EDMOND —
The Oklahoma Christian School Saints were firing on all cylinders Friday night and had little trouble taking a 41-14 Class 2A playoff win from an injury-plagued Lindsay team.
Lindsay and OCS also met in the second round of the 2011 state tournament; the Leopards knocked the Saints out of contention in that game, but had no such fortune Friday night as OCS took charge early.
“I’m excited. These kids have just worked so hard, it’s great to see them get rewarded,” OCS coach Derek Turner said after the game.
“Lindsay is a great program. Those kids played with heart, they played with respect. (Coach) Tommy Ferguson has really coached those kids up.”
After missing a field goal on their first possession, the Saints forced a Leopard punt and then wasted little time scoring their first touchdown, keyed by a 33-yard strike from quarterback Austin Brooks to Connor Sikes. A missed PAT left OCS up 6-0 with 7:00 to play in the first quarter.
But the Saints weren’t content to leave their offense on the sideline for long. After the ensuing kickoff, defensive back Blake Barnes walked in front of a Lindsay pass and returned it to the Leopards’ 35-yard line. OCS pounded the ball on runs by Luke Frankfurt to the 12-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Nathan Blakely knocked in a 29-yard field goal to make the score 9-0 Saints.
OCS kept firing, as after a defensive stop, Barnes returned the Lindsay punt into enemy territory, then in the first play from scrimmage took a pass in the flat from Brooks and dodged up the Saints sideline for a 40-yard touchdown, and OCS led 17-0 after a two-point conversion run.
The defense stepped up again on the ensuing Lindsay possession, as OCS linebacker Stephen Wood got a big sack of the quarterback to bring up fourth down. The Leopards fumbled the punt snap and the Saints ended up with prime field position at the Lindsay 23.
A few plays later, Brooks tossed a 13-yard pass to Frankfurt for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to put OCS up 24-0.
Lindsay got on the board later in the quarter, as the Saints were called for a pass interference penalty and on the ensuing play Leopards quarterback Dru Brayton hit Colt Taylor, who motored 58 yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed and the Saints led 24-6 with 6:38 remaining in the half.
As time wound down in the half, OCS appeared to be on the way to scoring again. After a 57-yard Brooks-to-Frankfurt touchdown was called back on a Saints block in the back, OCS drove down to the 11-yard line. As the final seconds ticked away, Brooks buzzed a pass that was just out of reach of Will McKinnis in the front right corner of the end zone. A 28-yard field goal by Blakely made it 27-6 Saints as time expired in the half.
OCS returned to action in the second half, scoring with 9:53 left on a Garrett Kilborn run that put the Saints up 34-6.
OCS forced a Lindsay turnover on downs, then after a long drive went for it on fourth-and-1 deep in their own territory. Brooks hit Barnes on a 24-yard strike for the Saints’ final touchdown, and OCS led 41-6.
Early in the fourth quarter, Lindsay runner Hayden Eubank broke through several tacklers and scored from 25 yards out. The ensuing two-point conversion run was good, and put the score at 41-14 OCS.
Turner pulled his starters midway through the Saints’ first fourth-quarter possession.
The Saints dominated the line of scrimmage on defense and offense. The defense registered two sacks and 11 tackles for loss. In addition to Barnes’ pick, Kilborn also had an interception that stopped a Lindsay drive.
“I liked the effort and the fact that they just don’t stop,” Turner said. “I think we played really good defense, we swarmed at them.
“They have so many kids out with injury. They played three different quarterbacks the last few weeks. So we had to prepare for three different people and it was a long, hard week to get prepared. We had to make a lot of adjustments on the fly. They’ve got some really talented kids.”
OCS, District 2A-2 champs, will be at home for the third straight week, taking on Stroud, the District 2A-5 champions.
“It’s unusual to get another home game, but the way district worked out, it just happened that we got lucky and we got the game.”
Stroud is 11-1 and beat Nowata 21-6 Friday night.
“I know they’ve got a really good defense and they run the ball really well,” Turner said of Stroud. “Nobody gets this far without being a pretty good football team.”
Sports
Related Photos
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Oklahoma Christian School's Blake Barnes outdistances Lindsay defenders Friday night during the Saints' win.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Saints running back Luke Frankfurt looks for running room against Lindsay on Friday.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Oklahoma Christian School's Austin Brooks passes against Lindsay Friday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Oklahoma Christian School defenders bring down a Lindsay ball carrier.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Wide receiver Garrett Kilborn tries to break Lindsay tackles Friday night in the Saints' win.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Oklahoma Christian School linebacker Stephen Wood (17) sacks the Lindsay quarterback Friday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN A Lindsay defender breaks up a pass intended for Oklahoma Christian School's Blake Barnes Friday night.
Discussion
Saints put down Leopards, will host in round 3
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Central Oklahoma softballers make World Series again
Hayley Hudson gave Central Oklahoma a 5-4 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos staved off a seventh-inning Winona State threat to capture the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional championship Saturday afternoon at Edmond North High School.
