A solid 47-22 win by the Chieftains brings a great ending to the regular 2021-2022 season for the Sapulpa Chieftains during their last home game against Glenpool. The packed house for the annual Senior Night celebration brought a frenzy of activity to the chilly evening, and coincidentally, caused the concession stand to run out of food by halftime.
Despite the score, the game wasn’t without its challenges, especially in the beginning. After the Warriors won the coin toss and opted to receive the ball, they ran a full four downs before the Chieftains took over at their own 25-yard line. Unfortunately, Chieftain Quarterback Bryson Williams’ first throw of the game was intercepted, giving Glenpool the chance to regain their lost footing, which they did, resulting in Glenpool drawing first blood and leading the Chieftains 7-0.
After the sputtering start, the Chieftains found their stride in the first of several great passes that night, where Williams connected with senior D’angelo Mitchell, giving the Chieftains their first touchdown of the night. Over the rest of the quarter, Glenpool answered back and the Chieftains did too, this time with an amazing 52-yard pass, followed by a run into the endzone for another touchdown. This time the snap for the kick goes wild, so the Chieftains finish the first quarter trailing Glenpool by one point, 14-13.
Glenpool wouldn’t score again for almost the entire game. Chieftain Tyreese Jones blasts down the field in short, zig-zagging spurts, giving the Chieftains the lead at 19-14, and a Chieftain defense holds the line, forcing a punt and eventually leading to a one-two punch of double-digit runs for Marco Smith, who ran 18 yards, and then another 16 yards, leading the Chieftains to another touchdown and widening that gap to 26-14 Sapulpa, where they stayed to the end of the first half.
After a great halftime performance from the Big Blue Marching Band, followed by special recognition for the band seniors, The third quarter got off to a slow start and didn’t gain much ground until Marco Smith ran 53 yards for a touchdown about halfway through the quarter, bringing the lead to 33 to the Warriors’ 14. Barely a minute passed by before the Chieftains recovered a fumble and Tyreese Jones ran 42 yards for another touchdown.
By the fourth quarter, the steam was being let out of both teams and the crowd was confident a win was coming as folks began leaving the game early. Not about to be done yet, Williams throws another touchdown pass, bringing the Chieftains to 47-14 with almost nine minutes left in the game. The Warriors finally managed another touchdown and a successful two-point conversion, bringing the final score to 47-22.
The win of the final home game of the regular season means that Sapulpa qualifies for the playoffs and will be traveling to McAlester to play the Buffaloes, who are not only undefeated, but have scored more than 50 points in 6 of their regular season games this year.
Chieftain Head Coach Tim Holt Jr. chalked the Chieftain’s performance up to a team that has seen its share of setbacks this season, but remained steadfast in their determination. “We’ve fought through adversity all season and found a way to get into the playoffs! We are clicking at the right time and gonna take that momentum to McAlester next week,” he said.
