assocation’s Pick-A-Partner was won by Robert LaFaye Saturday with a 135.
Sean Conrad took second (136) while Kevin Wright and Kevin O’Neil deadlocked for third place at 137. -
UCO overtakes Division II foes for national title
Starting out the postseason, the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos softball team puttered out in the MIAA Tournament.
But UCO shifted it into another gear when the rounds of regionals began and rode the wild momentum going undefeated en route to securing the NCAA II national championship over Kutztown (Pa.) in Salem, Va.
The Bronchos dominated, going 9-0 straight through to the national title contest on May 27. -
2013 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships to bring more than $8 million to Edmond area
he 2013 US Youth Soccer Region III (South) Championships presented by the National Guard, to be played June 21-27, will provide an estimated economic impact of more than $8 million to the Edmond area.
Local restaurants, hotels, retail stores and others will benefit from the more than 3,600 players, coaches, teams and tournament officials, along with an estimated 12,000 spectators attending the seven-day tournament. Visitors to the Edmond area will book an estimated 10,000 room nights at area hotels.
The top 200 Boys and Girls US Youth Soccer teams from Region III, including at least 19 teams from the host Oklahoma Soccer Association, will compete at the Edmond Soccer Club Complex. -
Memorial graduate Morris totes home MVP trophy
It’s always good when Oklahoma beats Texas in anything and Saturday night’s 101-95 victory by Oklahoma over Texas in the annual Faith 7 Basketball Bowl at Oklahoma Baptist University's Noble Complex was a real cause for celebration.
But the happiest person in the gym might have been Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. You might remember that Marshall and his band of opportunistic Shockers shocked the basketball world and several NCAA experts with their improbable run to the much coveted Final 4 in April.
But Marshall, one of the clinic speakers during the annual Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association annual festival, didn't want to talk about the Shockers’ monumental achievements of the spring. His big grin and jovial nature could easily have been a glimpse into the Wichita State future. -
Stars’ Crabaugh, Jensen become MLB draftees
Oklahoma City University’s Cody Crabaugh and Chase Jensen have been chosen in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday.
The San Diego Padres took Jensen in the 22nd round with the 658th overall selection, while the Miami Marlins picked Crabaugh, a former Edmond North player, in the 32nd round with the 952nd choice.
Crabaugh, a senior right-handed pitcher from Edmond, compiled a 13-2 record and 2.12 earned run average, three complete games, a shutout and 77 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched this year.
In the NAIA, Crabaugh ranked fourth in wins this year. He led the SAC in wins and ranked second in ERA to his teammate Derek Howell. Crabaugh struck out seven in eight innings, both season highs, against Mid-America Christian on May 3 in the SAC Tournament. His whitewashed St. Gregory's on March 20 in Shawnee, Okla. He became a second-team NAIA all-American and first-team all-SAC selection this season. - More Sports Headlines
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