The Warriors put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in a bid to pull out a late win and force a deciding game in the best-of-three series, but left fielder Devyn Frazier made a running catch in foul territory for the final out to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UCO improved to 47-11 — a school-record for wins — with its 23th consecutive home victory and advanced to the Division II World Series for the second straight year. The Bronchos will face Armstrong Atlantic in the eight-team World Series at 11 a.m. Thursday in Salem, Va.
“I’d say that was a nail-biter,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “It was a good game, both teams played well. Winona has a great team and they didn’t give up, but we came up with some big plays and came out on top. -
Central Oklahoma golf coach picks up award
Central Oklahoma’s Michael Bond has been named the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, with Aly Seng and Erica Bensch both earning All-Central Region honors.
Bond led the Bronchos to perhaps the best season in school history in 2012-13 with top-five finishes in 10 of their 12 tournaments. UCO won three titles, including the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association crown and its first-ever regional championship, and finished 10th in the Division II national tournament. -
Workman's blast cranks UCO's engine; Bronchos cruise to 5-2 win
Nicole Workman’s solo home run gave Central Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos went on to topple Winona State 5-2 in the first game of the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Friday night at the Edmond North High School Softball Complex.
Workman blasted her 14th homer of the season to lead off the second inning, with UCO adding three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead before the Warriors created some anxious moments in their final at bat.
WSU scored two runs and had runners on second and third on with just one out in the top of the seventh, but Kalynn Shrock got the final two batters to close out her fourth straight complete-game outing of the postseason and put the Bronchos in control of the best-of-three series. -
Richters rip competition at KickingBird
The KickingBird 2-man scramble was won by Jeff and Josh Richter, finishing with a 57.9 on May 11.
Jeff Jester and Kevin Wright wrapped up second-place honors with a 59.9 and Rick Morales and Ronnie Roberts placed third (60.1).
In the second flight, the top score was 60.4 by Jerry Bernhardt and Ted Carter. Picking up silver was the tandem of Jerry Fuller and Ramona Jacobi (61.2) and the third-place squad was Dyke Hoppe and Mark VanSickle at 62.0.
Morales was closest to the pin on No. 6 and Jeff Richter landed a dart on hole 14. -
Eagles' season finished; Lopez earns national honor
Southeastern, Fla. eliminated Oklahoma Christian 4-0 om the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Mason, Ohio today to advance to the tournament semifinals, while OC closes at 26-26.
OC would have advanced to the semifinals with a win, but completed a terrific turnaround from an 8-34 season in 2012. The Eagles made only the second national-tournament appearance in the program's history, with the other coming in 1972, when OC finished third in the NAIA World Series. -
Multiple baseball camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Schools baseball coaches Kyle Roberts (Edmond Memorial), Jeff Shafer (Edmond Santa Fe) and Karl King (Edmond North) will instruct the Edmond All-Star Baseball Camps starting May 28 at Edmond North High School.
A pair of all-skills camps will take place for kids ages 5 and older from May 28-31 and June 3-6. Times are the same, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
On June 7, a pitcher/catcher camp will be offered for ages 8 and older with the identical time frame. Cost is $35 for the pitcher/catcher camp and $125 for the all-skills camp.
For further inquiries, contact Karl King at 863-3570. -
Arthur Hills eating up Bronchos
Central Oklahoma’s struggles continued at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Friday.
The Bronchos made 10 double bogeys and two triple bogeys en route to a season-high 329 score on the rugged 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International, leaving UCO in 10th place with a three-round total of 975.
Nova Southeastern has an 881 total heading into Saturday’s final round, giving the four-time defending champion Sharks a one-shot lead over second-place Lynn. -
Bronchos will make 12th appearance in national golf championship Monday
No. 18-ranked Central Oklahoma will make its 12th appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. next week.
The 54-hole stroke play portion of the tournament runs Monday-Wednesday at the 7,061-yard, par-71 Hershey Country Club East Course, with the top-eight teams from the 20-team field advancing to match play. -
Online registration for 2013 UCO Endeavor Games now open
Registration is now open online for athletes and volunteers for the 2013 University of Central Oklahoma Endeavor Games, June 6-9, the nation’s largest multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities.
Athletes of all ages or sporting experience are invited to register for the event. Community members are also encouraged to register to volunteer with more than 300 volunteer opportunities available.
Similar to the summer Paralympic Games, athletes may register for multiple adaptive sports, which include cycling, indoor archery, outdoor archery, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, shooting, table tennis, track and field, wheelchair basketball, and, for the first time at the UCO Endeavor Games, paratriathlon. The paratriathlon will be limited to athletes over the age of 16 with previous paratriathlon experience. -
Deer Creek drops Carl Albert again for state title
They did it again.
The Deer Creek girls soccer team knocked off rival Carl Albert in the Class 5A state soccer title game for the second consecutive season.
The Lady Antlers, led by freshman Lauren Haivala’s two goals, topped the Titans 2-1 May 10 at Noble High School.
On May 7, Deer Creek blanked Tulsa Edison 2-zip in the semifinals for a chance to play for its fourth state championship in girls soccer. - More Sports Headlines
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