Black Diamonds blank Stigler Panthers in home opener (Edited)
The old sports adage says “Defense wins championships.”
The Sallisaw Black Diamonds’ defense may not have won a championship on Friday night, but it did help them win the team’s season opener.
Thanks to four interceptions and a pass break-up on fourth down, the Black Diamonds blanked the Stigler Panthers 27-0 on Friday night at Perry F. Lattimore Stadium.
After driving as deep as the Stigler 16-yard line but being stopped on downs with 8:36 left in the first period, the Black Diamonds (1-1) scored on their next drive as Jackson Harris capped the possession with a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:53 remaining in the period. Ethan Girdner kicked the extra point to put Sallisaw ahead 7-0 after the first quarter.
On the ensuing possession for the Panthers (0-1), Sallisaw defensive back Kenyan Hill had an interception to put an end to Stigler’s drive with 21 seconds remaining in the period. However, Sallisaw could not take advantage of the takeaway.
With Stigler driving late in the first half, the Panthers were facing fourth down at the Sallisaw 20-yard line, and they decided to go for it. However, Sallisaw defensive lineman Cade Tate batted down the pass to not only thwart the Panthers but preserve the Black Diamonds’ 7-0 lead at halftime.
The Black Diamonds got their second pick as linebacker Caden Blount intercepted a pass and returned the pick 11 yards to set the Black Diamonds in the red zone with 11:19 left in the third quarter.
Sallisaw needed only 26 seconds to score as Harris got his second TD on a 1-yard run with 10:53 remaining in the period. Girdner hit the PAT to double Sallisaw’s advantage to 14-0 after three quarters.
After the Sallisaw defense stopped Stigler on downs at the Sallisaw 28-yard line with 9:44 left to play, the Black Diamonds capped the drive with a hat trick for Harris on rushing touchdowns as he scored his third TD of the game on a 19-yard run. However, thanks to a bad snap on the extra-point attempt, the conversion failed to keep Sallisaw ahead 20-0 with 8:06 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing Stigler possession, the Panthers were stopped once more on the third Sallisaw interception of the game as defensive back Keaton Brant picked off the pass and returned it 20 yards. Thanks to a horsecollar tackle by Stigler, the Black Diamonds set up shop at the Stigler 3-yard line with 6:24 remaining to play.
With the reserves in, the Black Diamonds only needed one play to cash in the takeaway as Matthew McGrew took it into the end zone on the next play. Girdner’s extra point increased Sallisaw’s lead to 27-0 with 6:20 left in the game.
To put a capper on the strong defensive performance, Sallisaw defensive lineman Hunter Smith picked off the Black Diamonds’ fourth interception with 2:20 left to play. The Black Diamonds ran out the clock.
“I thought we came out in the first half and played sharp,” Sallisaw coach Brandon Tyler said. “Once we got settled in there, I thought our defense played a superb game. They had their backs against the wall a few times, but they were able to keep them out of the end zone. We had four interceptions, so that was a big night in the (defensive) secondary.”
After the Black Diamonds have their bye week this week, they will return to action at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 against the Eufaula Ironheads at Perry F. Lattimore Stadium.
