The hits just keep coming for the struggling Savage gridiron squad. After a frustrating and disappointing loss on Homecoming the week before, the Savages hosted the top team in 4A with at least a half dozen starters sidelined with injuries last Friday night.
Tecumseh was flummoxed by Tuttle and self-inflicted missteps early in the game and dug a hole that they could never overcome. “I thought they were as advertised, very physical, very tough,” stated Savage Head Coach Ty Bullock. “They hit us in the mouth early and we were never really able to respond.”
The trouble began early for the Savages. After receiving the opening kickoff of the game, Tecumseh went backwards and was forced to punt, then a snap over the head of the punter ended up in the endzone and the Savages had to fall on the ball to prevent a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead with a safety with less than four-minutes gone in the first.
After the safety, the Savages had to kickoff from their own 20-yard line which gave Tuttle great field position and the Tigers scored two plays later on a 37-yard pass from Mason Dennis to Mason Stokes. The extra-point was booted by Kanna Wong and Tuttle led 9-0 with just over four-minutes off the clock in the opening period.
The Savages went three-andout on their next possession and again the Tigers began with great field position. This time it took four-plays for Tuttle to find paydirt, this time on a 19-yard run by Canon West. The PAT was good, and the Tecumseh deficit grew to 16-0 with still 5:34 left in the first quarter.
To their credit the hurt and battered Savages, especially the defense bowed up and stopped the bleeding for the rest of the first quarter until over halfway through the second period.
Halfway through the second, the Tigers got on the board again with a two-yard run by West. The point after was true and the Tigers led 23-0. The Savages kept the powerful Tigers off the scoreboard the rest of the half and headed to the locker room with a few more casualties developing on the sideline.
In the second half, the Savages found some life as Tuttle took the kickoff to open the third, but Tecumseh forced a rumble giving the ball to the home team. The Savages were unable to take advantage of the turnover and quickly punted the ball to the Tigers.
The Tigers used six plays to score with West scoring on a one-yard dive. The PAT was successful, and Tuttle had moved the lead to 30-0, essentially putting the game out of reach with half of the third quarter gone.
Another touchdown and extra-point by Tuttle late in the third quarter moved the lead to 37-0 and the Savages began to substitute liberally in the fourth quarter. The Tigers scored again early in the fourth to put the final points on the board in the 44-0 win.
The decimated Savage offense was only able to manage 128 total yards of offense with 84 on the ground and 44 through the air. Monte Valois was 5-of-12 passing for 31-yards before Marquan Krush came in late and was 2-of-3 for 13-yards in the air. Valois also had seven-yards rushing and Krush had 21-yards rushing.
Conner Barksdale, the Todd Colburn Oklahoma Farm Bureau MVP of the Game, led the ground game with 24-yards rushing. Barksdale also had seven-tackles, two for loss and had one sack in the loss.
Shaun Hill had 11-yards rushing while Daveon Mays ran for eight-yards. Maddox Anderson and Chad Wynne each ran for five-yards and Braxton Meier rushed for threeyards.
Jaxon Meyers was the leading receiver with 24-yards on three catches. Parker Williams caught one pass for 11-yards. Taekwan Krush had two receptions for six-yards and Mays caught one for three-yards.
Jace Frazier led the defensive effort for the Savages with 15-tackles and a forced fumble. Hunter Hadsall had 15-tackles with one for a loss. Meyers had nine-tackles. Hill had seven-tackles and an interception and a pass breakup. Wyatt England had seven-tackles with one for a loss.
Brennon Carter had seven-tackles and a fumble recovery. Maddox Anderson and Tyler Girod each had five-tackles. Marquan Krush had four-tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and one pass breakup.
The Savages fall to 1-4 on the year and 0-2 in District 4A-2 and the road continues to be a tough one as Tecumseh travels to Cushing tomorrow (Friday) night for another strong district test. Cushing is 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in the district with a loss to Tuttle and win over Classen SAS.
The Savages beat Cushing 64-41 last year in Tecumseh. “They’ve got a very high octane offense and they score a lot of points,” according to Coach Bullock. “They’ve got a great quarterback and he has lots of skill players to throw to. We have to keep them from getting behind us and not give up big plays.”
Let’s talk food on the way to Cushing. Depending on the route you take from Tecumseh or Shawnee, there are several quality places to dine. Let’s start with a trip to Cushing via Wellston. I highly recommend Butcher BBQ on Route 66 in Wellston; it’s one of my top three BBQ joints in Oklahoma. CAUTION: You’ll have to leave very early to enjoy this BBQ because the wait times are enormous.
If you go up highway 18 through Meeker, stop at another one of my favorite spots, LaDonna’s Grill. LaDonna’s is one of my all-time preferred places to eat—great food with just about anything you want on the menu. I love it!
If you want something fast and delicious as you travel up Highway 18, then stop at the OnCue on Route 66 in Chandler and try the Chicken Bites, either regular or spicy. Behind just Chick-Fil-A, these little nuggets of goodness are my favorite.
If you want to extend your route by just a few minutes, then head up Highway 99 through Stroud and stop at the Five Star BBQ and Steakhouse right on 99. It’s great BBQ and has stood the test of time for me.
Of course, once you make it to Cushing, there are a lot of choices, including a number of fast food restaurants and one off establishments. Believe me, I’ve enjoyed many meals in Cushing over the years. One of my favorites has been Naifeh’s Deli and Grill, it’s definitely worth a stop. But trust me there are plenty of choices in Cushing.
If you pin me down to find out where I’m stopping to eat on the way to meet the Tigers, it’ll come down to time for me. I’ll probably be in a rush and, if so, you’ll find me at the Chandler OnCue loading up on some tasty chicken bites. If I have time, then I’ll be making a stop at LaDonna’s in Meeker.
Happy Eating! Kickoff is set for 7:00pm in Cushing.
