Kingston miscues result in first loss of season

The last weekend of nonconference high school football was a waterlogged affair in southern Oklahoma, as the remains of Tropical Depression Imelda caused delays and cancellations Friday night all through the area. The Kingston Redskins escaped from the storms, taking their spotless 2-0 record north of Tulsa for a showdown with the reigning 2A state champion Sperry Pirates.

The two teams had met last year in Kingston, where Sperry handed Kingston its only defeat of the regular season. The Pirates had gone on to a one-loss season which ended with a state title. The Redskins were looking for payback from last year’s loss, as well as a measuring stick for the 2019 campaign, as Sperry also entered the game undefeated, having defeated 3A opponents in Verdigris (49-13) and Sequoyah (Tahlequah) (52-13). However, a first half of turnovers and untimely penalties ultimately doomed the Redskins, who fell to the Pirates 37-15.

Kingston’s offense started off totally flat. Two runs yielding losses and a sack of junior quarterback Jase Hayes on his first dropback led to a poor punt, giving Sperry its first possession on the Kingston 33. The state champs wasted no time, scoring on their fourth play from 25 yards out on a jet sweep to senior wide receiver Stormy Weathers to give Sperry an early 7-0 lead.

Pushed back to its own 15 on the ensuing kickoff by a personal foul penalty, Kingston picked up a first down on the next drive and seemed to be ready to make it a game, but Hayes fumbled on a quarterback sneak on fourth and one and gave the Pirates the ball again, this time at the Kingston 35. This time, the Pirates had to work for it, converting two fourth downs, but the second conversion saw senior running back Joe Whitely hurdle into the end zone to make it 14-0 Sperry.

Kingston’s next drive lasted only three plays, including a fumbled snap. On third and six from the Redskins 39, Hayes rolled right and threw into coverage, and the Pirates’ junior linebacker Seth Jackson picked off the errant pass. Starting once again in Kingston territory, Sperry took seven plays and scored on an 18-yard run on fourth down by senior running back Bryce Carter, and midway through the second quarter the rout was on 21-0.

Kingston’s offense went three and out, but managed to start Sperry in its own territory for a change after junior Matthew Flesher’s punt. The Redskins defense showed signs of life when junior Jesse Rose sacked Sperry’s senior quarterback Cooper Park for a nine-yard loss on first down, and the Redskins forced a three-andout. Weathers came on and pinned the Redskins on their own 12 with an excellent punt, and the Redskins’ sputtering offense led to another punt by Flesher from his own end zone. This time, however, Weathers blocked the punt out of the end zone, giving the Pirates a safety and a 23-0 lead.

Sperry could do nothing with its next drive, and Kingston took over on its own 30 with just over two minutes left. Kingston’s final drive of the half started off hopeful, as junior running back A.J. McKinney finally broke free for a nineteen-yard gain on the first play. Moving the ball into Sperry territory for the first time, the Kingston offense seemed to show signs of life. However, Kingston had one last mistake before half. Hayes threw deep with less than a minute left, but nobody was home but the Pirates, and sophomore cornerback Carson Hendrix ended the Redskin threat with a pick.

The second half started off much more defensively, as the teams traded punts early in the third quarter. Sperry’s second drive ended with a punt as well, but senior Tyler Blanchard returned it to the Sperry 46. Senior running back Tanner Showalter then broke off a 36-yard run to the Sperry

10. Hayes then scored when he kept the football on a read option, and passed to junior tight end Matthew Hawkins to put the Redskins on the board 23-8.

Kingston’s defense held again, and the offense went back to work. The Redskins’ running backs pounded the Pirates’ front line, then Hayes hit junior wideout Jarron Boomer Morgan for a 35-yard strike. Morgan finished off the drive on a fourth and goal play from the Sperry 1, on a reverse pitch from sophomore running back Brandon Watson, and the extra point made it 23-15 Sperry.

With the state champs seemingly on their heels, both defenses dug in and the teams traded punts. In the fourth quarter, the Pirates finally wore down the Kingston defense which had spent so much time on the field. Sophomore Jerry Travis broke a run 52 yards and glided into the end zone to extend Sperry’s lead to 30-15.

The Redskins proved unable to move the ball, as their next drive ended with an intentional grounding penalty after three plays, and yet another punt. Sperry then drove down the field, ending in pay dirt again when senior wideout Kohlby Foster got behind the Redskin defenders for a 35-yard touchdown reception. That play proved to be the final score of the game, a 37-15 Sperry victory.

Hayes completed 6 of his 15 attempts in the game for 71 yards, but also had the two interceptions. Showalter led the team with 56 yards rushing on 8 attempts. Morgan led the receivers with two catches for 55 yards. Defensively, Watts recorded another monster game on the stat sheet with 14 tackles, double the next leading tackler. Rose and Showalter each recorded a sack.

Kingston Head Coach Tommy Bare cited errors in defensive alignment, as well as penalties and turnovers in the disastrous first half in the loss. “When you make errors like that on Friday night, you usually come up with a loss,” he noted. He was proud of the way his team adjusted at halftime to make a game of it, calling their third quarter effort “outstanding,” and looks forward to the “meat and potatoes” of the district play portion of the Redskins’ schedule.

Kingston (2-1) opens district play this Friday at home, hosting the winless Davis Wolves (0-2). The Wolves’ week three matchup against Heritage Hall was cancelled, and the Wolves are coming off losses to 3A opponents Lone Grove (27-15) and Sulphur (50-13). Davis is also coming off a historically-bad 2018 campaign, which included the Wolves’ first loss to the Redskins since 1988, and the Wolves missed the playoffs for the first time in decades. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Harold “Bulldog” Henry Field.

EXTRA POINTS

Despite the disaster of the first half, the Redskins proved highly resilient in the state champs’ home stadium. Down 23 points at halftime, Kingston made the game a single-score affair in the third quarter with tough defense and timely plays on offense. While the final deficit made the long drive back to Kingston that much longer, the Redskins scored more points

(15) than either of the Pirates’ first two opponents, each of whom mustered only 13 apiece. The Pirates had also scored 49 and 52 points against their first two opponents, and Kingston held them to 37, their lowest total so far of the 2019 season.

Mistakes proved Kingston’s undoing. Sperry’s first three drives started in Kingston territory as a result of Redskin mistakes (average starting position for those drives was Kingston’s 35-yard line), and each ended in the end zone. It would’ve been a much different affair had Kingston played the first half as well as it played the second half.

Kingston also struggled running the football. Coming off a 200-yard effort against Atoka, McKinney was held under 100 yards for the first time this season, racking up only 48 yards on his 14 carries. The running game is clearly the backbone of this Kingston attack, and the Redskins must do better in order to achieve their goals this season.

Despite the loss, Kingston still looks to repeat as District 2A-8 champs. The Redskins’ main competition looks to be the Lindsay Tigers, who also boast a 2-1 record. The rest of the district is a combined 1-14 to start district play, with 1-1 Comanche posting the sole victory in a 9-6 overtime win over 1A Healdton.