The No. 8 Checotah Wildcats (8-4) forced the No. 6 Bristow Pirates to walk the plank Friday night after defeating Bristow 35-32 and earning Checotah a spot in the semifinals of Class 3A. It is the first time Checotah has made it to the semifinals since 1994.

“I’m super proud of this team. They kept battling back when they got down and answered the call when they had to. Congratulations to the fans who have supported us throughout the season. It’s a great time to be a Wildcat,” Checotah head coach Zac Ross said.

This was a game of big plays with hard tackling. Just when the Pirates thought they had the game won with just.49 seconds on the clock, Checotah freshman quarterback Cole Rolland connected with OU commit Elijah Thomas for a 76-yard touchdown putting the Wildcats on top 35-32. The following Pirate offensive possession Wildcat senior linebacker Kaden Rice secured the victory for Checotah as he made a great play on the football with an interception and Checotah ran the clock out as cheers erupted from the visitors’ side bleachers.

Elijah Thomas led the charge for Checotah as he dominated the game on both sides of the football as finished with eight receptions for 242 yards with four touchdowns including a 74, 43, seven and 76 yard scores and he led the team with 14 tackles.

Rolland went 14/22 for 294 yards with fourtouchdowns and made a key interception on defense in which Checotah turned into a score.

Preston Cannon added another touchdown when he outran the Pirates defense for a 17yard touchdown.

“What a night. The amazing thing was, no matter the situation, those kids kept playing. Bristow was extremely physical, but our guys weathered the storm. After Bristow took the lead with 1:39 left on the clock there was never any doubt that we were going to score. It’s a special group of kids,” Checotah assistant coach Tom Butler said.

A factor in the victory was the effort the Wildcats gave on defense. Checotah forced five turnovers. Shooter Eagleberger, Kaden Rice and Cole Rolland each recorded an interception. Rice also recovered a fumble and Eagleberger recovered a muff punt from the Pirates.

Defensively, several Wildcats made pivotal plays like Hudson Pollard, Jordan Ellen, Dax Harding, Elijah Mohammad, Preston Cannon, Cale Thompson and Jaydon Casey.

Elijah Thomas had 14 tackles, Preston Cannon 12 tackles, Kaden Rice 11 tackles and Dylan Robinson finished with 10 tackles.

The Checotah rushing game was more than effective as Jayden Ellen, Preston Cannon and Elijah Thomas rotated throughout the game racking up yardage and the clock.

Checotah (8-4) will square off against No.3 ranked Sulphur (11-1) at 7 p.m. Friday night at