The Savages traveled to Blanchard last Thursday night and played tough all night, but a four-minute span in the second quarter put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
After the Savages failed to get going on the opening possession of the game, the Lions wasted no time getting into the endzone. Blanchard quarterback Carson Cooksey scored on a four-yard run. The Lions went for two points and were successful, and Blanchard led 8-0 with 5:53 left in the first quarter.
The Savages turned the ball over on their next possession on an interception, but the Tecumseh defense got the ball back by forcing a Blanchard fumble.
Tecumseh quickly took advantage of the takeaway, with Garrett Chaffin finishing off the drive with a oneyard plunge into the endzone. The two-point conversion was no good for the Savages, and the T-Town boys cut the Lions’ lead to 8-6 at the 9:13 mark in the second quarter.
Then the bottom fell out for the Savages as Blanchard scored three touchdowns before halftime, with the first score an immediate answer to Tecumseh’s TD. A three-yard touchdown run by the Lions’ Brayson Carter gave Blanchard a 14-6 lead as the PAT was no good with 5:38 left in the second quarter.
Tecumseh was forced to punt on its next possession, and the Lions scored again quickly, this time on a 50-yard bomb from Cooksey to Reagan Palmer. The extra point was good, and the Savages trailed 21-6 but were still in the game with 2:47 remaining in the second quarter.
Tecumseh’s next possession buried the Savages deeper in the hole as Blanchard took the ball away, and the Lions’ Carter returned it 32-yards for a touchdown. The kick was true, and the Savages chances had moved to slim for a comeback trailing 28-6 heading into halftime.
Blanchard took the second-half kickoff and removed any hope the Savage fans had of a comeback chance as the Lions scored less than two minutes into the second half. The Lions second touchdown pass, this time a 38-yard pass from Cooksey to Jaxon Laminack, sealed the win for Blanchard. The extra point was good, and the home team led 35-6.
Even with the game out of control, the Savages never quit and kept playing while there was time on the clock. As it turns out, the two teams took turns scoring touchdowns as each possession ended in a scoring drive.
After Blanchard scored on the opening drive of the third quarter, the Savages took their turn to score on the ensuing Tecumseh possession. Chaffin picked up his second touchdown of the night with a two-yard run with 3:45 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, and the Savages trailed 35-12 with maybe some hope creeping back in.
The Savage hope was short-lived as Blanchard answered immediately with another big touchdown pass. Cooksey found Laminack, this time for a 54-yarder for the score. The twopoint attempt failed, and Blanchard led 41-12 late in the third quarter.
With a huge deficit, the Savages continued to battle and were able to answer the Lion TD as Dom Frizzell plowed his way for a four-yard run to paydirt. The PAT was blocked as the Savages cut the Lion lead to 41-18.
The Lions used their next possession to take time off the clock and put the final points on the scoreboard. Blanchard used 8:28 of the clock before Cooksey threw his fourth TD pass of the night, this time to Keller Tippitt, covering 25-yards to the goal line. The extra point was good, and Blanchard claimed the 48-18 win.
The Savages ended the season with a 5-5 overall record and finished in 5th place in District 4A-2 with a 3-4 record. Blanchard ended up in second place in the District and will play a first round home game Friday night. Tuttle is the 4A-2 District Champs and is followed into the playoffs by Blanchard, Bethany, and Newcastle.
The Todd Colburn Oklahoma Farm Bureau MVP of the Game for the final game of the season is Marquan Krush for his outstanding defensive play against the Lions.
