Jeff Harrison
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND —
Edmond Santa Fe coach Lance Manning has seen some pretty good performances from his squad this season. But Thursday night might have been their best.
Quarterback Justice Hansen accounted for seven touchdowns and the defense shined, as the Wolves cruised to a 68-28 win over Lawton at Wantland Stadium.
“I really thought our football team executed about as well offensively and defensively as I’ve seen us since I’ve been here,” Manning said. “I thought the preparation was great. I thought the fight and physicality was great. I’m just really proud of where we’re at right now.”
The win keeps the Wolves (6-1, 4-0) tied with Norman (5-1, 3-0) atop District 6A-4. The Tigers travel to Southmoore tonight, and will host the Wolves for a crucial district battle next week.
Hansen passed for 286 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. He rushed for another 112 yards and three scores in the win.
Trevan Smith scored two touchdowns for the Wolves. He finished with six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown and threw for another.
The Wolves defense also came up big. They held Lawton (5-2, 2-2) to just 215 yards of total offense. The majority of those came in the fourth quarter against the second-team defense.
Santa Fe struck first with a score on their opening drive. Hansen took the ball up the middle and broke through several tackles on his way to a 26-yard score, less than three minutes into the game. A missed extra point made it a 6-0 game.
Then it was the Wolverines’ turn to show their brute strength. Ivan Thomas, the team’s 265-pound tailback, gave the Santa Fe defense fits in the opening quarter. He broke a 28-yard run down the right sideline, but the visitors couldn’t crack the end zone. Will Hight put their first points on the board with a 28-yard field goal, making it a 6-3 contest.
While Thomas and the Wolverines continued to slow down, Santa Fe only got better. Hansen threw a long touchdown pass to Phillip Sumpter, and Smith added another on a halfback pass to Cornelius Fugett in the second quarter.
Lawton’s offense was held scoreless in the first half. Hight kicked another field goal, and Curtis Zachary returned a kickoff 96 yards, making it a one-score game at 21-14 with 7:45 left in the second.
Santa Fe came back with another big run from Hansen. The junior again took it up the middle, running for a 36-yard touchdown. Edward Smith’s kick gave Santa Fe a 28-14 halftime lead.
The Wolves continued to roll in the second half. Hansen ran for his third touchdown, and tossed two more. He hit Calvin Harkless II with a 35-yard pass and Dale Jefferson on a 27-yard strike. Cameron Westbrook added a four-yard touchdown run with 14.9 seconds left in the third, making it a 54-14 score.
Lawton tightened the score with a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Wolverines then attempted an onside kick, which prompted Manning to bring the first-team offense back on the field. Three plays later, the Wolves were back in end zone on a 15-yard touchdown catch by Trevan Smith.
“You’ve got to protect your team and what you’re doing,” Manning said. “We’ve got our JV out there, and if things get out of control, it can go back the other way in a hurry. I just wanted to get out there and get another score. We had our JV in there, and I expected them to start subbing, and we could get the clock run out, but that didn’t happen.”
The kicking game was one of the only low points for the Wolves. They missed three extra points.
Edmond Santa Fe 68, Lawton 28
1 2 3 4 Final
Lawton 3 11 0 14 28
Santa Fe 14 14 26 14 68
First Quarter
ESF Justice Hansen 26 run (kick failed); 9:12 0-6
LHS Will Hight 27 field goal; 1:53 3-6
ESF Phillip Sumpter 58 pass from Hansen (Dale Jefferson from Hansen ); 9:36 3-14
Second Quarter
LHS Hight 29 kick; 11:52 6-14
ESF Cornelius Fugett 41 pass from Trevan Smith (Edward Smith kick); 7:59 6-21
LHS Curtis Zachary 96 kick return (Mykhail Shaw from Jack Meservy); 7:45 14-21
ESF Hansen 36 run (Smith kick); 1:21 14-28
Third Quarter
ESF Hansen 8 run (Smith kick); 9:22 14-35
ESF Calvin Harkless 35 pass from Hansen (kick failed); 5:39 14-35
ESF Dale Jefferson 27 pass from Hansen (kick failed); :41.7 14-47
ESF Cameron Westbrook 4 run (Smith kick); :14.9 14-54
Fourth Quarter
ESF Khari Harding 11 run (Smith kick); 10:19 14-61
LHS Bryce Birt 62 pass from Meservy (Hight kick); 10:07 21-61
LHS Meservy 1 run (Hight kick); 5:25 28-61
ESF Trevan Smith 15 pass from Hansen (Smith kick); 4:37 28-68
