Story by Tanner Gregory, Photos by Sheri Waldrop
It’s a beautiful thing when it all comes together, and Friday night, it all came together for the Chieftains.
Offense, defense, special teams, band, pings, cheer, and the community all played a factor on senior night at George F. Collins Stadium that crisp, Halloween night.
The win over Muskogee was a program-defining win for the football team led by Coach Tim Holt. The Chieftains dominated all three phases of the football game.
The Chieftain offense struck first on the opening drive of the game with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Braddox Broughton to Landon Barber. This was just one of four touchdown passes from the junior quarterback, who played his best game of the season. Broughton tallied 236 yards through the air and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
Landon Barber, the sophomore receiver, had 111 yards on five receptions to go along with two touchdowns. Levi Jenson was the leading rusher for the Chieftains, scoring 97 yards on the ground and a touchdown as well.
The defense forced 5 turnovers and held an explosive Muskogee offense to only 186 yards of total offense. Outside of a 99-yard touchdown pass and a 57-yard touchdown pass, Muskogee was limited to 30 yards of total offense the rest of the game.
Special teams played a role as well, with Hall, the punter, pinning Muskogee inside the 10-yard line and Michael Bennett returning a kickoff for 97 yards to put the dagger in the Roughers in the third quarter.
The Chieftains went on to win the game 49-16 and set themselves up for a chance at a District Championship next week.
Sapulpa will travel up Highway 97 for the 100th meeting between the two schools. The Sandites and Chieftains are both 6-0 in district play, and the winner will take home the title. Ironically, the series is tied at 47-47-5.
