Things started off the way Chandler wanted Friday night, with the Lions taking an early 7-0 lead and having two other scoring opportunities.
After the first quarter, though, it went off script and Sequoyah-Tahlequah came back to claim a 24-14 district win.
The loss leveled Chandler’s record at 2-2, the same last year after four games. Chandler is back home Friday night to host Metro Christian at 7 p.m., which pummeled Dewey last week, 42-0.
“Honestly, the way we started, we had them where we wanted them. We scored and then got the ball back,” said Chandler head coach Jack Gray. “Then we shot ourselves in the foot. We blew some calls, had some missed assignments and miscues.
“We could have gone up 21-0 in the first quarter, but we got some penalties to get behind the sticks and made it hard on ourselves. That’s a big change in momentum and morale. If we put 21 on them in the first quarter, it’s whole different deal.”
Sequoyah put together a long scoring drive in the second quarter to tie the game at 14-14 at halftime, then took control in the second half, outscoring the Lions 17-7.
“Our defense played very well, overall,” Gray said. “It took them a lot of plays calls to get on the board. We made them earn every bit of it.”
Friday night, the Lions host Metro Christian, ranked No. 3 in Class 2A-I by MaxPreps.