The Elmore City-Pernell Badgers are moving on to the second round of OSSAA playoffs after defeating the Oklahoma Christian Academy Eagles at Wheeler Field last Friday.
The first half of play showcased the Eagles’ offense and special-teams play, while the Badgers’ were plagued with poor tackling and penalties. The Badgers scored first on a Tyler Martin touchdown run but failed to make the twopoint conversion. The Eagles answered the Badgers with a touchdown of their own on a 40-yard touchdown run tying the game at 6-6. The Eagles’ special teams blocked the next Badgers series punt, giving them a short field inside the Badgers’ 40-yard line. The Eagles scored again on a touchdown run and kicked the extra point, moving them into the lead at 13-6. The teams traded punts on the next series with the Eagles’ special teams making their impact again. The Eagles returned the Badgers’ punt for a touchdown, widening the lead to 20-12.
The Badgers needed a momentum shift and got just what they needed from Noah Frazier as he intercepted an Eagle pass as they were about to score again before halftime.
In the second half, the Badgers come out and played like a team with a chip on their shoulder. The Badgers scored on the first position after halftime with a Tyler Martin touchdown run and capped it off with a Derrion Rogers two-point conversion, tying the score at 20-20. The Badger defense put an end to the Eagles’ scoring streak and took over the Eagle offense, not allowing them to move the ball. The Eagles managed only three first downs the entire second half of the game, punting the ball three times and turning the ball over on downs twice.
The Badger offense decided it was time to shine as they added another 22 points to the score. Martin, Rogers and Bill Brumley all scored on touchdown runs in the second half with Damontre Patterson adding the twopoint conversions for a final score of 42-20.
The Badgers move on to the second round of the OSSAA playoffs this week, traveling to play the Burns Flat-Dill City Eagles Friday. Burns Flat beat the number one seed Magnum Tigers 50-34 last Friday. Because Burns Flat knocked off the number one seed, the Eagles take that slot, making the number two seed Badgers have to travel instead of hosting the game.
This matchup will be good as both teams like to be very physical and run the ball. Both teams can throw the ball if the situation calls for it, but prefer to run it. The defensive lines will be the key in this matchup. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
