Elgin ends Black Diamonds’ season
ELGIN — For the second straight season, the high school football season for the Sallisaw Black Diamonds ended at the Class 4A state quarterfinals.
Five turnovers doomed the Black Diamonds as they lost 49-6 to the No. 1 Elgin Owls in Friday night’s state quarterfinal playoff game.
The season ended for the Black Diamonds at 9-3.
It looked like the Black Diamonds were going to strike first, thanks to being set up by a fumble recovery by Sallisaw’s Tae Muskrat-Flynn at the Elgin 27 yard line on the opening kickoff. Ethan Perez forced the fumble.
However, the Owls (12-0) recovered a fumble two plays later at their own 8 yard line one play after the Black Diamonds dropped a pass in the end zone, and Elgin went 92 yards in 15 plays as Ritson Meyer scored the first of four touchdowns on a three-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.
“We got the very first one (turnover) on the kickoff,” Sallisaw coach Brandon Tyler said. “We were able to get a fumble recovery off them. We had a chance to go up 7-0 real quick, but we dropped a pass in the end zone on the first play. On the second play, we hit Cooper Cox out there, and they got him from behind and punched it out — or maybe we punch it in right there.”
The Black Diamonds responded with a 66-yard, 13-play drive, including a fourth-down conversion, as Kase Adams hit Caden Blount on a 14-yard touchdown pass with about a minute left in the first quarter.
However, there was a bad snap on the extra-point attempt, thus keeping the Owls ahead 7-6 after a period.
Cox picked off a pass at the tail end of the first quarter to set the Black Diamonds up at their own 40 yard line, but the drive ended up being a three-and-out.
The Owls took the ball at their own 33 yard line and went 67 yards in five plays as Meyer scored his second TD of the night on a three-yard touchdown run for a 14-6 lead with about nine minutes left before halftime.
After an exchange of punts, the Black Diamonds started a drive at their own 43 yard line with about six minutes remaining in the first half. They drove as deep as the Elgin 17, only to be stopped on fourth down a yard shy of the line to gain with about three minutes remaining before halftime.
After stopping Elgin and forcing a punt, the Black Diamonds got the ball back at their own 36 yard line with about two minutes left in the first half.
On the second play, Elgin’s Jake Meents picked off the first of two passes to set up shop for the Owls at the Sallisaw 38 yard line with about 1:20 left before halftime.
Three plays later, Meyer had his hat trick of touchdown runs on a two-yard TD run just before halftime for a 21-6 lead at the break.
The Black Diamonds got the second-half kickoff at their own 28 yard line, but on the third play of the drive, Meents picked off his second pass and set the Owls up at the Sallisaw 21 with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
However, the Sallisaw defense rose to the occasion as Muskrat-Flynn recovered his second fumble three plays later, set up by linebacker Jace Holman, to set up the Black Diamonds at their own 24 yard line with about nine minutes remaining in the period.
Two plays later, Josh Adesola got Elgin’s third interception, this one setting up the Owls at the Sallisaw 46 yard line.
The Owls went 46 yards in seven plays as Keegan Hilliary hit Tres Lorah on an 18-yard TD pass with about six minutes remaining in the quarter for a 28-6 advantage for the Owls.
A sack by Elgin’s Shay Spencer stopped the ensuing Sallisaw drive to force a punt, off which the Owls began their next drive at their own 23 yard line with about five minutes left in the period.
Five plays and 77 yards later, Meyer scored his fourth touchdown on a 47-yard TD run with about four minutes left in the quarter to put Elgin up 35-6 after three quarters.
On the first play of the final period, Elgin’s Lane Ryan threw a 60-yard TD pass to make it 42-6 in favor of the Owls.
The Owls capped the victorious night with a 50-yard pick-6 for a touchdown, which was the fourth interception by the Owls for the game, to make it 49-6 with about nine minutes left to play.
“The turnovers killed us,” Tyler said. “The big one was right before halftime. We were only down 14-6. We were basically trying to make something happen. It was a young quarterback trying to make a big play.”
Despite the season ending two wins three wins shy of a state title, Tyler was still proud of his team.
“It was a great year for us,” he said. “Turnovers a part of the game. If you look at all three games we lost, that was a big reason why — the turnovers. We turned the ball over way too much. In big games, you can’t do that. I was proud of the way our kids fought. We played very well despite the turnovers. You take those away, the game doesn’t get out of hand the way it did. They (the Owls) are a great football team. I was proud of our kids, our coaches and our community support that was out there. It was great, and I’m very blessed to be coaching here. We’ll be back.”
