Gage Parrick ran for five touchdowns and Zeb Blancarte ran for the game-winner with a minute and a half to play Friday.
The result: a hard-fought 42-38 district win for the Tigers against Wewoka.
The game was back and forth all night, with neither team able to separate itself.
The Tigers took a 36-31 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter on Parrick’s fifth touchdown, but Wewoka came back to score with 4:01 left and take a 38-36 lead and set the scene for Blancarte’s clinching score on a counter play.
“It was a play we had already run probably 12 to 15 times on the night,” said coach Chris Elerick. “Counter is one of our base run plays and our offensive line executed it well all night.
“Right now our running backs are running very hard, and we have the ability to keep a fresh guy on the field. Zeb came in, our guys up front blocked it up well, and once he got to the second level of the defense he broke some tackles and went and scored.”
It was the second week in a row for the Tigers to nail down a win with a late score.
Two weeks ago, it was Grant Elerick with a one-yard touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game to lift the Tigers past Wayne, 14-6.
“I think it says a lot,” Elerick said. “Our guys don’t panic - they’ve proven that. They have the ability to focus and execute in critical moments.
“We were proud of the way our team responded last week. Another tight situation where we didn’t blink.
“As a coach, we don’t know what is happening in the huddle or on the field, but I think there is some good leadership going on from our older guys.’ The win puts the Tigers at 5-0 for the season and tied with Wynnewood for the lead in District A-7.
That tie will resolve itself Friday night when the Tigers go to Wynnewood.
“We need to go play well on the road, which we did not do at Wayne,” Elerick said. “Wynnewood is one of the top teams in district with one of the top players - running back Danchez Patterson.
“They also have a very good quarterback. We need to go play well from the start - play our game.”
Parrick had a pretty Friday night. In addition to his five scores, he packed it 31 times for 194 yards.
“Gage is getting better each week, and last Friday was his best effort yet,” Elerick said.
“On a lot of his runs he was untouched for the first 5 yards, which means our guys up front are doing a good job.
“And he had some runs that were not big gains, but he was very determined and gained 3,4,5 tough yards breaking tackles.”