Sapulpa takes down Tahlequah in 41-38 home opener

A week after Sapulpa quarterback Colton Howard lit up the scoreboard with seven passing touchdowns, it was Sapulpa’s turn to shine with their ground game. Howard and Chieftain running back Marco Smith combined for seven rushing touchdowns on their way to a cardiac 41-38, come-from-behind victory over the Tahlequah Tigers Friday evening at Collins Stadium. The matchup was both the Chieftains’ home opener and the Chieftains’ first win of the 2023-2024 campaign.

Coach Holt later told Sapulpa Times that last week’s loss to the Sandites was a mental and physical toll that took a while to shake. “Last week’s game took so much out of us,” he said. “We were up two scores, could have been up three scores, and then it’s hot and people are cramping, you know, and it took us a couple of days early this week to recover from that.”