BRIAN BLANSETT Chandler stopped Bristow on fourth down in overtime Friday, putting a final exclamation point on a 2316 victory and capping a night of big plays, missed opportunities and a season’s worth of momentum changes.
It was not the best-played of games, but it was thrilling from the first possession to the last snap and there was no questioning the effort on both sides.
“Both teams just kept giving each other a way to win,” Chandler coach Jack Gray said. “We’d give them a way to win, they’d give us a way to win.
“My blood pressure has never been higher in my coaching career than it was tonight.”
The Lions moved the ball consistently all night despite leading rusher Casmen Hill having to leave the game with an injury in the first half, but they turned the ball over four times.
The same was true of Bristow, which lost the ball and a potential go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter on a fumble that went into and out of the end zone for a touchback.
With Hill on the sidelines in the second half, Chandler changed its game plan and went to the quarterback run with junior Alec Jackson, who paid off the move with a 72-yard scoring run in the third quarter and finished with 102 yards rushing.
“Our backup running back can block really well, so we decided to make him a lead blocker,” Gray said. “We were expanding pretty wide outside for our stretch plays and found a weakness inside, so we just starting going with the quarterback with the lead inside.
“The whole fourth quarter it kind of worked out for us. The quarterback was running tough, the running back was blocking and the linemen did a good job of pushing them out and we just felt we were going to get yards.”
Landon Miller had kicked a 33-yard field goal as the first half expired to put Chandler up, 9-6. It followed a Zion Ward touchdown sandwiched around two Bristow field goals.
The Purple Pirates tied it up on yet another field goal by Ryder Goodman in the third quarter, but Jackson peeled off his 72-yard touchdown to put the Lions back up, 16-9.
The lead lasted less than two minutes, as Bristow’s Darien Dansby scored from 10 yards out to tie the game.
The final four and a half minutes of regulation featured a fumble recovery and two interceptions, but neither team could score.
Chandler got the ball first in overtime and got what proved to the winner when Jackson hit Kodey Pittman for a touchdown pass over the right side.
When Bristow got the ball, the Lions’ defense held, forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down to secure the victory.
Now 2-0, the Lions return home Friday to host Class 4A Poteau, which comes in with a 1-1 record.
Game Stats Passing Name Comp Att Yds TD Team 7 13 93 1 Alec Jackson 7 13 93 1 Chandler
Rushing Name Car Yds Avg TD Team 40 233 5.8 2 Alec Jackson 21 108 5.1 1 Casmen Hill 12 93 7.8 0 Ty Garver 4 22 5.5 0 Zion Ward 3 10 3.3 1
Receiving Name Rec Yds Avg TD Team 7 93 13.3 1 Cruz Jackson 1 15 15.0 0 Brayden Nation 2 52 26.0 0 Casmen Hill 1 2 2.0 0 Kodey Pittman 2 21 10.5 1 Corbin Hollon 1 3 3.0 0
Tackles Name Solo Asst Tot Tckls Team Totals 42 24 66 Joel Telford 1 0 1 Brayden Nation 3 2 5 Stefaun Mackey 3 2 5 Blake Rickner 3 0 3 Casmen Hill 1 0 1 Ty Garver 7 1 8 Zion Ward 5 2 7 Trevor Sutton 1 3 4 Kodey Pittman 0 2 2 J. Galbraith 3 4 7 Hunner Robinson 4 1 5 Stran Messer 6 3 9 Chaden Sullivan 2 1 3 Ethan Manning 2 3 5 Corbin Hollon 1 0 1
Staff writer
Chandler quarterback Alec Jackson follows the lead block of Ty Garver (11), a combination the Lions used to great effect in the second half aginst Bristow. Photo/Brian Blansett