Late scores lift Stilwell to win over Rangers

LEA LESSLEY SPORTS WRITER

Stilwell broke a 7-7 tie by scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game Friday night inside Ranger Stadium as the Class 4A Indians (1-0) defeated 2A Roland (0-2) 20-7 in a non-district contest.

This week Roland has an open date and Stilwell travels to Gentry, Ark.

“We turned the ball over too many times,” Roland head coach Austin Cantrell said. “On special teams we let a punt get blocked, two of them technically, so we really let it slip away from us. We were in the game all night, and just mental mistakes. I think we could have won that game but we had so many mistakes and you can‚t beat yourself and them.”

The Rangers lost two of seven fumbles and had one pass intercepted in the game.

On their first offensive possession of the game the Rangers drove to the Stilwell 15 but a fumble after a completed pass ended the scoring threat.

After Roland turned the ball over on downs at the Stilwell 17 in the second stanza the Indians got on the board when Tray Chuculate ran for a 4-yard touchdown at the 7:49 mark before Kinley Catron kicked the extra point. Key plays in the four-play, 83-yard scoring drive were completions of 13 (Orren Shelly) and 49 yards (Chuculate) from quarterback Cainan Mink and a 17-yard run to the Roland 4 by Mink.

Later in the quarter the Rangers‚ Kyeree Hall returned an interception 19 yards to the Roland 29, and with 5.4 seconds left before the half quarterback Logen Thomas tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ashton Peters before Logan Lorenz‚ point-after kick tied the score at 7-7. The five-play, 71-yard scoring drive was highlighted by a 38-yard run by Kejuan Youngblood and four plays later Peters crossed the goal after catching the short pass.

In the third period a Rangers‚ drive ended at the Stillwell 1 after Roland turned the ball over on downs.

Almost midway through the final frame Stilwell reclaimed the lead when Ethan Richards ran for a 3-yard touchdown and Catron‚s kick with 7:04 to go gave the Indians a 14-7 advantage. Runs of 13 and 12 yards by Richards were key plays in the five-play, 46-yard scoring drive.

Moments later the Indians‚ Dustin Noisewater picked off a throw at the Stilwell 39 and seven plays and 61 yards later Chalino Martinez rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 3:11 left in the contest. Runs of 31 and 10 yards by Martinez and Mink, respectively, helped set up the final touchdown.

Thomas completed 15-of-30 passes for 233 yards for one touchdown with one interception in the game and Roland‚s pass catchers were Hall (4 catches for 101 yards), Dakota Price (1 for 45), Peters (3 for 28 and a TD), Youngblood (2 for 23), Mason Kemp (1 for 17), Lateevis Jones (2 for 14) and Dolton Crossono (2 for 5).

Youngblood ran the ball 16 times for 96 yards, Michael Taylor had five rushes for 9 yards and Peters‚ seven carries totaled seven yards.

Hall, Crossono and Davohn Hall each intercepted a pass in the contest for the Rangers and Braxton Prewett recovered a fumble.

For Stilwell, Mink completed 8-of-21 passes for 140 yards with three interceptions and the Indians‚ leading receivers were Chuculate (3 catches for 61 yards) and Dalton Christie (3 for 44).

Richards led all runners with 16 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown and Martinez (36 yards and a TD) and Chuculate (14 and a TD) carried the ball three times apiece.