Chandler racked up its third straight lop-sided win Thursday, beating Tulsa Central, 28-0, in a game that was moved to Thursday because of expected heavyrainandthen called just after halftime as the storm moved close.
The teams came out fromthehalfandranafew plays before the warning siren went off. Officials sent the teams to their dressing rooms for a few minutes before calling the game.
The win lifted the Lions’ district to 3-2. They’re tied for third place in District 2A-1-3 with Dewey and Sperry, their opponents in their last two games.
“I was glad to get the win and take care of business and get out of there,” coach Jack Gray said. “We can see the things we need to improve and polish up the next couple of weeks and going into the playoffs.”
It was the third straight abbreviated game for the Lions. Their 52-6 win over Tulsa Webster and 54-6 win over Westville were so one-sided, the teams agreed to keep the clock running in the second half, the football equivalent of a run-rule.
“You don’t want to go for weeks where you only play a half and then all of a sudden you’re in a game and you’re not conditioned for it,” Gray said.
“We want to get them as many reps as we can, because that can be a conditioning issue.We’ve gotten a lot of plays lately, but last night the way they were running the clock, our offense didn’t touch the ball a whole lot.”
Whentheydidtouchthe ball, the Lions had little trouble scoring.
Quarterback Chace Buchanan hit Bryson Taylor for a 27-yard touchdown pass early in the first period, then came back and connected with him on a 14-yarder for a score later in the period.
Buchanan ran a yard for a touchdown midway through the second quarter and ran in from four yards out with 4:13 left before half.
Levi Becktol was 4-for-4 on the point-afters, making it 28-0 at halftime.
The Lions took the second half kickoff and were moving for a likely touchdown when the game was halted.
“At the start, a lot of guys were bringing our own energy and I was happy with that,” Gray said. “We had some mental mistakes, and we had some good things we did mentally.
“Our defense adjusted to what they were doing pretty quickly and I was happy with our ability to adapt. And e kept our composure through the game when things started getting chippy.”
NextupisSperry,which is 3-5 on the season after edging the Dewey Decimals, 17-12, Friday.
The game is the last of Chandler’s four homes and is senior night, but Gray said he thinks the team will be able to avoid distractions.
“We always tell our guystostayinthemoment and play in the moment and don’t let those things distract them,” he said.
“We’ve got a better opponent coming, so I think our guys will be hyped up.
“We’re ready to get a game like that in front of us, where you expect to play the whole game. If we don’t show up and play well and if we have busts, those things get exposed and can cost you a ball game.
“I think we’ll have a little more excitement getting ready, getting back to our home fans and not on the road.”