The Eufaula Ironheads found themselves tied with Idabel in district 2A-6 after defeating the Wilburton Diggers 51-6 Friday night at Paul Bell Stadium.
The Eufaula Ironheads found themselves tied with Idabel in district 2A-6 after defeating the Wilburton Diggers 51-6 Friday night at Paul Bell Stadium.
Eufaula bombarded Wilburton and kept them off balance with great play calling by coordinator Josh Luna. Eufaula scored first on an 82-yard strike from Luke Adcock to Nick Jones, 6-0.
The Ironheads forced a fumble on Wilburton’s first offensive drive. Tyler Lee made the fumble recovery for the Ironheads. Eufaula then put together a quick drive as senior running back Noah Alexander busted loose after getting a big block from Tye Pippenger for a 17-yard touchdown, 13-0.
The Ironhead defense played exceptionally well. Khelil Deere had two pass deflections and the players on the line of scrimmage tormented Wilburton’s quarterback throughout the game. They forced Wilburton to go 3-and-out. Eufaula then scored again when Alexander outran the Diggers defense for an 82-yard touchdown to extend the score 20-0.
Eufaula would find the end zone again before halftime as Adcock found Deere wide open for a 16-yard touchdown, 26-0.
“I thought we did a great job of keeping pressure on their quarterback and limiting their rushing attack,” Eufaula head coach Larry Newton said.
Eufaula held the Diggers to -16 total offensive yards in the first half.
The Ironheads didn’t let off the gas as Deere took a punt 97 yards to the house as the home crowd erupted in jubilation, 32-0. Adcock would score next as the 6’2” quarterback showed some speed on a 13-yard touchdown to give the Ironheads a 39-0 lead with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter.
Newton pulled his starters and replaced them with his reserve players.
“We didn’t need to take a chance and get somebody hurt. These kids deserve to get some real game time and they did just that tonight. This could be a long post season so we want these players to get some experience,” Newton said.
Wilburton voided Eufaula’s shutout as the Diggers scored on a 17-yard touchdown with 8:26 remaining in regulation.
The Ironheads would answer as Gavin Watkins scored two touchdowns on runs of 6 yards and 85 yards to seal the 51-6 victory.
Eufaula (5-2, 4-0 2A-6) will travel to Idabel to take on the Warriors in a game that will determine the district championship. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Eufaula finished the game with 460 total offensive yards including 300 yards rushing.
Adcock was 7/11 for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Alexander recorded another tripledigit game with seven carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Jones had four receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. Deere had a 97-yard punt return and a 16-yard catch for a touchdown.
“I’m really proud of how our offensive and defensive lines played tonight. Ty Dodd, Tye Pippenger, Draven Gragg, JoDan Marshall and Johnny Burton did a great job for us tonight. I thought our linebackers and d-backs played outstanding. Ontario Ellen, Briar Sweitzer, Khelil, Tyler, Nick Jones and the other guys played smart football,” Newton said.
The Ironhead defense held Wilburton to just 51 total offensive yards.
