Sallisaw edged out at Stilwell in fourth quarter

STILWELL – If Friday‚s game at Stilwell‚s James Bradley Memorial Athletic Park had been six minutes and three seconds shorter, Sallisaw would have its first football victory of the season.

Instead, the Black Diamonds surrendered their precarious lead with six minutes and two seconds left in the fourth quarter, allowing the Indians to escape with a 30-20 win.

Despite the loss, Sallisaw head coach Mark Hutson was pleased with Sallisaw‚s ability to bounce back after the previous week‚s heartbreaking loss to Ada at homecoming.

“After a tough game versus Ada, we‚re just glad to see the guys come back and really play hard and compete,” Hutson said. “I thought the defense stood up at times and did a great job of stopping Stilwell. Kiowa Coffman was our leading tackler with 23 tackles on the night. He really flew around and made a lot of good plays.”

Coffman‚s season-high 23 tackles were enough to get him in the record books, setting a new Sallisaw High School defensive record for the most unassisted tackles in a game.

The Black Diamonds‚ offensive scheme utilized Cooper Jackson as quarterback for the first time this season, where he lined up in the Wildcat formation. Jackson gave Stilwell‚s defense something different, and the series resulted in a touchdown by Jackson off a short run play.

“Christian Taylor, with his two field goals, really stepped up, and if we get around the 20 yard line, we don‚t have to go for it because he‚s been really consistent for us,” Hutson said. “It was tough. We had to overcome a few tough breaks, and I was just so proud of the players and the coaches for bouncing back after that Ada loss.”

The support of the traveling Black Diamond faithful was also felt by the Sallisaw players and coaches on the field. The positivity was appreciated, especially after Sallisaw received what some believed were questionable calls from the referees.

“I thought we had a great crowd there,” Hutson noted. “They were loud and into the game. The support was tremendous. As they stood behind us, we could hear them on the field and we were really thankful and appreciated their cheering and support and staying behind us. It was a big turnout. I know our players felt that, because I certainly did.”

There were a lot of personal fouls during the game, so many that it was hard not to take them personally after they got into double digits. Even the Stilwell fans eventually lobbied the referees, asking them to “Let ’em play!”

“It was a long game with the stoppages, with the penalties and the discussions. It made it a lengthy game, that‚s for sure.”

The Black Diamonds are already getting ready for their next game against a tough Broken Bow squad in an away game at 7 p.m. in Sallisaw‚s first Thursday game of the season.