Coming into Friday evening’s district clash against the Bixby Spartans at Collins Stadium, the Sapulpa Chieftains’ offense had lit up the scoreboard in spectacular fashion, outscoring their non-district competition by a combined total of 110-25 while posting a 3-0 record to start the 2018 season.
Enter the Spartans. Under a steady rain and cool conditions, the visitors chilled the previously-hot Big Blue scoring machine, holding the home team scoreless for the first time this season while cruising to a lopsided 45-0 victory over the Chieftains in the district opener for both squads.
The contest was never in doubt. After winning the coin toss. The Spartans elected to defer, giving the Chieftains the first offensive series of the evening. Staying with the tried-and-true ground game that had brought so much success earlier in the season, the Chieftains opening drive stalled after six plays and 23 yards. The drive was extended by a Spartan pass interference call on third down and 11 at the Sapulpa 19 yard line.
The Spartans started in hard, going for 68 yards in seven plays on their first drive and jumping to a 7-0 lead at the 6:49 mark of the first quarter when Bixby’s Preston Hibblen marched into the end zone from 24 yards out.
The visitors wasted no time in adding to their tally just over two minutes later when Spartan Brennan Presley notched his first of three touchdowns on the evening on an 80 yard dash on the first play of the visitors’ next drive to set the score at 14-0.
The Spartans scored seemingly at will in the first half. Bixby’s next score came with 2:04 left in the first quarter when Brennan grabbed his second touchdown of the contest on a 61 yard reception that capped a two play, 66 yard drive to give the visitors a 21-0 advantage.
The Spartans’ next score came at the end of a five play, 37 yard drive, capitalizing on a Chieftain fumble early in the second quarter when Braylin Presley found the end zone on a 14 yard run to pull away to a 28-0 lead with 10:18 left in the second stanza.
The Chieftains first scoring threat of the evening came midway through the second quarter on a, eight play, 44 yard drive that saw the hosts penetrate to the Spartan 31 yard line before a stray Elijah Williams pass was picked off by Bixby’s Clayton Barbour at the Spartans’ 24 yard line. One play later, Brennan Presley snagged his third score of the evening on a 76 yard reception to extend Bixby’s lead to 35-0 with 7:15 left before halftime.
Sapulpa running back A.J. Checotah gave the Chieftain offense another spark of life late in the second quarter on an eight play drive, rolling up 20 of the drive’s 33 yards before the Sapulpa surge stall at the Spartan 37 yard line.
Bixby’s final score of the contest came in the form of a 39 yard Reis Vernon field goal as time expired in the first half. Vernon’s boot came 3:23 after Braden Roller added six to the Spartan’s tally on a 19 yard rush to give Bixby a 42-0 advantage.
The Chieftains will look to get back to their winning ways on hostile turf next Friday when they travel to Bartlesville for a 7:00 p.m. matchup. See photos below:
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