Marshall County Superbowl

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The Kingston Redskins and the Madill Wildcats went head-to-head for the first time in three years

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  • Kingston’s Matthew Hawkins (#20) breaks free from Madill’s Nick Northcutt (#10) and Mason Coles (#30) for a touchdown. Linda Holmes
    Kingston’s Matthew Hawkins (#20) breaks free from Madill’s Nick Northcutt (#10) and Mason Coles (#30) for a touchdown. Linda Holmes
  • Madill Sophomore Stephen Sisco, #2, celebrates scoring the first touchdown of the night for the Wildcats along with sophomore Josh Burt, #25 and junior Jorge Martinez, #55. Unfortunately, the celebration was short lived. The Redskins beat the Wildcats 49-14. Summer Bryant • The Madill Record
    Madill Sophomore Stephen Sisco, #2, celebrates scoring the first touchdown of the night for the Wildcats along with sophomore Josh Burt, #25 and junior Jorge Martinez, #55. Unfortunately, the celebration was short lived. The Redskins beat the Wildcats 49-14. Summer Bryant • The Madill Record
  • The Madill Wildcats stopped everything and dropped to one knee to show respect to their fellow teammate, senior Griffon Williams when he was hurt. Summer Bryant • The Madill Record
    The Madill Wildcats stopped everything and dropped to one knee to show respect to their fellow teammate, senior Griffon Williams when he was hurt. Summer Bryant • The Madill Record
  • Kingston’s A.J. McKinney (#24) hoists the Marshall County Super Bowl trophy as the Redskins sing their fight song after the game. Michael Haggerty
    Kingston’s A.J. McKinney (#24) hoists the Marshall County Super Bowl trophy as the Redskins sing their fight song after the game. Michael Haggerty
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KINGSTON

By Michael Haggerty

2020 has been a year in which many traditions have been lost or changed, but this year, Kingston and Madill renewed a long-time tradition after a three-year hiatus, facing each other in the game known as the Marshall County Super Bowl. With Kingston’s move up to Class 3A and Madill’s drop into the same Class, the local rivals are now in the same district, playing for the same title.

In addition to bragging rights (including painting the infamous railroad trestle between the cities), the Redskins were looking to stay undefeated, and clinch a district crown with a victory over the Wildcats. Madill came into the game having won the teams’ last two meetings, with the last being a 23-17 Madill victory in 2017.

However, the Wildcats have had a very different season, but with the recent temporary playoff changes giving them a slot in the playoffs, they were looking to improve their playoff position and generate some momentum heading into the postseason. The day before Halloween, the teams met in Madill’s Blake Smiley Stadium, and the Redskins left town with a 49-14 victory.

Madill won the toss and elected to receive, but after picking up a single first down on a Kingston penalty, the Wildcats’ offense stalled and they had to punt. Kingston’s offense backed up to the Red skins’ 20 by yet another penalty then, went to work.

Senior quarterback Jase Hayes hit senior running back Matthew Flesher in the flat where he ran to Kingston’s 37 for the opening first down. Two plays later, Hayes hit a wide-open Jarron “Boomer” Morgan for a 41-yard gain to the Madill 13. Junior running back Brandon Watson plowed forward to the Madill 1, and two plays later, Hayes pushed into the end zone to give Kingston a 7-0 lead.

The Wildcats had come to play, however, and showed it on the ensuing drive. Using both his arm and his legs, junior quarterback Kendall Robertson marched the Wildcats down the field, assisted by yet another Kingston penalty, this one for roughing the passer.

On third down from the Kingston 10, Robertson’s pass went through the hands of Kingston senior cornerback Colton Robinson and into the hands of Stephen Sisco for a touchdown. The extra point tied the game at 7 late in the first quarter, and it looked like the rivals would be in for a long struggle.

The Wildcats, seeking to maintain their momentum, tried a surprise onside kick, but Kingston freshman Rhett Coble recovered the ball at the Kingston 45. On the Redskins’ first play, Watson broke free for a 48-yard run to the Madill 7. The next play, Hayes took a quarterback keeper the rest of the way, and Kingston led again 14-7.

The Wildcats went back to work, and moved the ball to their own 48, but Robertson, under relentless pressure from the Kingston front, made an ill-advised throw short of his intended receiver, sophomore RJ Morris, and this time Kingston’s Robinson made the interception. Robinson returned the pick into Madill territory, and a horse collar penalty on Madill moved the ball to the Wildcat 13. Three plays later, Watson plowed three yards into Madill’s end zone, and Kingston led 21-7 one play into the second quarter. Backed up to their own

10 by an illegal block on the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats came out determined to show that they weren’t ready to quit. Once again, Robertson moved the ball with his arm and his legs, reaching the Kingston 43. Kingston senior A.J. McKinney brought down Madill sophomore Holden McGahey in the backfield for a threeyard loss on third-and-one, and Robertson’s fourth-down pass was knocked down at the line by Hayes, blitzing from his linebacker position, ending the Wildcat threat.

