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  • Tuttle quarterback Tanner Koons also had 20 carries for 65 yards in the 40-14 second round playoff loss to Claremore-Sequoyah.

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November 25, 2009

Tuttle meets its match; season over

Ellis Goodwin

TUTTLE – Cody Richardson and Dakota Green ran right, left, and up the middle. They found creases, exploded through holes, raced by defenders – and they didn't stop until they'd reached the end zone. Five times.

Only sheriff deputies on patrol covered more Grady County ground Friday than did the Claremore-Sequoyah senior duo, which made sure the Eagles quite literally ran away with a 40-14 second round playoff victory over second-ranked Tuttle.

The victory pushed Claremore-Sequoyah into the Class 3A State Semifinals, where it joined three of its District 3A-3 colleagues. This weekend, the Eagles (10-2) will try to punch their ticket to the state title game against defending district and state champion Cascia Hall. District 3A-3 playoff qualifiers Dewey and Berryhill will meet in the other state semifinal.

The OSSAA will determine dates, times, and sites for the semifinals by Monday.

On Friday, however, the Bill HInkle Stadium home crowd watched in shock as Michael Wangsgard rushed for a game-high 156 yards on only 12 carries. Richardson added 116 yards on only seven rushes. Along with Green, they combined for six touchdowns, blasting like cannonballs out from the Eagles' confusing, speedy Wing-T, which operates like an inverted Wishbone.

Wangsgard took the game's first snap 80 yards for a touchdown. And after Tuttle had answered on a 44-yard scoring scamper by Ethan Biddy, Richardson took the Eagles' second snap for another 80-yard score.

And just like that, it had been two Claremore-Sequoyah snaps, one-hundred-and-sixty yards, and two touchdowns.

It was a sign of things to come.

The Eagles, who nearly scored more points against Tuttle than 11 previous opponents combined, snapped the ball just 22 times in the first half. Yet, they'd scored 33 points and gained 278 yards rushing.

It was a blow to Tuttle, which had allowed just 58 points through 10 regular season games and one playoff contest.

"If you can come to Tuttle and score 40 points, 33 in the first half, you deserve to win," said Tuttle head coach Phil Koons, who directed the Tigers to their sixth unbeaten regular season in 17 years.

"I thought I had a good game plan. I don't mind facing the Wing-T, but I mind it when it's Claremore-Sequoyah running it. They are very good at what they do. We've played Wing-T teams before, but no one runs it like they do."

After Richardson pushed the Eagles' lead to 12-7 on his team's second snap, the floodgates opened and it poured Claremore-Sequoyah touchdowns.

Less than three minutes into the second stanza, Green ripped a trap play up the middle for a 38-yard score. Then, on Tuttle's next play, the snap went over quarterback Tanner Koons' head, and he had to scamper back into the end zone and fall on the ball. It was a safety, and Claremore-Sequoyah led 20-7.

The Eagles took the ensuing kickoff and marched 55 yards in nine pays. Richardson capped the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak right over his center and into the end zone. The two-point pass attempt failed, but the Eagles led 26-7.

Three plays later, Wangsgard intercepted a Koons pass and gave Claremore-Sequoyah the ball on the Tuttle 26-yard line. Green carried for 13 yards on first down; Richardson went for 8 on second down; and then Green capped the drive from 5 yards out on another trap play up the middle.

The Tigers showed some life early in the third quarter, driving 79 yards to the Eagles' 1, where they faced fourth down. But Tuttle was called for a 5-yard illegal substitution penalty, and fourth-down run by Koons came up one yard short.

Even when Tuttle did things right it turned out wrong. The Tigers forced Claremore-Sequoyah's first punt of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter, but they were called for running into the punter, and the penalty yards gave the Eagles a first down. Seven plays later, Green scored his third touchdown, this time dashing 19 yards up the middle.

The Eagles finished with 361 yards, or 15 yards per carry. Green finished with 60 yards on 10 carries and scored on almost a third of his attempts.

Biddy led Tuttle with 107 yards on 20 carries. Koons gained 65 yards on 20 carries and threw for 103 yards.

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