The ensuing Redskins drive underlined the difference between the two teams. On third-and-nine, Hayes threw deep off play-action, and senior tight end Matthew Hawkins made the catch and then eluded two Wildcats on his way to the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown, giving Kingston a 28-7 lead.

Not to be deterred, the Wildcats went back to work, and Robertson marched his team down the field, finally hitting Morris in stride for a 37-yard gain to the Kingston one-yard line. However, disaster struck Madill, as Robertson was unable to handle the next snap, and the Redskins recovered.

Madill’s defense held, forcing Kingston into a three-and-out, and Flesher lined up at the back of his own end zone to punt. Madill’s sophomore River Shaw came through the line and blocked the kick, and Madill took over on the Kingston three-yard line. Robertson took it in himself from there, cutting the Kingston lead to 28-14 late in the first half, and the teams went into halftime with the Redskins up two scores, but the Wildcats having shown some fight against their cross-county rivals.

Kingston came out in the third quarter ready to prove why the Redskins came into the game undefeated. Kingston’s first drive covered 59 yards, with Hayes scoring after fumbling the snap, but recovering it and breaking four tackles on a 12-yard touchdown run, and Kingston led 35-14.

Unlike in the first half, Madill’s response was more typical of a two-win team.

Senior Mason Coles, back to return the ensuing kickoff, let the ball bounce, apparently thinking it would roll into the end zone for a touchback. However, he then picked it up at the one and attempted to return it, only to fumble the ball inside his own five. Kingston junior Cole Morgan scooped up the loose ball and ran into the end zone to make it 42-14 Kingston, only 2:30 into the third quarter.

The Wildcats picked up a first down on their next drive, but a mishandled snap backed them up, and Madill was forced to punt on fourth-and-sixteen. Kingston took over at its own 24, and the Redskins started hammering away with Watson and Flesher. Eleven plays and nearly eight minutes later, the first play of the fourth quarter was a pitch to Watson that he carried nine yards for Kingston’s seventh touchdown of the night, giving the Redskins a 49-14 lead.

With Madill unable to move the ball effectively in the final quarter, Kingston’s offensive killed the clock with another eight-minute drive that took most of the quarter, and the Redskins celebrated their 49-14 victory by hoisting the Marshall County Super Bowl trophy.

Hayes led all passers, completing nine of his 12 attempts for 226 yards and a touchdown, adding 70 yards and two more scores on the ground. Watson led all rushers with 169 yards and two touchdowns on his 22 attempts. Hawkins led the Redskins in receiving yards with 112 yards on three catches and a score.

Defensively, Robinson and senior linebacker Bryant Watts led the Redskins with nine tackles each. Hayes had the Redskins’ sole sack on the night. The Redskins forced four turnovers total, while not giving the ball away at all.

Kingston’s offense scored a touchdown on 6 of its 10 possessions, with two of those drives ending at halftime and the end of the game, respectively; the Redskins only punted the ball once on the night, and the other drive ended on a turnover on downs late in the 4 th quarter.

Kingston Head Coach Tommy Bare was pleased with the way his team “handled themselves, winning “another big road victory.” Coach Bare liked that he could “see some red on the bridge” between Kingston and Madill, as Kingston players repainted the railroad trestle Friday night. Coach Bare is now looking forward to possibly completing an undefeated regular season Thursday night in Dickson.

Kingston (6-0 district, 9-0 overall) clinched its thirdstraight district title, the Redskins’ first in Class 3A, with the victory. The Redskins wrap up their regular season on Thursday night in Dickson. The Comets (1-5, 1-8) are coming off a 41-6 loss in Pauls Valley (3-3, 5-4). Kickoff in Dickson is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

EXTRA POINTS

In the first half, Madill definitely posed a bigger challenge to the Redskins than one would have expected, looking at the teams’ respective records, especially with its offense. Despite his three turnovers, Robertson actually gave an excellent performance for the Wildcats, especially considering that his offensive line gave him virtually no help at all.

That gutsy effort was wasted however, as Madill was unable to run the football successfully with anyone other than Robertson (Robertson was the only Wildcat with net positive yards rushing), and the Wildcats’ quarterback was under siege from pass rushers anytime he dropped back. Contrast that with Kingston’s success running the football, and the way Hayes was able to stand back and survey the field when he looked to pass, and it is clear why these teams have had such different seasons. Until Madill improves its line play on both sides of the ball, the Wildcats will continue to face frustration on the field.

While Robertson deserves credit for a great performance under the circumstances, credit is also due to the Redskins’ Hayes, who played perhaps his best game Friday night. Throwing strikes with his arm, and picking up tough yards with his legs, Hayes definitely impressed leading Kingston to victory, and appears to be improving as the playoffs approach. The bar is high in Kingston, and Hayes looks poised to lead the Redskins on a deep playoff run.

While we’re dishing out credit, kudos to Madill Head Coach Chad Speer for a couple of unorthodox decisions Friday night. Madill won the coin toss, and going against the grain of current coaching trends, elected to receive the kick. Then, after the Wildcats scored their first touchdown, they tried an onside kick that caught everyone in the stadium by surprise, and may well have worked if Kingston’s Coble hadn’t alertly fallen on the ball.

It’s easy to criticize a coach whose team has had such a tough season, and that got drilled in this particular game. However, both decisions, while they didn’t ultimately work out, were clearly an effort to make the most of Madill’s slim chances to win the game.

Coach Speer clearly understood that his offense was his best weapon against the Redskins, and that in order to hang with Kingston, he needed to give his offense the most opportunities possible to score. Both decisions were geared towards that end, and while the results were not what he wanted, it’s hard to see how going the other way with either decision would have benefitted his Wildcats. In short, the Wildcats came into the game as pronounced underdogs - they had to take risks in order to have a chance to win. Coach Speer deserves credit for understanding that need and having the nerve to take those risks in the face of likely criticism if and when they didn’t work out.

Since the Redskins have the tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head victories against Lone Grove (5-1, 7-2) and Sulphur (5-1, 6-3), the victory clinches the district title for Kingston, regardless of the result Thursday night in Dickson. Elsewhere in the district, Lone Grove and Sulphur meet on Friday night in Lone Grove in a matchup which will decide second place in District 3A-2, while the loser will slip into third.

Plainview (3-3, 3-6) hosts Pauls Valley (3-3, 5-4) in a game which will decide fourth and fifth place in the district. Madill travels to Little Axe to try to give the Indians (0-6, 0-8) their version of a perfect season. Barring an unlikely loss in Little Axe and a Kingston loss in Dickson, the Wildcats are locked into sixth place in the district and the Comets are in seventh.

This being 2020, every team, even winless Little Axe, will have the opportunity to participate in the playoffs. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) released a new modification to its already-modified playoff guidelines last week. Under the new guidelines, Kingston’s district title means that if the Redskins keep winning, they will host up to three playoff games.

Three playoff victories would put the Redskins back in the state semifinals, which would be played at a neutral site. Were the playoffs to start today, the Redskins’ firstround opponent would be the last-place finisher in District 1, which once again would be Oklahoma City’s Frederick Douglas High School. The Trojans (0-3, 0-4) lost again Friday night to Perkins-Tryon, 60-12. Madill will probably travel to play the loser of Anadarko (3-1, 6-2) and Kingfisher (3-1, 5-3), whose Friday night matchup will determine which of them finishes in second place. The winner of that game will likely host Dickson in the first round.

MADILL

By Janlee Hoppers

The Madill Wildcats (2- 7) football team hosted the Kingston Redskins (9-0) at Blake Smiley Stadium. It has been three years since these two teams last played each other. The Wildcats knew that Kingston would be a tough team, and Kingston came to play. The Wildcats kept a close score until the second half, losing 49 to 14. Head Coach Chad Speer said even though they lost, they played hard and showed the Redskins what the Wildcats were made of.

“We played with the most passion we had all season the first half so that was great to see,” Speer said. “I think it showed them a little of how it could be.”

With 6:15 left in the first quarter, Kingston got the first touchdown. The Redskins received a penalty for roughing the passer, and the Wildcats were able to get a touchdown by Sophomore Stephen Sisco (62 yards total). To close the first quarter the Redskins made touchdown.

The Redskins started the second quarter with a touchdown, bringing the score to 21 to 7. With 6:27 left in the second quarter, the Redskins couldn’t be stopped, scoring again. Madill’s Sophomore River Shaw blocked the Redskins punt, and the Wildcats capitalized on their mistake; Junior Kendall Robertson scored (187 passing yards and 14 carries for 40 yards). Speer said, “Tough loss. I thought our kids played hard.” A key player for the Wildcats was Junior Nick Northcutt who had 75 total yards.

The Wildcats attempted to keep their steam in the second half but were not able. They allowed the Redskins to score twice in the third quarter and once in the fourth quarter. Speer there is definitely room for improvement, but it is also important that the players have fun.

“We just need to continue to push and improve, said Speer. “Great opportunity against Little Axe. We need to play well and go out and have fun.”

Madill will travel to Little Axe (0-8) on Friday, November 6.